News In Brief

Thailand and Laos at odds over border-town control

Thailand and Laos traded accusations Tuesday in an escalating border dispute, apparently fanned by Vietnam, over the possession of three villages claimed by both countries.

In a radio broadcast monitored here, the Laotian government accused ''Thai reactionary troops'' of violations of Laotian sovereignty and urged closer ties with Vietnam and Cambodia to meet the threat.

In Bangkok, Prime Minister Prem Tinsulnonda said his government was seeking a peaceful solution over the disputed villages of Ban Mai, Ban Klang, and Ban Sawang, 210 miles north of Bangkok.

Thai military leaders accused the Laotian government of escalating the dispute in cooperation with Vietnam, which it said was trying to sabotage Thai-Laotian relations for its own military and political objectives.