Fighting intensifies between Cambodian rivals
Curfew enforced in Phnom Penh
July 5, 1997
Web posted at: 12:37 p.m. EDT (1637 GMT)PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (CNN) -- Rocket blasts rocked the Cambodian capital Saturday afternoon after a day of sporadic fighting between forces loyal to the country's rival co-premiers.
At least four people were killed in the fighting and 29 others were wounded, doctors at Phnom Penh's Calmette Hospital and Ta Chang Hospital said.
(1M/25 sec. Fighting erupts in Cambodian capital - QuickTime movie)
Supporters of Second Prime Minister Hun Sen said his forces had surrounded two military camps near the Phnom Penh's international airport and captured 140 troops loyal to First Prime Minister Prince Norodom Ranariddh.
A general loyal to Ranariddh said 100 troops were captured. Late Saturday, Hun Sen troops had blockaded major thoroughfares through Phnom Penh, and stationed armored personnel carriers at strategic locations.
Authorities imposed a curfew in the capital from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Saturday's fighting apparently began when Hun Sen's troops tried to disarm troops at a base used by Ranariddh troops and moved on to another used by Ranariddh's top military adviser, Nhiek Bun Chhay.
The rocket blasts were heard in downtown Phnom Penh, some three miles (five kilometers) from the fighting, said CNN's John Raedler. Another reporter said the explosions came "from the area of Nhiek Bun Chhay's house."
All airlines said Saturday they would halt flights into Phnom Penh because of the fighting.
Hun Sen, who was elected prime minister along with Ranariddh in U.N.-sponsored elections in 1993, appeared on Cambodia media Saturday, claiming that his rival was preparing for civil war.
He also accused Ranariddh of recruiting defectors from the dreaded Khmer Rouge, and said his troop activity was "law implementation ... against law violators and illegal forces."
"I do not allow anyone in any position to destroy the country's future," he said in a radio broadcast.
Ranariddh and Hun Sen were battlefield foes when Hun Sen was with Khmer Rouge, the communist faction that ruled Cambodia with a deadly hand under Pol Pot from 1975 until the Vietnamese toppled the government in 1979.
Pol Pot waged a guerrilla campaign after his defeat but was allegedly captured by a defecting Khmer Rouge faction, which is holding the deposed dictator until an amnesty can be negotiated.
Both Ranariddh and Hun Sen believe Pol Pot should stand trial for crimes against humanity, but disagree over amnesty for former Khmer Rouge guerrillas.
Ranariddh flew to France on Friday to ask for help avoiding a civil war, and was reportedly back in Cambodia on Saturday. Hun Sen was reported by the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry to be in Vietnam for a holiday.
Cambodia's next elections are scheduled for May 1998.
Correspondent John Raedler and Reuters contributed to this report.
- Newsmaker Profile: Norodom Sihanouk - Cambodian King
- Newsmaker Profile: Pol Pot - Cambodian Communist Leader
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