Monday, May 1, 1972
Cambodians Vote On Constitution
PHNOM PENH (UPI) --Those parts of Cambodia under government control were to go to the polls Sunday to vote on a republican constitution in their first opportunity to express their views since war broke out in April 1970.President Lon Nol went on National Radio Friday and Saturday to urge the population to vote.Lon Nol's government formed the proposed constitution after dissolving the National Assembly earlier this year for what Lon Nol called "violating the republican spirit."Although Cambodia was declared a republic Oct. 9, 1970, seven months after the ouster of Prince Norodom Sihanouk and the start of the fighting, Lon Nol has ruled by decree and a modified version of Sihanouk's 1947 constitution.In his broadcasts, Lon Nol appealed to students to stay calm. Students have been demonstrating since Friday against alleged brutality by military police in a clash with students in Phnom Penh on Thursday. The students claim 20 students were shot, with "several dead," but have been unable to produce any bodies.Lon Nol claimed there was no shooting and no one was killed.He promised an investigation but said the students were being used by Communist agitators.He told the students, "You are not helping the country. If we survive it will not be thanks to your acts. But if the country dies, I would like you to share the responsibility."Light planes flew over the capital Saturday, dropping leaflets urging citizens to cast their ballots, and government trucks set up polling booths throughout the city.News of referendum arrangements in the countryside was hard to come by, but all towns under government control were expected to participate.Lon Nol claims his government controls two thirds of the country"s population, while Sihanouk in exile in Peking claims the Communists hold three-quarters of Cambodia.There was no announcement of when results of the referendum might be expected.The Cambodian high command Saturday reported a relative battlefield quiet in the past few days.There were unconfirmed reports of heavy fighting some 35 miles northeast of Phnom Penh. Most main highways to the provinces remain cut by Communist action, with the exception of Highway 4 leading southwest to the port of Kompong Som."Cambodians Vote on Constitution", by Kate Webb, published in the Pacific Stars and Stripes on Monday, May 1, 1972 and reprinted from the European and Pacific Stars and Stripes, a Department of Defense publication copyright, 2002 European and Pacific Stars and Stripes.