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Battle rages for royalist stronghold in Cambodia
Thailand braces for influx of refugees
August 16, 1997
Web posted at: 1:40 p.m. EDT (1740 GMT)CHONG CHOM PASS, Thailand (CNN) -- Forces loyal to Cambodian co-prime minister and new strongman Hun Sen were said to be closing in on the last stronghold of his ousted rival, Prince Norodom Ranariddh. The fighting caused hundreds of Cambodian refugees to flee to the barb-wired border with Thailand.
Thai officers said Hun Sen had moved 1,800 troops within about 10 miles (16 km) of O'Smach, while the prince's forces were digging in three miles further north.
O'Smach is said to be the last major royalist stronghold, following the violent coup in early July that ousted co-Prime Minister Ranariddh. Hun Sen's forces now control virtually all of Cambodia.
"We are getting closer and closer. Only three kilometers more and we will be in O'Smach," said a general of Hun Sen's forces. Their advance had been slowed by booby traps, collapsed bridges, land mines and thick jungle, a military official said.
Thai officials said Ranariddh's troops could compete in numbers, but lacked the arms and ammunition to hold Hun Sen's forces at bay for much longer.
A radio broadcast by hard-line Khmer Rouge guerrillas reported Friday that the Khmer Rouge had formed a joint military command with Ranariddh's forces. However, Ranariddh denied this. Thai Border Patrol Police said 600 Khmer Rouge guerrillas had joined Ranariddh's forces.
The future role of former Khmer Rouge leaders had been a key issue of disagreement before Ranariddh's ouster in July. Ranariddh and Hun Sen disagreed over the political role for Khmer Rouge leaders who had handed in their weapons and joined the government side.
Shelling from the battleground in northern Cambodia could be heard throughout Saturday from the border checkpoint of Chong Chom Pass, which links O'Smach to Thailand.
Children screamed and families pulled wooden carts loaded with belongings as they trudged toward the border, while shells fell close to O'Smach, according to witnesses.
Thai authorities have blocked the border with barbed wire to prevent an influx of refugees. The Thai government said it would allow the Cambodian refugees to enter only if their lives were endangered, and if they came without weapons.
Between 15,000 and 25,000 residents and displaced Cambodians were estimated to be in the O'Smach area.
Ranariddh met Friday with Thai Foreign Minister Prachuab Chaiyasarn to win extended asylum for officials and politicians of his party if they are forced to flee.
Ranariddh is expected to travel to the Philippines Sunday to lobby for support, especially from Southeast Asia, to oppose Hun Sen's takeover.
Correspondent John Raedler, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
- Message Board: Cambodian situation
- Newsmaker Profile: Pol Pot - Cambodian Communist Leader
- Newsmaker Profile: Norodom Sihanouk - Cambodian King
Related sites:
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- Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) Home Page
- Cambodian Information Center - includies Cambodian news and photos, academic papers on Cambodia, and homepage links
- Embassy of Cambodia - site of the Chancery of the Royal Embassy of Cambodia to the United States located in Washington, D.C.
- Cambodia - profile from CARE
- Beauty and Darkness: Cambodia in Modern History - documents, essays, oral histories, and photos relating to the recent history of Cambodia, with an emphasis on the Khmer Rouge period
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