K HMER ROUGE rebels in the past fortnight have continued to launch regular

attacks around Battambang - reportedly shelling rockets into the provincial town

- killing two civilians and injuring another two.

Battambang's police

commander General Van Chhunly said: "At around 12:40 am the morning of March 5,

a band of about twenty KR came as close as ten kms south from the provincial

capital in Sangke district."

"They came in the district quietly carrying

with them 107 mm shells," Chhunly said.

He said the guerrillas launched

seven rockets into the town but only three of them exploded, destroying one

house.

General Chhunly said it was the first incident of the rebels

shelling the capital this year, but he did not consider it a threat "because the

KR is now weakened and divided into small groups."

"Since early this

year, my police have cooperated with the military to fight against rebels

everywhere around Battambang... the KR is being weakened from day to day,"

Chhunly said.

He said on Feb 27, his fighting police and about 300 troops

launched an attack to mop up KR guerrillas along Route 58B, about 30 km

northwest of Battambang in Bavel district.

He said after two hours

fighting, about 100 guerrillas retreated from their base leaving behind two

dead.

He said two RCAF soldiers were killed and two more wounded during

the day-long operation.

Chhunly said on Feb 28, his police launched more

heavy shelling on rebel camps in Rattanak Mondul district, 34 km west of

Battambang.

He said RCAF forces started their attack from the east along

Route 10 - the road to Pailin - pushing the guerrillas 20 km to the west from

the district town in Rattanak Mondul. At least three KR guerrillas were killed

in the operation.

Rattanak Mondul district came under heavy KR attack

late last December, forcing the entire population in the district to

flee.

He said on Feb 26, KR guerrillas attacked Anlong Run village in

Bavel district , about 40 km northwest from Battambang town, killing one

villager and burning 44 houses.

Four days earlier he said KR rebels

launched three separate attacks around rural Battambang.

The first

occurred in Sangke district and the second in Mong Russei district when a number

of KR attacked Robah Mongkul village.

He said KR weapons were seized and

four guerrillas were killed in a counter-attack by local militiamen and

police.

The third attack occurred in Bavel district, when the rebels hit

Ta Mat village in Prey Kpoh commune, burning 15 houses.