1.
LV Smoke from bombed village
0.05

2.
LV South Vietnamese troops in field
0.08

3.
SV Tanks along Highway One (2 shots)
0.22

4.
SV South Vietnamese troops (2 shots)
0.30

5.
GV Smoke from bombed village
0.32

6.
GV PAN & MV People behind barbed wire stretched across Highway One (4 shots)
1.00

7.
GV ZOOM MV & GVs South Vietnamese tanks (3 shots)
1.10

8.
GV ZOOM SV & CU Stabbed South Vietnamese soldier (3 shots)
1.25


Troops and tanks moving in; smoke from village; vicilians behind barbed wire across Highway; tanks on sand dunes; stabbed soldier.




Initials SGM/2343 SGM/2337



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: The Vietnam war continued to rage on unchecked on Monday (29 Jan) with the South Vietnamese Command accusing Communist forces of breaking the official ceasefire 426 times in the first 22 hours.

The Viet Cong counter-charged that Saigon's troops had violated the day-old truce in many places with strikes by aircraft, tanks and armoured cars.

Military sources in Saigon reported heavy fighting in the central highlands, the central coast region, the Mekong Delta and in the provinces around the capital.

One major battle closed Highway One along which vital supplies are carried into Saigon.

The South Vietnamese Government claimed that during the battle the communists fired 400 rockets and mortar bombs into a hamlet 30 miles (50 kms) northeast of Saigon.

The fighting raged for five hours with South Vietnamese troops calling in armoured units.

SYNOPSIS: Smoke from a bombed South Vietnamese hamlet billows into the air as fighting continued unchecked after the weekend ceasefire. The South Vietnamese moved in tanks ad troops after claiming the Viet Cong had fired more than 400 rockets and mortar bombs into the village.

The Saigon Military Command accused the communist forces of breaking the official ceasefire 426 times in the first 22 hours. But the Viet Cong counter-charged that Saigon's troops had violated the truce in many places. The ceasefire agreement requires the South Vietnamese and he Viet Cong to allow civilians to use all roads. However on Highway One South Vietnamese troops had stretched a barbed wire barrier across the road to prevent refugees from passing through to Viet Cong territory.

Fighting also broke out on the Cau Viet River near the northern coastal demarcation line. The South Vietnamese Marine Commander claimed the North Vietnamese troops were on the offensive.

The Commander claimed this soldier was stabbed by North Vietnamese guerrillas who had crawled into the South Vietnamese lines. The Commander said he would keep fighting in a bid to hold the south bank of the river.