Cambodia March Swells; 1 Killed
A protest march through the Cambodian capital swelled into a major show of opposition to the government Thursday as thousands of people took to the streets despite violence earlier in the day.
Street clashes resumed today, as ruling party supporters fired guns, threw rocks and swung clubs at vastly outnumbered opposition protesters. At least one person was killed and several wounded.
A march by a few dozen young people at midday Thursday snowballed through the afternoon into a procession of about 6,000 people. Shopkeepers and passersby clapped and cheered as the crowd snaked its way through the city chanting anti-government slogans.
Police kept their distance until the march reached the river-front royal palace, when police fired into the crowd, seriously wounding one student.
By dusk, groups of demonstrators, many of them riding motor scooters, were gathered at intersections in the city center.
King Norodom Sihanouk appealed to the Cambodian army and police Thursday to stop shooting at monks and other protesters.
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