CAMBODIA: KHMER ROUGE GUERRILLAS DEFECT TO GOVERNMENT ARMY скачать в хорошем качестве

CAMBODIA: KHMER ROUGE GUERRILLAS DEFECT TO GOVERNMENT ARMY

(6 Jun 1998) Khmer/Natsound Over one-thousand Khmer Rouge fighters have switched sides, trading in their guerrilla gear for official Cambodian army uniforms. It was a scene long thought unimaginable at Anlong Veng, the rebels' stronghold until its recent capture by the army with the help of Khmer Rouge defectors. The induction ceremony marked what the army hopes will be the death of the Khmer Rouge, the communist movement whose reign of terror killed as many as two (m) million Cambodians. Not long ago this sight would have struck fear into the toughest of government troops. But now these Khmer Rouge guerrillas have finally given up their decades-old fight, and with it, their last base of power. Anlong Veng, close to the northern border with Thailand, was meant to be an impregnable fortress, but it fell on Friday with barely a gunshot. In an orderly display of surrender, the last bastion of Cambodia's notorious Khmer Rouge guerrillas officially joined the government side. Hosts of government officials flooded into this once dreaded stronghold, to celebrate the handover. Among them was Ke Pauk, the guerrilla commander whose defection in March led to the Khmer Rouge's road to collapse. Few could have ever expected to see Defence Minister Tea Banh (pronounced TAY-AR BARN) so relaxed with men who would likely have shot him just a few weeks ago. His walk among his recent enemies was a telling example of the swift changes that have occurred in this dark corner of Cambodia. The more than one-thousand Khmer Rouge troops swapped their old Chinese Communist-style uniforms for the government issue fatigues - demonstrating their new desire for peace. The fighters' surrender followed the over three thousand others who had defected from Anlong Veng over the past three months. With the fall of the base, the final destruction of the notorious guerrilla group seems closer than ever. Up to two million Cambodians died under the Khmer Rouge regime during their 1975-1979 reign. Since its overthrow, Khmer Rouge troops have fought a guerrilla war in an attempt to hold onto their legacy of power. But the fight appears to be losing its followers. On Friday they listened, and apparently approved, as their former commanders publicly vowed that those bloody days of genocide were gone forever. SOUNDBITE: (Khmer) "I'm very happy to join the government now. The war's over at last." SUPER CAPTION: Vox pop, former Khmer Rouge commander But many still bear its scars and wonder what the future holds. But the evidence of change and hope were apparent. This used to be the home of Ta Mok, nicknamed "the Butcher," who succeeded Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot. The home stands empty, still featuring inside maps of Cambodia, the country that the Khmer Rouge campaign so brutally ruled. Despite promising signs of change, some dedicated followers are still clinging to the past. The Khmer Rouge's current leader, Ta Mok, and a handful of loyalists are believed to be hiding somewhere in the jungles Several kilometres away from Friday's ceremony, troops still loyal to the hardline leadership patrolled what's left of their territory on the Thai-Cambodia border. These are the first pictures of Khmer Rouge forces since the death of Pol Pot. They had vowed to wage an attack to retake their old base during the defection ceremony, but their threat proved hollow. For now, all they appear to have left are a few kilometres of jungle in a cause with few fighters left. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...