Cambodia is at another crisis point. The Cambodian people are in greater danger today

than they were in October 1991 at the time of the signing of the Paris Peace Agreement.

The Khmer Rouge have not complied with any one of the obligations spelled out in

the agreement (such as release of political prisoners, cantonment and disarming of

troops, demining, providing freedom of political expression and press, allowing entry

of UN military and civilian officials and observers, electorals registration of population).

They have rather used the time, and the legitimacy accorded them as signatories of

the Agreement to block rehabilitation and reconstruction of the country; to extend

their operations into zones previously controlled by other factions but left vulnerable

by troop withdrawals and demobilizations; to continue harassment, intimidation and

even murder of civilians, particularly those of Vietnamese ethnic origin; to sow

political and economic havoc; and even to wage continuing attacks on the U.N. forces

kidnapping, shooting, bombing.

The Khmer Rouge cannot be allowed to continue to hold a veto over the Cambodian peace

process. Prime Minister Hun Sen on January 5 appealed to the United Nations "to

safeguard the Cambodian people from a second Khmer Rouge genocide".

We call on the Australian government to do all it can to ensure that the United Nations.

• declare that the Khmer Rouge have excluded themselves from the peace process

  by their continuing violations of all provisions.

• proceed towards elections in as much of the country as possible by May 1993,

  with only participating factions included on the ballot and in an atmosphere as free

  from violence and intimidation as possible.

• release Cambodia's share of UN funds (blocked and accumulated since 1975) in

  addition to the U.S. $880 pledged for rehabilitation and reconstruction at the 1991

  Tokyo conference.

• enforce economic and political sanctions against the Khmer Rouge, including seizing

  of their international assets, closure of their radio stations broadcasting from

  outside Cambodia (in Thailand and China).

• And we ask the Australian government to take its own unilateral steps to
• resume direct bilateral aid immediately, including the A$49 million announced

  in 1992

• recognize the government of the State of Cambodia, which controls over 90% of

  the population and 80% of the territory.

• take action to bring the Khmer Rouge to trial in the World Court for violating

  the 1948 UN Genocide Convention with the death of 1.5 million-an action already endorsed

  by the Australian section of the International Commission of Jurists.

Signatures to date include:

- Peter Annear, Save the Children Fund, Phnom Penh

- Dr. Eileen Baldry, University of New South Wales

- Dr. Rosemary Berreen, UNSW

- Prof. Allan Borowski, UNSW

- Pat Brewer

- Christabel Chamarette, Senator for The Greens (WA)

- Joyce Clark, Australian Peace Committee

- Environmental Youth Alliance

- Craig Etcheson, Committee to Oppose the Return of the Khmer Rouge (USA)

- Lorna Gilmour, WILPF

- Phillip Hazelton

- Rev. Peter Holden, Australian Council of Churches

- Dr. Helen Jarvis, University of New South Wales

- Dr. Ben Kiernan, Yale University (USA)

- Dr. John Hirshman, Third World Health Group

- Elizabeth Mattick, Pres. Women's Internat. League for Peace & Freedom, NSW

- Peter McGregor, Secretary, Australia Vietnam Society, Sydney Branch

- Allen Myers, Editor Green Left Weekly

- Mina O'Shea, Environmental Youth Alliance

- John Percy, National Secretary, Democratic Socialist Party

- John Pilger, journalist and filmmaker

- Resistance

- Prof. W. Boyd Rayward, University of New South Wales

- Kelvin Rowley, Swinburne Institute of Technology

- Gil Scrine, filmmaker

- Dr. Serge Thion, Centre Nationale des Recherches Scientifiques (France)

- Bruce Toms

- Pat Toms, WILPF

- Johanna Trainor

- Prof. Tony Vinson, University of New South Wales

- Michele Willsher