Cambodia
On April 20, Cambodian police announced they had captured five
terrorists, foiling a plot to destroy one of Phnom Penh's largest
fuel depots. Police reported they had captured the men, armed
with handguns and an anti-tank rocket, on April 18. The men
confessed that they were trying to destroy the Sokimex oil
storage depot, owned by the Sokimex Petroleum Company, which is
affiliated with Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party. They have
been identified as members of the small militant organization
known as the Cambodian Freedom Fighters.
According to Phnom Penh Municipal Police Chief Ek Kreth, the
Cambodian Freedom Fighters, founded by a Cambodian-American,
Chhun Yasith, first surfaced following Hun Sen's coup in 1997.
At that time, the group issued statements calling for increased
attacks against Hun Sen's forces, but faded away following the
formation of a coalition government last year. Ek Kreth
emphasized, "They are a terrorist group." Another police officer
warned, "This is a big problem. We're following another group
associated with the group we arrested."
The reemergence of this group exemplifies the difficulties
Cambodia faces as it attempts to emerge from years of civil war.
With the final end of fighting against organized Khmer Rouge
guerrillas, Cambodia was able to shift focus from fighting
internal rebel armies to the daunting task of social, economic,
and infrastructure reform. Underlying this, however, was a large
portion of the population from all sectors, formerly engaged in
war but now facing unemployment. In fact, the government has
begun a new push to thin out its oversized armed forces, cutting
70,000 soldiers over the next five years. Cambodia is also awash
in easily accessible weapons, from guns and ammunition to
rockets, grenades, and mines.
Chhun Yasith, an opposition figure, started the Cambodian Freedom
Fighters with the specific political purpose of targeting Hun Sen
and his forces following the 1997 coup. While issuing statements
calling for an increase in attacks against Hun Sen, the group
remained largely unnoticed, and disappeared following the
formation of a coalition between Prince Norodom Ranariddh and Hun
Sen. The Cambodian Freedom Fighters have now returned, though
police say Chhun Yasith may not be involved with the latest
action.
The attempted attack on the oil depot on Sunday may be just a
foretaste of what Cambodia faces in the future. With a history
of political forces using militant actions to achieve their
goals, and as coalitions are formed and Cambodia refocuses on its
economic future, many of these groups