S IX American-Vietnamese have been deported, while the other 26 Vietnamese and Khmer-Vietnamese

arrested on Dec 2 for being part of an anti-Hanoi movement have been told by Cambodian

authorities "no second chances."

A spokesman for police chief Hok Lundy said however that they are still investigating

the movement because they believed there are still more members that needed "re-education."

The first arrest was just a warning, Ministry of Information State Secretary Khieu

Kanharith said. They would all be deported if they continued the movement.

"Anyway," Kanharith said, "sooner or later the Government will deport

the illegal Vietnamese immigrants after the Nationality Law is passed."

The one man particularly singled out was Ly Chandara, the editor of the Vietnamese

language Tudo (Freedom) newspaper, who had his newspaper closed.

The Ministry of Interior provided enough evidence that Chandara was involved in the

movement, despite his denials in an interview with the Post.

The ministry said Chandara had the rank of general commander in the movement and

was actually named Ly Ngoc, Kanharith said.

Ly Ngoc was the name that appeared on "party" cards carried by arrested

members of the Doan Quan Phuc Quoc (Country Restoration Forces), based in Cambodia.

The movement is allegedly supported by the United States-based Free Vietnam movement,

led by Nguyen Hoang Dan.

Cambodian police arrested Chandara and immediately got his "signature"

- or mark - which they said corresponded exactly with the "Ly Ngoc" name

that appeared on the DQPQ cards.

Chandara complained that he was not treated with respect during his arrest - "even

though I am an editor" - and that he was taken away dressed only in his shorts.

"What is going to happen to me next? That is why I must flee," said Chandara,

or Ngoc, adding that he did not want to go to Hanoi.

The Hanoi authorities wanted to arrest and jail him, he said, even though he was

a Khmer citizen.

Chandara said he knew about the DQPQ movement for a long time but added that he did

not realize that it was anti-Hanoi, and that he used them only for contacts for news

stories.

Neither he nor his staff belonged to any political party, he said.

Chandara (pictured right) had filed a complaint with the UN Center for Human Rights

and had asked the United Nations Commissioner for Refugees for refugee status to

flee to "any third country, where the democracy is better than in Cambodia."