President Thieu comes out fighting The Paris ceesefire agreement complerely, and ordered This arnyy to carry out open stiacks on the 2000i control ed by the Provisional Revolutionary Gavernment. ie doing so, he has of course oniy legitim-sed the activity of the last fow months: but the operness of his latest statement reflects the increasing opposition and d sobecienes he is facing in the army and the urban ereas, which can only be stammed by apolying the kind of repression supposdiy just fied by a war m0biisaTion, There is no doubt, too, that this move a so refiects grawi ng unease at the thought of what the Tet period (from 23 Januaryl may bring this ynar, The rapid erosion of Thie's power and the steps he is taking to hang on to it make the release af the political prisoners in his ja-s lagreco to in principle on 4 Januaryl more ungertain. Hance it is doubly important that the demard for the reicase of the prisovers should not be dropped by supporters af the Vietnamese revolution. On this and other questions their active solidarity may wall be increesing CAMBODIA Phiom Penh surrounded by Red Khmers For thien weeks now, gunners of the National United Front af Cambodia have been shelling and firing rockets into the Cambocian cep tal, Phaom Punh, with great accuracy, Noar misses have been recorced on the British, Australian and Russ an embessies, che Treasury and Ministry of informerion, and the Generel Stall Headquerters: while a direct nit was stored on the home of the US Air Attache. Lon Noi's pelace, the airport of Pochentong Ithe only other link with the outside world spart from the Mekong River) and various military compltkes have President Thieu of South Vietnam has final y scrapped also boon under heavy fire. Red Khmer units are now in firm possession of the villages and towns on the southern perimeter of Phrom Ponh This is the first lime that such a cancentrated attack nas been launched on the capitel. The Red Khmers have siways been innibino trom stnkirg heavily at the capital by their unwillingness to harm the thousands of workers in the city and the refugees in the camps. However, the growing dissatisfaction inside the Cambodian army-shown by the frequent aftempts on the lives of Governmenit ministers by soldiers and airmen, and the grenade artacks on markets and cinemas by soldiers protesting against TEITU OrERS AACDSEKNEKH EOUOEEnnn organisation and active work of Red Khmer cadres in the city itselfibefore sach bombardment they leatiet the taruet greas, warnno pepole co stay away! have prodiced thin conditions whereby a systematic Balock on ranom runn can bo dovelopoo with lTER fear of injuring their comrades and al lies.
THAILAND Regime gets helping hand from China Not content with arming the reactionary batchers of Pakistan and Ceyion, China has now concluded an agreement weth Thai and which gusrarteas greater trade betweer the two countries, the suppy of Chinese ail to Thailand, and non-insertarencs by Chinw into the 'internal affairs" of Thailand. The term: of this contract closely follow thase laid down in the samement wwith President Marcos of the Philnoines ir