Indochina's Crumbling Frontiers

THE exodus of Communist diplomats began suddenly. Early in the week nearly a dozen women and children from the Soviet embassy hurriedly left Cambodia. Some North Korean aid technicians soon followed. Later, a special transport plane flew into Phnom-Penh's Pochentong Airport from China, and when it left, it was filled with Chinese technicians and members of Peking's big diplomatic community. At week's end, North Viet Nam and the Viet Cong announced that they were closing their Cambodian embassies. "These are the first storm warnings," a Western diplomat said. "When they begin to leave, the rest of us had better watch out. It could be rocket time."

That time may be rapidly approaching. At Poi Meau, a scant 28 miles from the Cambodian capital, government troops clashed with an estimated 300 Viet Cong guerrillas. Farther east, North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces, intent on protecting their sanctuaries and supply lines, fought pitched battles with Cambodian regulars. In neighboring Laos and South Viet Nam, such clashes have raged for the better part of a decade--and continued to rage last week. Now Cambodia, too, is fast becoming a full-fledged participant in the Indochina conflict. "There is no need for us to declare war," said Premier Lon Nol, the general who helped depose Prince Norodom Sihanouk as Chief of State last month. "It is already a fait accompli. This is war."

The conflict is at its height along the crumbling eastern border. In Svay Rieng province, which forms the "parrot's beak" that juts into South Viet Nam and has served as one of the most important of all Communist sanctuaries, government troops were driven from Chi Phou. That gave the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong control of five of Svay Rieng province's six districts. They already dominate much of the eastern border provinces of Kratie and Kompong Cham. Some Cambodians fear, in fact, that the Communists are determined to control all the territory east of the Mekong River, which amounts to roughly one-third of the country's real estate.

In the four weeks since Sihanouk's fall, more than 100 Cambodian troops have been killed in action. At Chi Phou alone, more than 30 men were slain. At Svay Rieng Ville, the province capital, the government seemed intent on making a stand, and thousands of reinforcements were reported to be pouring in. But the situation remained fluid and extremely confused. By week's end at least eight foreign newsmen reportedly had fallen into Communist hands (see PRESS).

Shredded Bodies. To mobilize popular sentiment against the Communists, the Cambodian government intensified a hate campaign against all ethnic Vietnamese, who account for 400,000 of Cambodia's nearly 7,000,000 people. To avoid being identified, many Vietnamese women abandoned their distinctive aodai dresses for long Cambodian skirts.

At Prasot, in Svay Rieng province, the anti-Vietnamese campaign turned into a slaughter. A large group of Vietnamese civilians were penned in a compound surrounded by barbed wire, pending a check of their credentials. When Viet Cong troops began to fire, according to survivors, Cambodian soldiers began machine-gunning the prisoners. The bullets literally shredded bodies. Half of the head of a young boy was blown away; children fell at their mothers' sides; old men collapsed in crumpled heaps. Cambodian sources claimed that the victims had been caught in a crossfire between attacking Viet Cong and Cambodian troops, but the survivors told another story--and the bullet holes in the backs of the victims appeared to confirm it. Correspondents counted at least 90 corpses.

Students Train. In Phnom-Penh, patriotic fervor ran high. At a huge rally late in the week, Lon Nol called for replacement of the monarchy with a republican government. All university and lycee classes have been suspended for the last two weeks to permit students to begin military training. Throughout the city, walls are plastered with posters crudely caricaturing Sihanouk or denouncing the Vietnamese. During the frequent anti-Communist demonstrations, marchers toted placards, some proclaiming: THE VIET CONG IS WORSE THAN CHOLERA. The jingoist press approvingly quoted one student who said that he hoped "to eat a Viet Cong's guts raw," and few Cambodians seemed to doubt their country's capacity to win. "It will take about three weeks," a university professor said, "then we'll be back to our classes." Another Cambodian added: "We may not have the guns, but we have the heart. It is the heart that will win." There was no doubting the spirit, but it seemed heavily mixed with naivete. Cambodia's armed forces had no trouble recruiting 10,000 men to swell their ranks to 45,000 (v. some 40,000 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong), but the armed forces are far inferior to the Communists in equipment.

As a result, Lon Nol and Deputy Premier Prince Sirik Matak may soon be forced to request U.S. aid. American officials indicated that the request might be rejected in view of Washington's hopes of avoiding a deeper involvement in the war--unless another country steps in first with assistance. There were reports, in fact, that Cambodia has asked for help from Indonesia and that the Djakarta government might agree to serve as a conduit for U.S. supplies.

Already, assistance of a different form is coming from South Viet Nam, though officials in Saigon continue to deny it. South Vietnamese troops, F-5 jets and Skyraiders have reportedly attacked Viet Cong and North Vietnamese positions within Cambodia.

Moving North. There is some speculation that the increased pressure against the Communist supply lines in Cambodia may force them to switch their main arena of activity to the northern part of South Viet Nam, adjacent to their still-intact Laotian sanctuary. In deed, there was some evidence supporting this theory last week. After shelling no fewer than 115 allied targets all over the country two weeks ago, the enemy concentrated on two primary targets in the north.

At Dak Seang, a Special Forces base near the Laotian border, a South Vietnamese battalion broke a ten-day siege by fighting its way into the camp through encircling Communist troops. At week's end, the battle continued. Farther north, near the Demilitarized Zone at the 17th parallel, a Special Forces camp at Mai Loc was rocked by a 5 1/2-hr. North Vietnamese attack. By week's end 16 Americans had died in the two clashes. The latest casualty figures released in Saigon underscored the recent upsurge in combat across the country. During the week ending April 4, a total of 138

Americans were killed in action, the highest weekly toll since last September. During the same period, 754 South Vietnamese troopers died, the highest figure in nearly two years.

In Laos, there was skirmishing around the government-held bases of Sam Thong and Long Cheng. Neither outpost seemed immediately threatened, but before long the North Vietnamese and Pathet Lao are expected either to overrun both or to render them useless.

With the crisis deepening throughout Indochina, high-ranking U.S. military leaders continued to urge that further withdrawal of U.S. troops be deferred. The U.S. force, which once numbered 543,500, has already been reduced by 115,500. Despite appeals from the military, President Nixon is expected to call for a further withdrawal of 50,000 men, at a rate of approximately 12,000 a month, when he delivers a televised report on the war to the nation this week.

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