Sir: John Pilger and David Munro cite my work in
Jane's Defence Weekly in your issue of 20 April during the course of their rebuttal to Derek Tonkin's article, The apotheosis of pilgerism'. My research on the subject of covert British military involvement in Cambodia, conducted over three years, leaves no doubt that the UK was training guerrillas of the two non-communist factions begin- ning in mid-1985. This programme was detailed in two articles published in JDW, the second of which states: 'The UK's efforts have aimed (in part) to . . . improve their (non-communist resistance) position in the loose coalition that groups the NCR with the Khmer Rouge in the Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea.'
Nowhere in these articles is there a suggestion that Khmer Rouge guerrillas participated in the training programme. Neither has subsequent research shown this to be true.
Devoid of obfuscation, the allegation that the UK was or is providing military training to the Khmer Rouge is a lie. Similarly, the notion as put forward by Mr Pilger and Mr Munro that the two non- communist resistance factions are actually extensions of the Khmer Rouge is untrue.
Robert Karniol
Asia/Pacific Group Editor, Jane's Defence Weekly, 1-A Rose Court, 155 Soi Tiensieng, South Sathorn Road, Bangkok 10120, Thailand
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