Cambodian clashes near Siem Reap
Cambodian clashes near Siem Reap
PHNOM PENH (Agencies): Rival Cambodian forces clashed yesterday as fighters loyal to ousted First Prime Minister Prince Norodom Ranariddh pushed towards Siem Reap, near the famed Angkor Wat temple complex.
Powerful Second Prime Minister Hun Sen, who toppled Ranariddh at the weekend to seize control of the government, sent reinforcements to the area west of Siem Reap, a tourist town 250 kilometers northwest of Phnom Penh.
There had been intermittent clashes in the area over the last few days but more sustained fighting broke out at daybreak yesterday.
"This afternoon the government side sent troops and ammunition from Kompong Cham to confront the other side," said a military official loyal to Hun Sen. "Now the other side is trying to move forward into Siem Reap."
Residents in Siem Reap said they could hear shelling. The town, which is under the control of Hun Sen's forces, was quiet but tense, they said.
Cambodia's unwieldy coalition government collapsed in violence Saturday when Hun Sen's forces moved in on Ranariddh's men in the capital. Ranariddh had left the country the previous day.
Hun Sen declared Ranariddh's expulsion Sunday as his forces pushed Ranariddh's men from their bases in and around the city.
Many members of Ranariddh's FUNCINPEC party have left the country while others remain in hiding in the capital. But other FUNCINPEC members began moves yesterday to find a replacement for Ranariddh as first prime minister.
After claiming outright victory Hun Sen said he was not aiming to take over the coalition government, but called for FUNCINPEC candidates to step forward for the post of first premier.
Tea Chamrath and former resistance commander Toan Chhay, who heads a FUNCINPEC splinter group, are the two favorites to replace Prince Ranariddh because of their military experience.
"I still respect Prince Ranariddh, he is my boss and I am not betraying him," Tea Chamrath said.
The international community dealt Hun Sen his second serious diplomatic blow in two days when the United States yesterday announced a temporary halt in its US$35 million aid program to Cambodia.
After a 30-day review, programs that support his regime directly or indirectly will not be resumed.
Japan and Germany have already cut aid. Foreign Minister Alexander Downer of Australia said his country would consider cuts to send Hun Sen a message to meet the terms of the Paris peace process, which led to the 1993 elections and the coalition his coup shattered.
In all, at least US$150 million worth of vital projects will stop following the suspension of aid.
In a show of bravado belying a desperate economic plight, Cambodian leaders dismissed the cutoffs.
"In the past, we were also subjected to an economic embargo," said Khieu Kanharith, Hun Sen's secretary of state for information. "We will not die, and development will continue though it might be slow."
Despite the tough talk, cutting aid to Cambodia will have a crippling effect on the country, which relies on foreign assistance for more than half its national budget.
Cooler heads were already tallying up the effects. Public Works Ministry spokesman Meas Samith said the government and country could "absolutely not" survive serious aid cutoffs.
"We have been facing a lot of problems for a long time already, including financial constraints and a shortfall in paying civil servants," Meas Samith said.
ASEAN -- Page 5
Exodus -- Page 6
Photo -- Page 10