US arms airlift continues for Thai ground forces

A US Air Force C-141 Starlifter landed here Sunday with an emergency cargo of guns and ammunition for Thailand's ground forces -- the third shipment of weapons to arrive over the July 4 weekend. Three more shipments were set for delivery today (July 7) and Tuesday.

President Carter ordered the 47-ton airlift of $3.8 million worth of military hardware after Vietnamese forces attacked Thai border villages and Cambodian frontier refugee settlements two weeks ago. The airlift responds to urgent Thai requests for accelerated delivery.

Aboard the giant cargo planes were M-16 rifles, 106-mm recoilless rifles, and 105-mm howitzers, plus ammunition. Thailand has paid for the military hardware, but the United States is footing the $1 million transportation bill.

At the border 150 miles east of Bangkok, officials said Sunday they noticed no new Vietnamese troop movements on the Cambodian side of the frontier.