Panel Clashes on Cause of Vietnam's Woes; Agrees on Necessity of International Attention

A group of scholars last night agreed that the severity of economic and social problems in Vietnam demands worldwide attention, but disagreed on the causes of and solutions to the crisis.

Stephen Yoang '64, a research fellow at the Center for International Affairs, criticized the communist government of Vietnam before a hostile crowd of about 100 attending the Institute of Politics panel.

"The socialist economic system has failed because it conflicts with the underlying values of the Vietnamese people." Young said.

"The economic stagnation is not due to the Vietnam war or American bombing but is the result of people's hatred of the communist regime." Young added.

"Socialism opposes those values of individualism," such as material prosperity, that the Vietnamese traditionally embrace, he said.

But Ngo Vinh Long '68, who recently spent seven months in Vietnam, responded that the "regime inherited tremendous problems after the war and attacks against the socialist system represent simplistic and counter-productive rhetoric."

Citing the economic advancement in northern Vietnam, Long blamed mounting American hostility and pressure for the shortcomings of the second five-year economic plan, begun in 1976.

Stephen Morris, a fellow in the Russian Research Center, called for the release of 800,000 political prisoners held captive in re-education centers since the Thieu government fell in 1975.

However, Long--who said claims of thousands of political executions daily are exaggerated--added that the re-education camps are necessary for the government to function without "unwarranted anarchy."

Young argued in return that the communist government must be repressive because millions of Vietnamese have left the country. The panel marked the sixth anniversary of the fall of Saigon to communist forces.