Hunger march fails to get aid to Kampuchea

Press, 8 February 1980, Page 5

Hunger march fails to get aid to Kampuchea

NZPA-Reuter

Aranyaprather, Thailand

An international "hunger i march” yesterday failed to cross the border from Thailand into Kampuchea to distribute food and medicine when Kampuchean border guards refused to let it pass. The marchers numbered more than 150 politicians, doctors. charity workers, and international celebrities including the American singer. Joan Baez, and the Norwegian actress. Liv Ullman. The leaders of the two organisations which staged the controversial "march for the survival of Kampuchea” read what they called an urgent and solemn appeal across the bridge marking the Thai-Kampuchean frontier near the eastern border town of Aranyaprathet. The only resoonse from border guards on the other side was to stare at them through binoculars and take photographs of them. Nevertheless, the two-hour demonstration was termed a considerable success by Leo Cherne, chairman of the American International Rescue Committee which organised the march with the French charity Medicins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders). “We think it is vital to bring the plight of the Kampuchean people back to the consciousness of the world. We think we have done that and the march was a considerable success,” he told reporters.

The European marchers, including many French politicians, walked more than Ikm in steaming heat to the frontier. They were joined for the last few hundred metres by the American contingent.

The marchers wore white armbands. They walked silently and in single file behind a big banner appealing to the frontier guards in French. Khmer, and English to “allow us to help the people of Cambodia tKampucheal.” All waited in silence as the message was read to the guards on the other side of the frontier. Some of the guards wore the green pith helmets that form part of the uniform of Vietnamese forces. Thai military officers said that even if permission had been granted it would have been impossible to drive the 20 trucks loaded with 200 tonnes of food and medicine into Kampuchea. The 25m road bridge that marks the frontier, rapidly becoming overwhelmed byencroaching jungle, wa s mined, they said.

A veteran American civil rights leader, Bayard Rustin, said the march had succeeded in that it demonstrated that the Vietnamese-backed Government in Phnom Penh would refuse what he called sincerely offered aid. The p r o-S ovi e t Government ousted the Khmer Rouge just over a year ago.

Hi’, view 'S'/ poVthe. Bnlis lv i nston Churchill, itician, Wl " sto t u e wartime grandson ot d „ We ha ye leader, who> sma. e {he put the P«’ b *'r™ t there is a whole world an occupygovemment and its people- ( want to He added. gove rnput pressure ° tb and the ments of the we nvene i Third World to rec t 0 the Geneva £ nt g£ bo dia, I bring P ea . c e I. demand the [neutralise it and fore ign [withdrawal of ail forces.” . . ' troops inestimated . phnom Kampuchea, and r idiPenh Government, have r culed the march as a co* Radio and items from Hanoi Phnom Penh have accusea iS e Kampuchean affairs and KM*;*" 4 the port of Kompong Som. The marchers plan to hand over the . food and. medicine to the Thai Cross today for distnbutto , to Kampuchean , clustered along the bo g£; and Thais forced from their homes due to border tension ( caused by fighting between.; Vietnamese-led troops ana, the Khmer Rouge m western Kampuchea. ■ .j