Cambodia: Rumors of More War

Had the Khmer Rouge, whose genocidal rule of Cambodia from 1975 to 1978 invited the invasion of Vietnamese troops, really attacked the capital, Phnom Penh? Had Prime Minister Hun Sen been forced to flee to Viet Nam? Was Battambang, the country's second largest city, truly "burning brightly," as Khmer Rouge radio claimed? Amid the welter of conflicting reports coming out of Cambodia last week, all that seemed clear was that the level of hostilities was growing. The Khmer Rouge, one of three resistance groups fighting the Hun Sen regime, did toss six grenades in downtown Phnom Penh -- though without frightening away Hun Sen. The battle for Battambang continued.

The clashes may lend urgency to diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the strife. During a visit to Viet Nam and Cambodia last week, Michael Costello, deputy secretary of Australia's foreign affairs department, reportedly got a promising response to his government's proposal that the United Nations administer Cambodia until free elections are held. Also China, which backs the Khmer Rouge, last week welcomed an unspecified role for the U.N.