Word: lon
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...Battleground. The widening war involved more than a little irony. Though the search for Communist supplies went on, the business of "cleaning out" the sanctuaries (see box, page 27) reverted almost to a sideshow. Cambodia itself had become the main arena. Two months ago, when Premier Lon Nol and Deputy Premier Sirik Matak overthrew Prince Norodom Sihanouk, one of their major objectives was to rid the country of Communist Vietnamese troops. Now the Vietnamese loyal to Hanoi are outnumbered in Cambodia by Vietnamese loyal to Saigon, and the country of 7,000,000 has become a battleground for the warring...
...country would probably fall to the Communists in short order if it were left to fight the Communists on its own. One scenario suggested by observers: The U.S. formally asks South Viet Nam to withdraw its troops by June 30. Thieu refuses, thereby guaranteeing continued ARVN support for the Lon Nol regime, while dissociating the U.S. from any further violation of Cambodian "neutrality." The U.S. throws up its hands, noting that it cannot order its allies about−but also points out that such a feisty show of independence is heartening proof that Vietnamization is really working. As of last...
Publicly at least, the Cambodians insist that they do not want the South Vietnamese roaming around their country indefinitely. Cambodia's Deputy Premier Prince Sirik Matak, who with Premier Lon Nol and Foreign Minister Yem Sambour formed the troika that ousted Prince Norodom Sihanouk, told TIME Correspondent Louis Kraar: "After the sanctuaries are destroyed and after the end of June, we do not want foreign troops on our soil. It will be our task to chase the Communists away...
Though Washington has not formally answered the Lon Nol regime's requests for arms, a few items have been reaching
...encounter any "guerrillas" in Cambodia. As Sirik Matak told TIME'S Kraar: "There are no signs of a civil war in Cambodia, no signs at all." There is some question, besides, about the genuine enthusiasm in Peking and Hanoi for setting up and supporting a puppet government. Lon Nol disclosed last week that secret Chinese emissaries tried to strike a deal with him for renewal of the old sanctuary arrangement. Only when he rejected the proposal three weeks ago, the Premier said, did Peking support the deposed Prince...