THAILAND: CAMBODIAN FREEDOM FIGHTERS

(22 Dec 2000) English/Nat
XFA
The man behind last month's bloody attack against government buildings in Phnom Penh has broken cover to give his first television interview.
Speaking from a 'safe house' in Thailand, Chhun Yasith said his U-S-based Cambodian guerrilla force is growing in size, and will strike again.
Eight people died in the pre-dawn clashes, in November, in what he claims was a carefully planned coup attempt.
He's Cambodia's most wanted man.
Now in Thailand, Chhun Yasith is lying low, fearful of arrest and extradition.
He says his mysterious guerrilla group, the Cambodian Freedom Fighters (C-F-F) , has infiltrated the army and government at all levels and he revealed details of the surprise assault on government positions in Phnom Penh, a month ago.
It was a disaster.
Scores were captured, and eight were killed.
Chhun Yasith says plans fell into government hands.
Also, the commander inexplicably attacked early, leading other units to abort the mission.
The assault has puzzled observers.
According to Chhun Yasith, it was an attempted coup against a government he says rigged elections in 1998.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
\"The aim of that attack; the Cambodian Freedom Fighters, we have this plan since June 2000 and then we try to overthrow this government because we know this government is illegal, born from a fraudulent election, even though the international community recognised it, but the real people, the people who did demonstrations, one hundred thousand of them, they never get justice.\"
SUPER CAPTION: Chhun Yasith, Leader of the Cambodian Freedom Fighters
Prime Minister Hun Sen was the target, but he'd left the country hours before.
He was attending a meeting of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) , in Singapore.
Richard Kiri-Kim, a U-S citizen, is now awaiting trial for leading the attack.
Those captured may be joined by many more, as membership lists have been seized.
But Chhun Yasith says, far from dealing a deathblow, the attack has prompted even more Cambodians to join them.
He says they will strike again, and will overthrow Hun Sen.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
\"The new strategy we're going to explode the whole country, not just Phnom Penh to be a spot, to be a piloting place to start this kind of internal explosion. We're going to use all the provincial forces and stand up at the same time with all the people. That's what we have, a second attempt, we will adopt that kind of strategy.\"
SUPER CAPTION: Chhun Yasith, Leader of the Cambodian Freedom Fighters
The C-F-F includes the American flag in its logo.
It's registered as a political organisation in California.
Chhun Yasith himself is a U-S citizen.
He says the F-B-I hasn't contacted the group since the abortive attack.
Indeed, according to its leader, the agency visited him last year and was untroubled by its existence.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
\"The F-B-I came over to my office and spoke to me for two hours and they went through all of my documents, everything, and then later on they said everything looked fine and then they didn't do anything, they didn't stop me, they didn't say anything, they just said \"well your paperwork and your actions here, you're just promoting democracy, whatever\" and then they didn't hold me at all and I keep moving.\"
SUPER CAPTION: Chhun Yasith, Leader of the Cambodian Freedom Fighters
After more than thirty years of warfare, Cambodia's finally enjoying its first period of real peace.
The government is even trying to reduce the size of the army.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
Find out more about AP Archive: www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: / ap_archive
Facebook: / aparchives ​​
Instagram: / apnews
You can license this story through AP Archive: www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...