Gunmen Storm Cambodian Capital, 7 Dead

P H N O M   P E N H, Cambodia, Nov. 24, 2000 -- More than 40 gunmen stormed government offices in downtown Phnom Penh early today, an attack by “terrorists,” the government said. Seven of the gunmen were killed.

While the government blamed the attack, which left another eightpeople wounded, on a U.S.-based anti-communist group, officialsoffered no evidence of who was behind it and the motivationremained unclear.

The early morning assault was the worst violencein the capital since Prime Minister Hun Sen seized power in a July1997 coup d’etat.

A Well-Organized Effort

Residents said the fighting raged for more than an hour near theDefense Ministry, Council of Ministers office and other buildings.Sunrise showed walls pockmarked with bullet holes and blood on thesidewalks.

“A group of armed terrorists attempted to disturb the capitalbut our forces reacted and full stability has been restored,”Phnom Penh Gov. Chea Sophara said. He said the attackers appearedto be well-organized, using assault rifles, grenades and rocketlaunchers.

The wounded included seven government police and army personneland one civilian — a security guard who was hurt by a grenade.

Hun Sen, who was attending a summit of Association of SoutheastAsian Nations in Singapore, played down the incident.

“It is the activity of terrorists, this is a terrorist group,no problem, very small,” the prime minister told reporters.

Government Blames U.S. Group

Defense co-Minister Tea Banh blamed the U.S.-based CambodianFreedom Fighters, but gave no evidence linking the group to theattack.

Hun Sen called on the United States to arrest the alleged leaderof the Cambodian Freedom Fighters, Chhun Yasith. He accused thegroup and another, the Khmer Serei, of plotting to overthrow hisgovernment.

However, a top adviser to Hun Sen, Om Yentieng, downplayed anyspeculation the attack was an attempted coup d’etat.

“This was to destroy property, make noise and kill people,” hesaid — not an effort to take power.

Curious Strategy

Some of the attackers, detained by the military police, saidthey had been lured to the capital with promises of constructionjobs, and then handed weapons and told to attack by men whoseidentities they did not know. They said they feared they would bekilled if they disobeyed.

Brig. Gen. Chhin Chanpor, commander of Phnom Penh militarypolice, said there were between 40 and 50 attackers. He said 22were arrested, including one of the group’s leaders, and thatauthorities had identified another leader and were searching forhim. He did not release any names.

Officials said some of the attackers escaped.

After 30 years of war, Cambodia has been relatively peacefulsince the demise of the Khmer Rouge guerrilla movement in late1998.