CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SAN FRANCISCO : Laotians Seek Help From Sen. Cranston

More than 250 Laotians demonstrated Friday outside a field office of Sen. Alan Cranston (D-Calif.) to accuse the Vietnamese government of using chemical warfare against Laotian civilians and to seek help from the senator. The demonstrators, who represented more than 20 Laotian organizations from across the state, charged that more than 700 civilians have been killed and more than 1,000 wounded since the attacks using chemical warfare and conventional bombing began on Jan. 5. “We all have the feeling America has forgotten Laos. We need American help to stop the bombing and the use of ‘yellow rain’ on our people,” said Chaosarm Chao, 42, of Richmond. A representative of the senator, David Behar, addressed the rally, telling the group Cranston will look into the allegations.