of office-holders who grew fat over the years by diverting US aid into their own pockets, and who are still doing well out of it.
These are men like Sirik Matak who has had very close ties with various foreign concerns for a number of years, and cannot desert the regime because or fis history. But it will also be difficult for such men to find refuge abroad, because of the embarrassment they could cause to the US and its allies. So they are likely to remain loyal to the regime, but only as long as they can continue to add to theit tortunes. Those who could leave have already done so.
It is quite clear that Lon Not commands no support at all from the masses. Indeed, the past period has seen quite vigorous artacks mounted on the regime by students and workers who oppose him but are unable to leave and join the FUNK.
Liberated zones
In marked contrust to Phoon Penh is the 90% of the country which has been liberated by the FUNK. Since the withdrawal of US bombers, there has been no fighting in the liberated zones, and the only military threat has come from marauding South Vietnamese units. Indeed, the region is so secure that the Provisional Government (GRUNK) returned to Camtodia Just August.
The agrarian reform programme The fourth anniversary of the Cambodian coup was marked by yet another victory for the Red Khmers when they captured the town of Oud Orn, 18 miles north of Phnom Penh. At the same time Sihanonk, on a visit to Laos, made a point of attacking the "Great Powers" for not coming to his aid.
gradually whittling away at the area under the regime's controL Even massive excursions by Cambodian Army divisions now fail to dislodge the insurgents for more than a few days, and the airport has had to be Closed several times because of the intensity of the bombardment, The struggle & not only taking place outside the city walls, however. Within Fhaom Penh itsell, Red Armer cadres and sympatbetic R'orkeis and students are engaged in guerrilla actions. as well as more routine political activity. Before each bombardment, these insurgents leaflet the target area thoroughly to warn the occupants to keep clear.
assault was launchied against the seaport, Koncum, a few weeks ago. where there are large stores of food and arms, Despite the airlift of 3.000 troops into the town, it is not likely to remain in the hands of the Assaults on the city suburbs are chinese Revolution, As Tegards Other towns, a major supplies, and this they have refused to do (althougli the bourgeois regimes of Egypt, Syria and Pakistan do not seem to go short!). It is obviously ludicrous to expect the NLF to supply the arms to the FUNK since they themselves are also being very poorly supplied.
Betrayal
This betrayal does not just amount to military hardware, either. For borh the Peking and Kremlin bureaucrats, the interests of peaceful co-existence have been systematicaLy pur before those of the Indo Neither China nor the USSR have made a single nove to try to prevent the continuation of US support for Lon Nol, even on the diplomatic level, Indeed, up to the end of last ycar, the USSR continued to recug nise Lon Nol as the legitimate Head of State in Cambodia (and even to service Russian tanks in his army.)
As a counter to the nilitary stalemate, the diplomatic offensive that was launched in 1970 has been revitalised, and the GRUNK won un Important victory at the Algiers conference of 'nol-aligned nations' when it was recognised us the sole Government of Cambodia. Although they failed to get the United Nations to criet Lon Nol's representatives from the Assembly, they did at least succeed in embarrassing the Kremlin enough to do an ahout-face and and Vietnam is the best aid that the Pathet Lao and NUF cun give to their comrades on Cambodia, Secondly, it depends on the USA, the USSK, and China, The USA, since it is the force that keeps Lon Nol in power: £ 600 million has been earmarked for his regine this year, Without this "aid", the puppet regime would hardly last a week. The USSR and China, since they could so casily turn the lide by granting the material aid that the FUNK so urgently needs and at the same time forcing the US to cease its aid to the reactionaries.
Solidarity
However, we have to realise that it is extremely unlikely that Nixon and his cronies will suddenly become altruists, or that the burcaucracies in Peking and Moscow will give up their champagne parties for something as discant-and dangerous-as the Cambodian Revolution, This means that the potential solidurity movement is key to the whole situation. The same force that helped to stop the bombing of Cambodia in August 1973, and of Hanui in 1972, and which denied imperialism the room for manoeuvre vre it needed, so that Nixon was forced to sign the Paris Accords Just year, is the force that can and must and the Cambodian Revolurion nowthe solidarity must he maintained David Johnson Rod Wekly 22 March 1974 Page T
Red Weekly In an all-out attempt to smash the