PHNOM PENH DEFENCES 'Viet Cong Across Mekong River’

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32382, 22 August 1970, Page 13

PHNOM PENH DEFENCES 'Viet Cong Across Mekong River’

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) PHNOM PENH (Cambodia), August 21. Viet Cong forces probed Cambodian defence positions directly across the Mekong River from Phnom Penh’s Royal Palace, while holding their major forces about seven miles north-east of the capital, a spokesman said today. Major Am Rong said that fighting had slackened around Prekkraboa, to which Cambodian forces pulled back after heavy fighting throughout most of yesterday.

The spokesman said the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong lost 200 dead directly in front of the Cambodian defence lines and another 300 killed in the heavy jungle. He said that Cambodian commanders counted the dead in the jungle. Cambodian troops lost 19 killed and 124 wounded in the battle, one of the heaviest clashes ever to occur so close to the capital. The city is visable down the mile-wide Mekong from the new Viet Cong positions. There were few details on the latest mortar attack against Cambodian positions located on the east bank of the Mekong River, across from the Royal Palace. Major Am Rong said only that a few mortar rounds were fired. “It was just a probe to check our defences and draw them out,” he said. It appeared, however, the Viet Cong had the capability to operate and fight in flooded areas. Much of the land in that area across the river from Phnom Penh is flooded during the monsoon season.

| The spokesman said that , after the battle the Cambodj ian troops recovered 50 Com- [ munist Chinese-made weapons ’ from the battle area where i 500 Viet Cong bodies were i counted. He ex-

plained the low number of weapons recovered compared with the bodies by saying the Viet Cong make a major effort to recover weapons and wounded in order not to reveal their losses.

Cambodian forces pullqd southward from this position late yesterday afternoon. Major Am Rong said that it was a tactical move to permit planes to hammer VietCong positions. “Once again the Viet Cong tried to punch through our defence but they did not succeed,” the spokesman said. He said that it was only the Cambodian Navy that provided -support with gunboats, and added that his early reports that South Vietnamese gunboats assisted were wrong and had made the navy gunboat commanders unhappy. However, when questioned about a gunboat that raked a Cambodian village with machine-gun fire on Wednesday night, he said that a South Vietnamese gunboat had been in the area at that time.

Villagers along the Mekong River, about 7 miles north ot Phnom Penh, said that at least two persons were wounded and five cows were hit when the gunboat opened fire. In addition to the battle close to Phnom Penh, Major Amrong said, Cambodian commanders round Skoun. some 47 miles north-east of Phnom Penh, reported that 700 Viet Cong were killed and buried after a recent attack there. The report said another 1000 or more were wounded but did not disclose how this .information was obtained.