Sir: We are pleased that Robert Karniol of Jane's Defence
Weekly has reaffirmed his own published research that British troops were training Khmer guerrillas in Thailand (Letters, 11 May). Let's be clear — it is this that Derek Tonkin, ex-British ambassador to Thailand, denies. In the light of Kar- niol's confirmation, we challenge Tonkin to deny that British troops trained Khmer terrorists of any description.
We should add that at no stage have we suggested that Robert Karniol's articles referred to training of the Khmer Rouge. However, the fact remains that Khmer Rouge — often wearing Sihanoukist uni- forms — have been trained. And that the 'non-communist' guerrillas and their Khmer Rouge allies are operating in- creasingly as one force is also beyond doubt. For example, there is filmed evi- dence of Sihanoukists and Khmer Rouge jointly participating in an operation of terror and destruction (shown in our 1989 documentary, Cambodia Year Ten). Among numerous other sources is the recent, exhaustive report by the Cambodia Study Group in Washington, Collaborative Battles on Cambodia (1990), which draws substantially on Thai intelligence. This also leaves no doubt that the three Khmer
LETTERS
factions on the border are integrated at many levels. Indeed, it is the irrefutable evidence of this that has held up further US Congressional aid to the so-called 'non- communists'.
John Pilger David Munro
Central Productions Ltd, 46 Charlotte Street, London WI
Previous page
