By Allen Myers
PHNOM PENH — At a press conference on December 1, government spokespeople provided details on recent Khmer Rouge military advances. With government forces partially disarmed under the terms of the UN Paris peace accord, KR guerrillas have been able to move out of their base camps on the Thai border, terrorising villages, destroying infrastructure such as bridges and harassing or preventing government programs in the countryside.
Major General Pann Thay and deputy cabinet minister Uch Kiman pointed out that KR troops were not active in areas in 10 provinces which were in undisputed government control as the time of the cease-fire.
Khmer Rouge terrorism has seriously hampered economic activities around the Tonle Sap. In particular, logging and fishing concessions have been badly hit: the government has lost two-thirds of its revenue from logging concessions and half its revenue from fishing concessions.
General Thay said that two KR forces, of 1000 and 700 troops, had separately entered Kompong Thom province and appeared to be positioning themselves for an attack on either or both of the towns of Kompong Thom and Steung.
Kiman reaffirmed the government's assertion of its right to defend both its own forces and the civilian population against KR attacks. He stressed that any military action would be defensive; the government did not plan an offensive into KR zones.
The government estimates total KR strength at 13,000 to 18,000 fighters.