THAI BORDER REINFORCED

Press, Issue 32345, 10 July 1970, Page 13

THAI BORDER REINFORCED

(N. Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) BANGKOK, July 9. Thai Army troops had been rushed to the country’s north-eastern border with Cambodia where about 2000 Viet Cong were planning a major attack, police sources said in Bangkok today.

The sources said Cambodian officials had reported that the Viet Cong were entrenched in the villages of Cambodia’s Cheom Ksan district, not far from the Thai provincial capital of Übon which has a large United States air base. Villagers reported that a Viet Cong force was seen yesterday travelling towards Übon, 540 miles north-east of Bangkok. The Communist troops had with them five bullock carts loaded with arms and ammunition. The sources added that a single plane attacked the Viet Cong positions in Cheom Ksan over the week-end. But there was no immediate re-

port of which country the plane had come from. However, Thai Air Force planes last week attacked Communist targets inside Cambodia at the request of the Phnom Penh Government, according to informed Government sources in Bangkok. Meanwhile Cambodian troops, cut off from the main body of their army, had taken to the jungles and were preparing to flee into Thai territory, the sources said. Police Major-General Vivhian Simantara, Governor of Surin, about 180 miles northeast of Bangkok, has reported to the Thai Government that Cambodian troops and civilians in Preah Vihear Province had sought permission to cross into Thailand for refuge. The sources said that all provincial governors along the border with Cambodia had orders from the Government to disarm Cambodian troops entering Thailand. The Interior Ministry had also alerted all provincial officials, territorial defence volunteer and village headmen for vigilance against (Communist infiltration from Cambodia, the sources added.