SAIGON: South Viet-Namese workers taking part in a May Day procession today [May 1] demonstrated in streets around the United States Embassy shouting “Americans Go Home” and carrying slogans saying “Stop the War”.

Americans in the capital, including 20,000 servicemen, were ordered to keep off the streets.

Premier Nguyen Cao Ky speaking later over the radio described as “legitimate” the fears that communists might slip into the future National Assembly. But he said it was “the interest of the masses” to organise elections quickly as the Government has promised.

He predicted that the assembly if “worthy of the name” would favour “complete stabilisation” of the political situation, and spare nationalists all suspicion.

Air Vice-Marshal Ky hailed the “staunch military aid of friendly countries like the United States, Australia and New Zealand”. “I am convinced that the legitimate aspiration of the population will be achieved, including the May Day aspirations of workers,” he said.

The morning began with a rally to Tao Dan Park where speakers centred their subjects around “social justice” themes.

The “General Confederation of Viet-Namese Workers” took a tougher line closer to that of the Buddhist militants. Its slogans were “Peace as Quickly as Possible”, “Tighter Control over American Bombing” and “No more American Interference in Viet-Namese Internal Affairs”. ...

[Meanwhile in Spain,] baton swinging police squads broke up a May Day demonstration by several thousand workers in Central Barcelona last night arresting eight of them, among them a teacher and his 17-year-old son.

The demonstrators chanted slogans such as “Union Liberty” and “More Pay” as they marched along the Paseo de Gracia, one of the main streets of the capital. The demonstration was the latest development in a city already tense from university student demands for a democratic students union.

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2016