Back stage manoeuvres behind Indo Chinese fighting

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War, fa mine and political oppre ssion-thes e are the dark shadows across Indochina today-as they have been now for forty years.

One of the reasons for the leap in the price of gold in Hong Kong two • weeks ago was the widespread rumour that hundreds of thousands of Chinese troops were milling on the Vietnamese border, preparing to "teach Hanoi another lesson."

Two months ago Hanoi had to deny strenuously that it was about to launch an invasion of Thailand, whose right-wing military government was allegedly collaborating with the forces of Kampuchea's ousted Premier Pol Pot.

Whether these specific threats are real or imagined they reflect the fact that noone believes that peace has come to the Indochinese peninsular even for a short time.

Since Vietnam's invasion of Kampuchea in December 1978, and the installation of a Vietnamese puppet (FUNSK) regime in Phnom Penh led by Heng Samrin and Pen Soran, three guerrilla wars have continued in the Kampuchean countryside.

Three armies Heng Samrin and the Vietnamese occupying forces continue to face armed resistance from three different guerrilla armies.

One is the Khmer Rouge, headed by the ousted CP leaders Pol Pot, Khieu Sampan and leng Sary.

Another is the far right-wing Khmer Serai (white Khmer which includes remnants of the reactionary regime of General Lon Nol which fell in 1975); and the other is the "neutralist" Khmer Sereika, said to be allied to the old head of state Prince Sihanouk.

So four successive regimes in Kampuchea continue to fight for power.

But the three deposed ones which have successively overthrown each other are now to some degree cooperating in a series of some of the most unholy political alliances ever seen.

Collaboration

The "communist" . Khmer Rouge have reportedly established quite close military collaboration with the fascist Khmer Serai.

Pol Pot Thailand Refugee camps Ari Battamban Dallambang Laos season. stability in the region." • Stung side. ursat Kompong Cham sional tone.

miles bodian dispute.

Kampuchea.

Stalinist regime in North Korea. All this manoeuvring may is over.

After the Khmer Rouge's imply that both China and the appeal for a new national coali- United States are both about to tion against the Vietnamese, back a new coalition governSihanouk launched his own ment formula with Sihanouk at appeal for a new government its head and including the (Hanoi had also done one of its based on the organisations of Khmer Rouge and possibly the famous political U-turns on Kampucheans in l exile in fascists as well.

It would be a formula which, in).

But he has implied that the in spite of old enmities with Khmer Rouge can join as indivi- Sihanouk would also probably duals if they reform themselves. get the support of the imperiaHeng Samrin is excluded from list client states of the ASEAN quently reported that the Vietalliance (Indonesia, Malaysia, nam government had told them He, for good measure, has Thailand, Singapore and the that it was ready to sign a peace Phillipines). treaty with Thailand.

Last year's efforts by the Hanoi government to woo the bublicly contirmed by Hanoi, i ASEAN nations (especially vould be entirely consisten At the end of August Siha- Thailand and Indonesia) were with the opportunistic and nuilified by the invasion of counter revolutionary policies Kampuchea, and they now alt they have pursued up to now. take an aggressively anti-Vietnam position. policies have been at least the At the end of August the equal of those of China for His plans now include an ASEAN nations, most of them cynical betrayal.

flooded with tens of thousands of Indochinese refugees, met in some equalling. something of a panic and issued astatement which said: pro-Peking Communist Party of •The conflict in Cambodia Thailand (CT) has fought a into Phnom Penh in 1975 has worsened in the course of guerrilla war against the reac recent months. There exists a tionary military dictatorship of real danger that it will worsen General Kriangsak. further at the end of the rainy But it has been an ambiguous struggle since China, "That would worsen the while maintaining inadequate situation in the region, inten- material aid to the CPT, has at sify the illegal exodus from the same time been developing Cambodia and, as a result, its sordid alliance with Kriangcreate a growth of problems for sak. the neighbouring countries and Peking now declares roundly an increased threat to peace and that capitalist Thailand must be defended against the alleged But in spite of this diplo- threat of a Vietnamese invasion! matic line up between the The CPT has been told by imperialists and Peking it is far Peking to collaborate with its from true that the USSR and oppressors in Bangkok; and its Vietnam stand on the opposite propaganda radio in China was closed down in August.

Though these Stalinist Destroyed

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