PHNOM PENH, July 6: Forces under Cambodia's second prime minister Hun Sen tightened their hold on the capital today after two days of fierce fighting with troops loyal to first prime minister Norodom Ranariddh.

Officials said Ranariddh's residence and the French embassy had been badly damaged by shelling, and by this afternoon Hun Sen's troops were moving through the city street by street.

Heavy fighting continued around pockets of Ranariddh's men holed up in some key areas, they added. The casualty toll was impossible to determine, but at least 12 people had been killed and more than 50 wounded since the violence began yesterday, hospital sources and local news reports said.

One of the dead was a 38-year-old Japanese engineer who had been working on a Japanese-funded road project.

He was fatally injured when a rocket hit his home, and died later in hospital.

Phnom Penh airport has been closed since yesterday and most airlines serving Cambodia have suspended flights.

The two premiers have jointly headed a fractured coalition government formed after a United Nations-run election in 1993.

Last week, Hun Sen accused Ranariddh of illegally introducing defectors from the Khmer Rouge Maoist guerrilla group into Phnom Penh to bolster his forces there. The first premier denied this.

The heaviest fighting raged around key facilities under the control of forces loyal to Ranariddh, including a well-defended compound, a base near the international airport, Ranariddh's party headquarters next to the French embassy and his residence all of which were protected by security men and troops.

Military officials loyal to Hun Sen said they were demanding the surrender of Ranariddh's troops protecting the facilities even as a general loyal to the prince said there would be no surrender.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.