Khmer Rouge deny Pol Pot is dead

Press, 26 December 1979, Page 6

Khmer Rouge deny Pol Pot is dead

NZPA-Reuter Bangkok The busted Kampuchean Khmer Rouge regime has denied that its leader, Pol Pot, has been killed. Its radio, believed to be broadcasting from southern China, said a report indicating that Pol Pot had been assassinated “was a most bad and mean trick of the expansionist and agressive Vietnamese.” However, the radio confined its denial to the death of Pol Pot, and did not mention reports from Bangkok that he had been replaced as Prime Minister by the veteran revolutionary and ousted President, Khieu Samphan, ideological architect of the Khmer Rouge revolution. The Kampuchean Ambassador in Peking confirmed that the Government was to be reshuffled, but said he had no information on the composition of the new Cabinet. The New China News Agency quoted the “Bangkok Post,” whose information was confirmed by the Thai

Prime Minister (General ;Kriangsak Chamanand), as (saying the decision to reI place Pol Pot as Prime Minlister was taken at a Congress 10 days ago. The Chinese agency made no comment on the report, I but diplomatic sources in (Peking said the fact that it icarried the story lent cre(dence to it, without necessarily meaning confirmation. 'The same appeared to be (true of the radio’s omission of the subject. I According to the “Bang(kok Post” report, apart from . the replacement of Pol Pot, the rest of the Cabinet of what became Democratic Kampuchea after the Khmer Rouge victory in 1975 re-1 mained unchanged. That Government has been blamed for the deaths of up to two million Karnpucheans] ;by execution or avoidable! 'starvation as it fanatically] 'tried to establish an ideologically pure socialist State. ( Its Information appeared Ito indicate, however, that Pol Pot would remain among the most powerful leaders.

The clandestine Khmer; Rouge radio quoted Peri Pot] as having said in an .American TV interview that once! Vietnamese forces withdrew! from Kampuchea — the only; way a settlement could be reached, he said — the re-j gime would welcome inter-; national aid to help reconst-j ruct the country. In 1975, the regime turned its back on any help from the international community, relying solely on a few allies, mainly China and North Korea. It also systematically destroyed all technology, medicines, com-j merce, and practically everything else connected with] the twentieth century in a; kind of Luddite zeal to create its vision of a rustic society, according to reports reaching the West. The “Bangkok Post” report said that the congress; meeting that replaced Pol; Pot 10 days ago also decided; to drop the socialist constitution of 1976 tn order to] attract support from other Kampuchean groups.