Vietnamese Bomb Cambodian Village

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30396, 21 March 1964, Page 13

Vietnamese Bomb Cambodian Village

(N.Z. Press Association— Copvrltfht• PHNOM PENH, March 20. Reports in Phnom Penh said today that South Vietnamese fighter-bombers, armoured vehicles and helicopters bombed and strafed the Cambodian border village of Chantrea yesterday. Sixteen villagers, including a pregnant woman and her two children, were killed and 14 were injured, the reports said.

They said Cambodian fighters shot down a Vietnamese LI9 observation plane, allegedly flying over Cambodian territory, in a counter-attack.

It was the most serious incident between the two countries in recent years. It came on the very day that a highlevel South Vietnamese delegation arrived in Cambodia to discuss border problems. South Vietnam, which with enormous United States aid is fighting a bitter war against Communist insurgents, claims the insurgents have been using Cambodia as a sanctuary. Cambodia denies this,

and claims that the South Vietnamese have aggressive designs on disputed territory along the frontier. Villagers in Chantrea said that after the attack five South Vietnamese helicopters circled Chantrea and one of them landed. Several Vietnamese and three white men questioned captured village militiamen, they said. United States military observers fly with the Vietnamese on combat missions, and are the only Westerners who regularly do so. Chantrea, with a population of 900, is about four miles from the Vietnamese frontier, in the Province of Svay Rieng. The Cambodian Government immediately asked the South Vietnamese delegation to visit the scene.

Members of the threenation (Poland, Canada and India) International Control Commission for Indo-China. Set up under the Geneva

agreement of 1954. Inspected the scene a few hours after the raid. Their helicopter developed engine trouble and crashed, but it was so close Io the ground that nobody was hurt.

Villagers said that early yesterday morning a squadron of South Vietnamese armoured amphibious vehicles arrived at the outskirts of the village. The village militiamen opened fire, doing little or no damage, but the vehicles stopped. Then two fighter-bombers with red-and-yellow South Vietnamese markings attacked with rockets. The planes made another run, this time dropping liquid which burst into flame on contact with objects —apparently napalm. The vehicles resumed their advance, firing steadily on the militiamen, who returned the fire as long as they could, but were quickly overrun.