As Communist forces in the Khmer Republic step up their attacks on government positions, harassment along the Bassac river, near Phnom Penh, has increased.

On Monday (19 February), snipers hidden in the jungle along the river banks fired on a government patrol, killing one man.

Although sniper attacks are nothing new along the rivers in the Khmer Republic, they form a pattern which is being linked with a steady offensive in the country.

Government forces have been trying to clear the river banks of snipers. In an operation along the Mekong river, both banks of which are occupied by Khmer communist and North Vietnamese troops, government forces have met mixed success.