Cambodian Premier Says Bloodshed Is Inevitable, Urges End to Aid for Insurgents

Prime Minister Hun Sen said Sunday that bloodshed is inevitable after the Vietnamese forces backing his government are gone but that the level of fighting depends on foreign aid to the insurgents.

Hun Sen also told a news conference in the capital that his troops still control Pailin, a gem-mining region near the Thai border reported under intense attack by the Khmer Rouge, the strongest group in the three-member guerrilla coalition.

Defense Minister Tie Banh acknowledged Saturday that the Khmer Rouge now controls some territory near Pailin.

Vietnam, which invaded in 1978 to end a bloody reign of terror by the Khmer Rouge and installed a pro-Hanoi government, has pledged to remove all its forces from the country by Tuesday. The guerrillas say it is a ploy and that Vietnam is hiding soldiers in Cambodia.

Officials on both sides of the conflict have predicted new offensives by the guerrillas after the withdrawal.

A large farewell ceremony for the Vietnamese troops, reportedly the last of 26,000 in Cambodia, is to be held today in Phnom Penh.

Thailand has allowed the insurgents to set up camps in its territory, while China has armed them.

“We appeal to those who supported the enemy on the basis of their opposition to Vietnamese forces in Cambodia to reassess their policies,” said Hun Sen. “The best way to prevent civil war is to immediately stop supplying arms.”

He said he is willing to improve ties between his Communist government and the United States through joint searches for remains of U.S. servicemen missing since the Vietnam War.

Hun Sen said his government already has discovered some remains and is willing to hand them over. He did not say how many bodies have been discovered, and a senior Foreign Ministry official said he does not know the number.

“It was the U.S. that showed a lack of interest in our finds,” said Hun Sen. “They said they have no relations with the Phnom Penh government, so they will not get in touch with the Phnom Penh government on this issue.”

China and many Western countries refuse to establish diplomatic ties with an administration installed by Hanoi, and the United Nations recognizes the guerrilla coalition as Cambodia’s official government.

However, a Foreign Ministry official said Sunday that Chinese officials came to Cambodia for the first time since 1979 earlier this year to discuss resuming trade ties.

Hun Sen confirmed that he and guerrilla leaders have agreed to resume peace talks some time in the future.

Peace talks in Paris failed in July after Hun Sen rejected guerrilla demands that the Khmer Rouge be included in a transitional government.

“We can make some concessions, but with regard to the Khmer Rouge, we cannot make any concessions at all,” he said.