1.
GV Ships in harbour
0.05

2.
CU Bow of "Luck Star"
0.10

3.
LV Stern of Dong Na
0.15

4.
GV Lorries wait alongside
0.19

5.
SCU PAN..Armed guard
0.24

6.
LV & SV Rice unloaded from ships onto lorries (6 shots)
1.07

7.
CU Officials sign for rice
1.12

8.
SV Rice onto lorries - lorries leave (3 shots)
1.28


DOCKS AND SHIPS UNLOADING RICE, TRUCKS BEING LOADED AND MOVING OFF.




Initials ES. 1800 ES. 1825



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: Relief supplies of rice, from Thailand and South Vietnam, are arriving in Phnom Penh, capital of the Khmer Republic.

Ships carrying 4,000 tons of rice arrived during the weekend from Thailand and South Vietnam. More rice arrives daily on aircraft.

The Khmer Republic is paying for the rice from Thailand and the United States has agreed to lend 10,000 tons from supplies stored in South Vietnam.

The rice shortage in Phnom Penh was caused by a drought which threatened to destroy half the harvest. The situation was aggravated by a sharp fall in the area of paddyfields, caused by the war and communist activity on the road to the main rice growing area of the north-west.

The food crisis provoked a wave of looting in Phnom penh earlier this month.

SYNOPSIS: Ships from Thailand and South Vietnam have been carrying supplies of rice to Phnom Penh, capital of the Khmer Republic, where a food shortage reached crisis proportions earlier this month. More than four thousand tons arrived aboard three sips during the weekend and each day, aircraft bring in more.

The shortage was caused by a drought, which threatened half the harvest. There was a rush for available supplies. The situation was aggravated by Communist military action along roads leading to the main rice growing areas in the north-west of the Khmer Republic. The capital fell into a state of near panic, as thousands of soldiers and civilians looted markets in the city, broke into locked stores and took whatever they could carry. Gunfire was heard in the streets as a special commando force tried to get on top of the situation.

The United States decided to loan the Khmer Republic ten thousand tons of rice from supplies stored in South Vietnam. And the Khmer government decided to buy rice from Thailand. The additional grain is expected to provide Phnom Penh with at least a few week's extra supply.