Cambodia Troops, Tanks Take Town, 12 Rebel Bases
A Cambodian government offensive spearheaded by Vietnamese troops, Soviet-built tanks and massive artillery overran 13 rebel bases and was headed for new targets Saturday, Thai and Cambodian resistance military sources said.
In Phnom Penh, Cambodian Premier Hun Sen took a tough stand before the peace talks scheduled to start Monday in Jakarta, Indonesia. He said his government will “maintain the status quo” until U.N.-supervised elections can be held to elect a new government.
The three-faction Cambodian resistance, which includes the Khmer Rouge, reportedly captured a number of towns along the Thai border in recent weeks in its drive to overthrow the current government, installed by the Vietnamese over a decade ago.
But Thai military sources at the border town of Aranyaprathet said Vietnamese and Cambodian troops, led by about 20 Soviet-supplied tanks, have captured 12 bases of the three-party resistance coalition as well as the key town of Svay Chek in the past four days of a major offensive.
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