An army general in the Khmer Republic is paying for food and shelter for more than 20,000 refugees from communist-controlled areas of the country. The refugees broke through communist lines on Wednesday (March 27) after living there for two years, and flooded into Kompong Spieu -- 30 miles (40 kilometres) west of the capital, Phnom Penh.

Seneral Chanta Raingsey, who commands the 13th Brigade based in Kompong Spieu and is responsible for security in the strategically-important town, immediately said he would pay for the refugees' food and shelter. The Red Cross and the Catholic Refugee Service in the are joined the General's men in looking after the refugees -- setting up soup kitchens and rice-distribution centres. Two Filipino medical teams were due to arrive shortly to take care of the refugees' medical needs.

The refugees were able to flee from their communist-controlled homes after most of the troops keeping them there were sent north to the battle-zone front line around Oudong. Another 20,000 refugees were expected to arrive in Kompong Spieu in the next few weeks -- to make it the biggest exodus from a communist area in Khmer this year.

SYNOPSIS: In the Khmer Republic an army commander -- General Chanta Raingsey -- is paying for food and shelter for twenty thousand refugees who broke out of communist control last Wednesday and fled to Kompong Spieu, west of the capital of Phnom Penh. Red Cross teams and the Catholic Refugee service joined the general -- who commands the 13th Brigade based in the strategically-important town -- in organising food, shelter and medicine for the refugees. Soup kitchens and rice-distribution centres were set up, and the refugees set up camp in wooden huts hurriedly constructed by the General's troops.

The refugees had been living under communist control for two years. They managed to break through the lines on Wednesday because most of the troops guarding them had been sent north to the battle-zone front line at Oudong. Another twenty thousand refugees were expected to break through within a few weeks, to make it the biggest exodus of its kind in the Khmer Republic this year. Meanwhile, two Filipino medical teams were due to arrive shortly to help take care of the refugees.