Tha, only fifteen miles from the Chinese border. Phoumi used his reinforced base to launch provocative probes into nearby Pathet Lao territory. For a time the Pathet Lao ignored Phoumi, aware that he was trying to create an international incident. Eventually they did engage in a series of firefights with Phoumi forces, but refrained from attacking Nam Tha. However, Phoumi’s troops abandoned Nam Tha anyhow, claiming they were under attack, and fled across the Mekong River into Thailand.[113]
