Rouge stronghold

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ASEAN heads of state-courted by Vietnamese Stalinists and now Sihanouk PHNO PENH Gulf of Siam Between them they control a very significant part of the country-many reports say as much as 20 percent each.

The Khmer Rouge's political line, up to last week, was that it was the legitimate government of the country and that it should return alone to power. Europe.

In the United Nations, indeed, it remains the recognised government, though no Kampuchea government was recognised by the recent "non- this invitation. aligned" conference in Havana.

equally and for no apparent Changed line reason declared that the Prince may not participate in future Last week, however, either elections in Kampuchea. as a result of military setbacks or of pressure from now luke- nouk travelled to Peking, where warm Chinese patrons, the he announced his "complete Khmer Rouge changed its line. agreement" with US policy in Recalling its popular frontist SE Asia, adding that the US was collaboration in Prince "my main support" Sihanouk's government in the 1960s, it called for the setting international conference on up of a new "great national and Kampuchea and free elections, democratic coalition" , led by in place of his original proposal Sihanouk, to replace Heng of an armed invasion by the Samrim and the Vietnamese United Nations. occupying forces.

Sihanouk, the "progressive" hereditary ruler, remains the wild card of Kampuchean politics.

From the luxury and safety of what is officially described as his "palace" in North Korea, he has in the last few weeks been issuing a long series of nearhysterical statements.

Increasingly he has disowned his former Khmer Rouge allies, who during their regime kept him under house arrest and only released him at the time of the Vietnamese invasion to plead their cause in internationat forums.

Today Sihanouk has cooled towards his former Chinese allies, condemns the Khmer Rouge as 'murderers' who want to fight "to the last Cambodian" and is evidently in close collaboration with the American Imperialists as well as with his present hosts, the Kim II Sung leaders support the legitimacy and permanence of the Heng This treachery has demoraSamrin regime, they have done lised and split the CPT and by so with an increasingly provi- all accounts virtually destroyed Almost certainly the Soviet its cadre.

Much of the leadership has Union has been involved in the defected to the pro-Moscow, latest round of diplomatic pro-Hanoi camp. intrigue to produce an inter- But if anyone suggests that national settlement of the Cam- Hanoi has met the Chinese Stalinists' betrayals with a prinAnd Hanoi, after agreeing to cipled response they had better the Geneva conference on the check the record. boat people which it originally After Vietnam Premier Pham denounced, has now also ended Van Dong's trip to Thailand in its opposition in principle to an September 1978, the Hanoi international conference on regime returned exiled members of the CPT from Vietnam and It now merely says such a Laos to face retribution in conference cannot take place Thailand, except for those who until the Chinese military threat already took the Vietnamese line against Peking.

That particular shift in Hanoi also prevailed upon its Hanoi's policy occurred during close allies in power in Laos to a recent visit to Vietnam of a cut the supply route from China delegation of U.S. Congressmen. used to supply the CPT guerrillas!

After the invasion of Kamwhether they should be allowed puchea (where the CPT had rearguard bases) the puppet Peace treaty Heng Samrin government declared that ail CPT bases inside The Congressmen. subse- Kampuchea would be closed unless the CPT renounced Peking and supported the Hanoi line.

Hanoi has not condemned While this has not been the Kriangsak dictatorship's bloody campaign against the guerrillas any more than Peking has.

So when Hanoi denounces the "reactionary" position of In relation to Thailand these Maoism in Thailand, they are speaking not with revolutionary principle but counterrevolutionary hypocrisy.

And Peking certainly takes Their words are as false and their hands as blood stained. as For many years the largely those of the rulers in Peking.

In fact what unites all the characters mentioned so far in this account of the complex international manoeuvrings related to the future of Kampuchea is their consistently counter revolutionary intentions and the consequence of thattheir cynical disregard of the almost unbelievable material sufferings of the Kampuchean masses.

Only the scarcely-sane Sihanouk even bothers to profess concern for the masses very often-but then he's sitting in his palace in Pyonyang.

The next article will look at the bloody and sombre legaoy of the Pol Pot regime.

It will also examine what Ilttle evidence there is about the economic policies of the Hong Samrin regime and the occupying folces and examine their effects on the living conditions of Kampuchean workers and peasants,