The World : Thai Jet Downed by Laos

A Thai jet fighter was shot down as it attacked Laotian positions in a disputed border area, Thailand’s army commander said. Gen. Chavalit Yongchaiyudh said the F-5E jet was downed by a SAM-7 shoulder-fired missile about six miles from the Laos border in the Chattrakarn district of Thailand’s northern Phitsanulok province. The pilot ejected and was rescued by a Thai army unit. Thai Foreign Minister Siddhi Savetsila asserted that “a third country” was involved in the downing--a reference to the estimated 40,000 Vietnamese troops stationed in Laos. Since last November, Thailand and Laos have been fighting over about 220 square miles of remote hills in the border area.