POW's In Laos and Vietnam

Met a guy over the weekend that claims there are still sightings of POW's being held in Vietnam and Laos. These guys would have to be pretty old by now.

He said that some are still held in prisons and some have just been living there not wanting to to return to the US. He spoke of Salt and Pepper, which were two American serviceman who defected and fought along side the Viet Cong.

Have any of you heard of recent sightings and if so when and where?

The most recent I found on the web was this:

Summer 1991: A flood of new evidence of live POWs pours from Southeast Asia: pictures, handwriting samples, hair samples, blood samples, fingerprints, foot-prints, maps and other physical proof. The Bush administration disregards the evidence and attempts to discredit it by rumor and innuendo. Some of the photos are scientifically validated -- and have never been scientifically disproven!

this from April '07

New book documents live POWs in Southeast Asia

usvetdsp.com

What are your thoughts Mid?

no doubt they exist , in what numbers and what degree of captivity has to be another question.

guys being kept in full on prison conditions is doubtful by now surely ?

I wonder if they have not integrated into the society. But curious as to why they would not come forward or have been spotted by a tourist.

Are there areas in Vietnam and Laos that are still off limits to tourists?

Vietnam 15 Years Later - TIME


"Still, the National League of Families issues regular status reports of sightings on a hundred or so of the 2,303 men listed as missing in action or unaccounted for in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Since a Japanese lieutenant hid on a Philippine island for 30 years after World War II before surfacing, anything is possible. But it is more likely that any Americans still in Vietnam remain there for conjugal reasons and have led retiring lives. Either that or the people sighted were really East Europeans or the now grown Amerasian offspring of former G.I.s."

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But it is more likely that any Americans still in Vietnam remain there for conjugal reasons

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the above and the har-sips are a more likely explanation .

there's enough isolated accounts of the odd individual hiding out for 20 plus years to be believable but keeping 600 in forced captivity is another matter ,

possible but highly improbable for mine .

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Originally Posted by chitown

Summer 1991: A flood of new evidence of live POWs pours from Southeast Asia: pictures, handwriting samples, hair samples, blood samples, fingerprints, foot-prints, maps and other physical proof. The Bush administration disregards the evidence and attempts to discredit it by rumor and innuendo. Some of the photos are scientifically validated -- and have never been scientifically disproven!

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link?

a request for a link seems a very fair.

A few years back a US soldier who defected to N Korea returned to Japan to see his wife and kids. He defected again staying in Japan and not following orders to return back to N Korea. It was funny as hell. The US Army in Japan treated him (68 y.o. or so) as any other defector. Put him back in uniform, gave him an ID card. 2-day trial and he was discharged. His wife and North Korean kids were shopping in the Post Exchange and visiting the theater and bowling alley. Bizarre.

I believe some former soldiers may still be in Vietnam, but not likely against their will. Probably afraid to be identified and tried.

the information chitown posted, and i in turn quoted, is dubious...at best.

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Originally Posted by chitown

A flood of new evidence of live POWs pours from Southeast Asia

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Originally Posted by chitown

some of the photos are scientifically validated

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why won't chitown post a link to where he got this "information".

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Originally Posted by blackgang

Take his word for it RAY or do you think Chi is a liar?

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so these are the only two options in the world you inhabit?

IMO it isn't beyond the realm of possibility that he has been duped by a blogging conspiracy theorist. a quick citation would help shed some light on the issue.

No POWs or MIAs left IMO. Quite a few names on the MIA list in VN, Laos and Thailand would be my wild guess. Live in the sticks, keep your head low and it's easy. Plenty of ways to earn a little dosh if your not shy about how you make it.

Read "Villa Incognito" a few months back. Fiction but has a plausible plot about a few MIAs.

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Originally Posted by chitown

Met a guy over the weekend that claims there are still sightings of POW's being held in Vietnam and Laos. These guys would have to be pretty old by now.

He said that some are still held in prisons and some have just been living there not wanting to to return to the US.

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It's an Urban myth. It always was.

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The most recent I found on the web was this:

Summer 1991: A flood of new evidence of live POWs pours from Southeast Asia: pictures, handwriting samples, hair samples, blood samples, fingerprints, foot-prints, maps and other physical proof.

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More Urban Myths.


Many families of MIAs constantly hassled Congressmen about finding these MIAs. (They are KIA but bodies not found.) Congress knew this. As well as the Pentagon, CIA, and other intelligence sources.

Because Congressmen run for re-election every 2 years, they formed an MIA investigative Congressional Committee, that cost taxpayers $30 million dollars. They knew it was a charade, but had to proceed anyway.

The entire concept of American MIAs being held captive in Vietnam is one of the dumbest things ever created.

I have lived in Vietnam for 6 years, and an acquantance of mine that works for the US military spends months and months every year, digging bones and bone fragments in Northern Vietnam (the bones in Southern Vietnam have been recovered).

Also, the NLF (Viet Cong) and NVA did not want the US to be able to do body counts.

If an American corps was left behind, or found in a trap, they did things to hide the body so the Americans could not get an accurate count on KIAs. One thing the VC would do was pour sand down a corpse's throat, and pour pebbles into the body, and throw it in a river.

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Originally Posted by Norton

Read "Villa Incognito" a few months back. Fiction but has a plausible plot about a few MIAs.

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as someone posted earlier on this thread....if they're still there, it's likely by their choice.

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Originally Posted by obsidian

a request for a link seems a very fair.

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Originally Posted by Milkman

One thing the VC would do was pour sand down a corpse's throat, and pour pebbles into the body, and throw it in a river.

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No I do not think that is SOP, Why try to force sand down a throat that has swelled shut when all that is necessary is to take your bayonet and stick his guts a few times and a few rocks in his pockets and he will sink and stay down with no place left to act like a gas bag.

But I did know a few GIs that went awol and said they were never going home and did stay out in the brush and I would imagine that they are still there, some that were trying to stay in Siagon were pobly caught and sent home as most of them were strung out on Opium and Heroin anyway.

Chitown did post a link, but it was accidentally thrown in the garbage bin with the 24 other crap posts earlier. Apologies to Chitown.

Perhaps you could copy it from the trash bin, or Chitown could repost it without the "crap" which has been binned?

Does anyone think that any allied forces troops will hang around in Iraq?

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Originally Posted by stroller

Perhaps you could copy it from the trash bin, or Chitown could repost it without the "crap" which has been binned?

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Here is the link Chitown posted earlier in the thread:

Freedom Now

^Stroller, ok, I'm going to go beyond the call of duty and clean the remainder of this thread up as you suggest. Personal insults taken out of two posts. Happy?

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Originally Posted by Scooter

Does anyone think that any allied forces troops will hang around in Iraq?

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Due to the American tax system, it's possible!

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Originally Posted by Ivor Biggun

Due to the American tax system, it's possible!

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If taxes were the major reason to stay in Iraq, none of the Brits would go home.:)

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Originally Posted by stroller

Perhaps you could copy it from the trash bin, or Chitown could repost it without the "crap" which has been binned?

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Just for your information, I did not start the "crap". I posted a legit thread and then insults were dished out and I dished back. The thread was going good and all post were civil until.............

I would hope that you would be able to understand that Stroll. The way you stated implies that i started the whole thing and that is not true. I have never been one to cast the first stone....

^ pity. one of your post was a real golden turd.

who benefits from continued rumour about mia's in vietnam? scam/scam/scam methinks

^ what are you talking about?

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Originally Posted by Norton

If taxes were the major reason to stay in Iraq, none of the Brits would go home.

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At least we get free health care .

^ Ivor it ain't free. The Brits pay twice what we do in taxes every year.

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Originally Posted by chinthee

Here is the link Chitown posted earlier in the thread:

Freedom Now

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Frankly, it is a lobbying site, and provides no further references to the alleged "flood of new evidence" (new in 1991).

I'd put it in the "conspiracy theories" drawer:

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It is only reasonable to assume that some of the pilots and support crew would inevitably fall into the hands of our enemies. There is evidence that some of these latest “POWs” are being held in the same prison camps as the military POWs. If any of those original captives came home talking about others who had joined them as recently as 1982 or 1983, it would be the end of any number of reputations and political careers. This includes members of both major political parties and all Administrations since 1973.
Fact or fiction? Our government knows the answers – and it isn’t talking!

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As recent as 1983??? :rofl:

Material for a Chuck Norris movie.

perhaps the deleted posts could be moved to mkp and my point would be clear.

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Originally Posted by chitown

Ivor it ain't free. The Brits pay twice what we do in taxes every year.

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I agree that there's a difference but I don't believe it's twice as what you say or America would have a free health service . Sorry if I've gone of topic.

Whoevers left there is of their own free will, or long dead. Let 'em Rest in Peace.

No can do cowboy. Whether they're KIA, MIA, POW or deserters, the military will strive to find out their status. Maybe not too tirelessly, and often under difficult/impossible circumstances, but they try nonetheless.

Nobody gets written off.

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Originally Posted by Texpat

Nobody gets written off.

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Missing in action do, unless confirmed later,

Just came across this topic, which looks like it self-imploded a long time ago! But I thought this link would be relevant to post on here.

Are there any Vietnam War-era POWs still alive in Laos?