mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor) (08/07/84)
Last night the CBC news program "The Journal" showed the first of a series
on the current Khmer Rouge campaign against the Vietnamese occupation of
Kampuchea. It raised quite a few questions in my mind about what is
going on over there.
As a historical background, the Vietnamese have been historically aggressive
against Laos and Cambodia (Kampuchea). The widespread revulsion against
the Khmer Rouge genocidal regime of Pol Pot gave them the opportumity
to invade and take over the country. Hence, there is a completely local
side to the story: the present Khmer Rouge can follow Mao's dictum about
swimming like fish in the sea, with the support of local villagers.
The other side is the international side: Russia has supported Vietnam,
China has supported the Khmer Rouge, and China has had frequent border
incidents with Vietnam.
It seems unlikely that the Khmer Rouge could have survived the popular
revulsion against them in the Kampuchean countryside after they massacred
so many people, but they now seem to be strong enough to raid from the
Thai border right into the Pnomh-Pen (sp?) suburbs, despite heavy
concentrations of Vietnamese troops. Where were they for the last
9 years? Who is supplying them? Is it China, through Thailand or Laos
(rather further from their operating base), or does the West perhaps
have some connection with them, putting the two Communist enemies
against one another? Why now do they allow a Canadian newsman to join
them on one of their raids and show details of their operations?
Are we seeing the beginning of a new Indo-China war? and if so, who is
on whose side? How does it all affect the international drug trade,
whose routes use some of the affected areas?
Those who are within reach of a CBC TV station should look at The Journal
(around 11:20 pm during the Olympics) to see whether they show another
report in the series sometime in the next few days. (After the Olympics,
it will be an hour earlier.)
--
Martin Taylor
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