<SANITIZED> PAVN ATTACK ON SOK SANN; CHEMICAL WARFARE ATTACK; <SANITIZED>

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06157038
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: September 26, 2017
• Case Number: F-2012-01432
• Publication Date: April 3, 1982

Approved for Release: 2015/01/05 006157038
SE04ET
PAGE 001
TOT: 030138Z APR 82
S///
SEC PTmnpnpw NOCONTRACT ORCON WNINTEL
0301 SZ
TO: DIRNSA, DEPT OF STATE, DIA, TREASURY DEPT,
ZEN/WHITE HOUSE SITUATION ROOM, ZEN/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
STAFF, ZEN/CIA OFFICE OF CURRENT OPERATIONS.
NSA FOR ZKZK 00 DLS DE (FOR NSOC); STATE FOR INR; bIA FOR DIA,
SWS, CIA/NMCC
01ST: 2 APR 82
(b)(3)
(b)(3)
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
THIS IS AN INFORMATION REPORT, NOT FINALLY EVALUATED INTELLIGENCE.
REPORT CLASS-SECRET/WNINTEL�NOFORN--NOCONTR4CT�ORCON
COUNTRY'. KAMPUCHEA/VIETNAM/THAILAND
SUBJECT:
SOURCE :
ATTACK ON SOK SANN; CHEMICAL WARFARE ATTACK.
PAVN
SUMMARY:
CLASHES BETWEEN PEOPLE'S ARMY OF VIETNAM PAVN AND KPNLF
TROOPS DURING MARCH CULMINATED IN THE MAJOR PAVN ATTACK ON 17 MARCH.
THE SOK SANN CAMP WAS SHELLED AND SPRAYED FROM THE AIR WITH A YELLOW
AND WHITE CHEMICAL POWDER WHICH CAUSED SERIOUS DEBILITATION.
THE PAVN BURNED SOK SANN III AND IV DURING THE THIRD PHASE OF THE
ATTACK. KPNLF TROOPS HELD THEIR POSITIONS LONG ENOUGH TO ENABLE
AN ORDERLY CIVILIAN EVACUATION BUT RETREATED INTO THAILAND WHEN THEY
ENO SUMMARY..
LASHES BETWEEN PEOPLE'S ARMY OF VIETNAM (PAVN) AND KPNLF TROOPS
INCREASED IN EARLY MARCH IN THE TA SANH (TU 6793) AREA NORTHEAST
OF THE SOK SANN DEFENSE PERIMETER. ON 6 MARCH, KPNLF CADRE FOUND
A MAP ON THE BODY OF A DEAD PAVN OFFICER WHICH GAVE THE LOCATION
OF SOK SANN I AND II AND THAT OF THE DEMOCRATIC KAMPUCHEA (OK)
POSITION ON PHNUM THOM (UNLOCATED) TO THE SOUTH OF SOK SANN
PERIMETER BUT BORE NO INDICATIONS THAT THE PAVN WERE AWARE OF THE
EXISTENCE OF SOK SANN III AND IV. LATER IN THE DAY OF THE 6TH,
THE PAVN BEGAN PROBING ATTACKS AGAINST THE 20TH AND 40TH KPNLF
BATTALIONS IN THE NORTHERN SECTOR OF THE SOK SANN PERIMETER FROM A
BASE AT PHNUM REYE (TU 6384). UNITS OF BOTH KPNLF BATTALIONS
WERE DISPATCHED TO DETERMINE THE EXTENT OF THE BUILD UP.
2. BEGINNING ON 7 MARCH AND SPORADICALLY UNTIL 13 MARCH,
SOK SANN WAS SHELLED AND SPRAYED FROM THE AIR WITH BOTH YELLOW
AND WHITE CHEMICAL POWDER. THOSE WHO CAME IN CONTACT WITH THE
POWDER SUFFERED FROM HEADACHE, DIARRHEA AND STOMACH CRAMPS AND HAD
A CONTINUAL UR IT. THE CUMULATIVE EFFECT WAS SERIOUS
DEBILITATION. COMMENT: THE KPNLF TROOPS HEARD PLANES
V-0(WV41Q32'"(b)(3)
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
(b)(3)
(b)(1)L
(b)(3)
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
SE ET
Approved for Release: 2015/01/05 006157038
Approved for Release: 2015/01/05 006157038
SECRET
PAGE 002
TOT: 030138Z APR 82
OVERHEAD BUT COULD NOT IDENTIFY THEM. IT HAS NOT YET BEEN
DETERMINED WHETHER ANYONE ACTUALLY DIED AS A RESULT OF
EXPOSURE TO THE CHEMICAL.)
3. ON 15 MARCH THE KPNLF SPOTTED HEAVY PAVN FORCES SPREADING
OUT IN SEVERAL COLUMNS FROM THE BASE AT PHNUM REYE. THE NIGHT OF
15 MARCH WAS ILLUMINATEb BY NUMEROUS FLARES. ON 16 MARCH PAVN
FORCES, SPEARHEADED BY UNITS OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KAMPUCHEA
(PRK) ARMY, REACHED THE MOUNTAINOUS AREA WHERE THE NORTHERN
SECTOR OF THE SOK SANN DEFENSE PERIMETER IS LOCATED. FIGHTING
GRADUALLY SPREAD FROM THE AREA DEFENDED BY THE 40TH KPNLF BATTALION
TO THE ENTIRE NORTHERN PERIMETER.
4. ON 17 MARCH SHELLING OF THE SOK SANN PERIMETER AND OF
SOK SANN I BEGAN. THE KPNLF TROOPS STARTED TO PULL BACK WHEN
THEY RAN LOW ON AMMUNITION AND THE CIVILIAN POPULATION PANICKED
AND FLED. THE KPNLF TROOPS HELD THEIR POSITION NORTH OF SOK SANN II
LONG ENOUGH TO ALLOW AN ORDERLY EVACUATION OF THE POPULATION. PAVN
REACHED THE OUTSKIRTS OF cm( CANN TI WWWW WA C AlCrl iiiJrwP
ARTILLERY FIRE BY 5 P.M.
5. ANOTHER PAVN ATTACK WAS DEVELOPING IN THE SCILITH AT THE
SAME TIME AS THE NORTHERN ATTACK. THE PAVN DID NOT ASSAULT THE DK
POSITION AT PHNOM THOM BUT INSTEAD, ONCE IT REACHED THE MOUNTAIN,
SPLIT INTO TWO FORCES WHICH FELL ON THE KPNLF ..FORCES DEPLOYED NEAR
SOK SANN III AND IV. THE PAVN LITERALLY STUMBLED BY ACCIDENT ON
SON SANN III AND IV AND BURNED BOTH.
6.
IT APPEARS
THAT A NUMBER OF TANKS WERE USED ALTHOUGH THIS STILL HAS TO BE
CONFIRMED. PAVN USED HELICOPTERS ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS
ALTHOUGH IT HAS NOT YET BEEN ESTABLISHED WHETHER THEY WERE ACTUALLY
USED TO CARRY TROOPS DIRECTLY TO THE COMBAT ZONE. :OMMENT:
THE SOK SANN COMPLEX IS LOCATED IN A MOUNTAINOUS JUNGLE AREA COVERED
WITH TALL TREES WHICH LIMIT VISIBILITY.)
7
HID THEIR WEAPONS AND WENT TO THE TEMPORARY CAMP SEVERAL KILOMETERS
INSIbE THAILAND. CLOSE TO 7,000 SOK SANN VILLAGERS HAVE BEEN
REGROUPED IN THIS CAMP WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE THAI AND VOLUNTARY
AGENCIES
, IT APPEARS HOWEVER THAT
SMALL UNITS MAY. STILL BE LOCATED SOME DISTANCE INSIDE KAMPUCHEA.
THE 100 CADETS FROM BAN SA NGAE SENT TO SOK SANN FOR GUERRILLA TRAIN-
ING ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE TOTAL OF 1,042 BUT ARE CURRENTLY WITH
COMMENT: THE ANTI-SRV VIETNAMESE OF LE 01.10C ((TUY'S))
ORGANIZATION TRAINING AT SOK SANN. WERE SUCCESSFULLY EVACUATED AND ARE
IN THAILAND. ALTHOUGH NO REPORT HAS BEEN MADE OF THE DAMAGE DONE
AT SOK SANN LOST ONLY A FEW WEAPONS AND
A NUMBER OF THE SOLDIERS WHO REACHED THE THAI
BORDER CARRIED SEVERAL WEAPONS. THE TWO. 75MM RECOILLESS PIECES
WERE BROUGHT OUT AS WELL AS -
THE TRACTOR AND AMBULANCE PREVIOUSLY USED AT .SOK SANN. KNOWN MILITARY
CASUALTIES ARE SO FAR 10 DEAD AND 35 WOUNDED. ALTHOUGH THE OFFICIAL
NUMBER OF CIVILIANS AT THE SOK SANN COMPLEX WAS GIVEN AS APPROXIMATELY
9,000, IT NOW APPEARS THAT THIS NUMBER MAY HAVE BEEN INFLATED TO OBTAIN
MORE RELIEF. THE GENERAL BELIEF AT THE KPNLF HEADQUARTERS IS THAT
(b)(3)
ku)ko)
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
SECRET
Approved for Release: 2015/01/05 006157038
Approved for Release: 2015/01/05 006157038
SECRET
PAGE 003
TOT: 030138Z APR 82
mncr nF THF cnw CANN rTVTITAN PDPHIATTFIN ARF CAFFIY TN THAILAND
THE KPNLF
UNITS WERE ORDERED TO TRY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ANY PAVN/DK HEAVY
ENGAGEMENT TO STEAL OK WEAPONS.)
9.
10
11.
12.
REPORT CLASSSECRET--WARNING NOTICE--INTELLIGENCE SOURCES AND
METHODS INVOLVED--NOT RELEASABLE TO FOREIGN NATIONALS--NOT RELEASABLE
TO CONTRACTORS/CONSULTANTS--DISSEMINATION AND EXTRACTION OF INFORMATION
CONTROLLED BY ORIGINATOR.
ALL PORTIONS
CARRY CLASSIFICATION AND CONTROLS OF OVERALL DOCUMENT.
END OF MESSAGE
SECRET
SECRET
Approved for Release: 2015/01/05 006157038