Thais try to eject Hanoi force

Press, 8 May 1985, Page 10

Thais try to eject Hanoi force

NZPA-Reuter Chanthaburi

Thailand had sent its Air Force against Vietnamese troops inside Thai territory yesterday as marines advanced to push the intruders back across the Kampuchean border, a Thai military commander said. Vice-Admiral Prasert Noikhamsiri said at his headquarters at Chanthaburi, 65 km from the border, that 800 to 1200 Vietnamese soldiers were dug in along a 7km stretch of mountainous countryside 500 to 1500 metres inside Thailand. The Vietnamese had entered Thailand in late last

month in. pursuit of about 1000 Khmer Rouge guerrillas. Admiral Prasert said that the drive to push back the intruders had begun on Saturday, but Thai forces had had to advance very slowly—“it’s very tedious because every step of the way has been heavily mined by the Vietnamese.” He refused to say how many Thai troops were engaged in the operation or the number of aircraft supporting them. So far one Thai soldier and eight Vietnamese had been killed and 14 Thais wounded, Admiral Prasert

said. The Vietnamese troops inside Thailand were supported by cross-border artillery and mortar-fire. Sporadic Vietnamese intrusions had taken place in Thailand’s Chanthaburi-Trat border area since the start of the year, but it had been only in late April that significant groups of Hanoi’s troops were discovered dugin on Thai soil he said. The Khmer Rouge guerrillas had broken up into small groups, infiltrated back into Kampuchea and were now trying to get in position to hit the Viet-

namese from the rear, he said.

The Khmer Rouge is one of three groups in a coalition recognised by the United Nations and fighting the Heng Samrin Government installed in Phnom Penh by Hanoi.

Admiral Prasert said that the latest Vietnamese intrusion was likely to be the last before the imminent start of the rainy season, which would severely hamper troop movements. Hanoi’s forces began a dry-season offensive against the guerrillas in November, capturing or overrunning all their main border bases.