Khmer Rouge leader reportedly dead

Pol Pot may have died of malaria

June 6, 1996
Web posted at: 12 p.m. EDT (1600 GMT)

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (CNN) -- Unconfirmed reports suggest that Pol Pot, the notorious leader of the Khmer Rouge regime accused of killing about 2 million Cambodians in the 1970s, died Wednesday.

The French news agency, Agence France Presse, quotes Khmer Rouge officials who say the leader died of malaria Wednesday in the jungles of northwestern Cambodia, near the Thai border.

However, CNN has yet to confirm his death. Senior Cambodian government and Thai military officials said they could not confirm AFP's report. Earlier this year, similar news spread about his death, but the reports turned out to be false.

Pol Pot's health reportedly has been deteriorating for years because of high blood pressure, diabetes and a long bout with malaria.

Pol Pot, 68, took control of Cambodia in the 1970s and led a campaign of terror, sealing off the country to the outside world. He also declared a communist, agrarian revolution. Under his rule, many Cambodians were executed as enemies of the state.

The guerrilla leader, whose real name is Saloth Sar, has not been seen by independent observers since 1979. Past news reports have suggested he has sought medical treatment for his ailments in Thailand and China.

Thai military officials discounted Thursday's report, saying his condition is not serious.

Cambodian diplomats in Thailand, Vietnam and China also said they had no reports of his death, nor had advisers to Cambodia's two co-premiers -- other than what they had read in the paper.

Related story:

• Khmer Rouge leader reportedly near death

Related sites:

• Cambodia Home Page
• The Documentation Center of Cambodia
• Cambodia Times Newspaper
• Cambodia Information
• Cambodia Modern History
• Cambodia / Independence

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