Khmer President Lon Nol made one of his rare public appearances on Thursday (28 February) when he attended a welcoming ceremony for thousands of returning refugees in Kompong Thom. It was the first time he had been seen in public for two months.

The 61 year old Field Marshal, accompanied by Prime Minister Long Borot and the Commander in Chief of the Khmer armed forces, Sosthene Fernandez, was greeted by a large crowd at the city's airport.

Marshall Lon Nol assumed power on March, 1970, when his troops ousted Prince Norodom Sihanouk. Only nine months later he suffered a severe stroke and was flown to Hawaii for specialised treatment. Since then, Patially paralys he has chosen to remain in virtual seclusion in the Presidential Palace in Phnom Penh.

Kompong Thom, 80 miles (165 kilometers) north off Phnom Ponh, was besieged by Khmar Rouge forces in June 1970, three months after the fight for control of the country began. When the Communists lifted their soigo carlier this year to concentrate on the national capital more than 30,000 refugees began returning to their former house.