Allies may join to fight border rebels HANOI - Hanoi has given the strongest signal yet it is prepared to commit military forces to help neighbouring Laos crush a rebellion by the Hmong ethnic minority in the country's northeast. Communist Party General Secretary Le Kha Phieu on Monday reportedly told a senior Lao military officer visiting Hanoi that the armies of the two allies should increase the level of "long-standing co-operation" and further develop their "special relationship". "[We want to] consolidate relations and co-operation in the struggle against destructive and hostile forces and defend the fruits of revolution achieved by the two peoples," the official Vietnam News Service quoted Mr Phieu as saying. Laos has been fighting an insurgency by Hmong rebels centred in the northeastern province of Xieng Khouang since 1998. It intensified late last year leading to more government casualties and a series of bomb explosions in the capital, Vientiane. Diplomatic sources said the communist leadership of both countries had enjoyed close ties since the establishment of the Indochinese Communist Party in 1930, and that the ties had remained strong because of shared concern over China's ambitions. But foreign military attaches in Hanoi remained undecided about the significance of Mr Phieu's statement. "There's definitely a lot of smoke and something is going down, but we haven't yet been able to locate the fire," one said. Hanoi and Vientiane have both denied reports Vietnamese troops are in Vientiane. But the arrival in Vietnam of Laotian military commander General Khamphuong Chantahaphomma late last week - after a week-long visit of a high-level delegation - adds credence to speculation that Vietnam is offering significant military support. The Hmong live along the border area between Laos and Vietnam. They were recruited as mercenaries by the United States during the Vietnam War to harass Lao communists and North Vietnamese troops. By Huw Watkin - The South China Morning Post - June 21, 2000.