1.
SV Troops aboard truck pass camera
0.13

2.
GROUND TO AIR Aeroplane overhead
0.15

3.
GV Troops disembarking from trucks & assembling (5 shots)
0.48

4.
GVs Troops moving towards trees
0.58

5.
SCU Officer giving commands
1.04

6.
GV Troops moving forward
1.10



Initials ESP/0226 ESP/0235



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: Communist-led forces, using an almost non-stop mortar and rocket barrage, have encircled and threaten to capture the town of Samrong Young, about 20 air miles (32 kilometres approx.) south of Phnom Penh, capital of the Khmer Republic.

In the previous week, a government command post and the town of Chambak were both overrun. The Chambak garrison pulled back to Samrong Yong, which was under fierce attack at the time of this filming by Visnews cameraman Neil Davis on Tuesday (3 April).

Khmer reinforcements were besieged when they came within 2 kilometres of Samrong Yong. Heavy rocket, mortar and automatic weapon fire prevented an immediate relief of the area. The relief force was itself in danger of being surrounded.

The Khmer forces have lost about 100 men. There is no indication of the number of dead on the other side.

SYNOPSIS: Khmer troops moved to relieve the town of Samrong Yong in the Khmer Republic on Tuesday. But the reinforcements found the town completely surrounded.

Troops disembarked and assembled to move against the Communist-led forces which have taken two command posts in the past week. A division command post fell on Saturday, and the town of Chambak was overrun on Monday. The Chambak garrison pulled back to Samrong Yong, but the Communist forces encircled the town. The Khmer forces lost almost one hundred men in the early fighting. No estimate of dead and wounded in the Samrong seige is available.

As the relief column moved towards the town, they were under heavy mortar, rocket attack and automatic weapon fire.

As the Communist-led troops drove towards Phnom Penh, the capital, heavy fire continued. At one point, the fresh relief troops appeared in danger of being surrounded.