By Kate Woodsome
The cambodia daily

Reuters

Khmer Rouge soldiers provide security for an Oct 22, 1996, visit by then-second prime minister Hun Sen to Pailin. Breakaway Khmer Rouge commanders agreed to merge their 4,000 fighters with Cambodian government forces, and an additional 3,400 soldiers from four divisions and one regiment in Kompong Thom province announced that they and 25,000 family members were ready to defect to the government.

A war of words broke out between Cambodia’s top leadership in 1996. Rhetorical strife between co-prime ministers Hun Sen and Prince Norodom Ranariddh laid the groundwork for violence in 1997, but before the coalition partners would take up arms against each other, the defection of Khmer Rouge leader Ieng Sary led to a laying down of arms and a division of Khmer Rouge Forces.

For the first time in four years, the country quietly recognized Jan 7 as the anniversary of the overthrow of the Khmer Rouge.
“Liberation Day” had not been celebrated as a national holiday since 1992, when it was dropped following the signing of the Paris Peace Accords.

Hun Sun’s proposed reinstatement of the holiday was met by grumbling from several Funcinpec members, many of whom fought against Vietnamese-backed governments led by former president Heng Samrin and Hun Sen. Jan 7, they said, was the clear start of Cambodia’s decade of Vietnamese occupation.

In Los Angeles, a death unraveled communities in both countries. The February murder of human rights activist and actor Haing Ngor, known for his role in the movie “The Killing Fields,” prompted Hun Sen to request the US government’s assistance in bringing the killers to justice. US failure to do so would be a strike against democracy, he said.

Reuters

Prince Norodom Ranariddh shares a laugh with Hun Sen on March 21, 1996, during the opening session of a two-day Funcinpec congress.

In Cambodia, Prince Ranariddh raised further complaints about the security of the land and the country’s sovereignty, accusing Vietnam of encroaching on territory in Svay Rieng province. Prince Ranariddh called the spillover a “full invasion” of Cambodia, drawing a light but definitive connection between the Vietnam and the CPP.

Co-Minister of Interior Sar Kheng and other high-ranking CPP officials accused the prince of using politically charged rhetoric to fuel a personal war with the CPP.

A closed-door meeting between Prince Ranariddh, Hun Sen and the Vietnamese premier, Vo Van Kiet, defused rising tensions between Cambodia and Vietnam, when leaders agreed to maintain good relations and settle the dispute without force.
Increasing rhetoric came to a head March 22, when Prince Ranariddh accused the CPP of breaking the parties’ power-sharing arrangement established after the 1993 elections.
Funcinpec officials threatened to withdraw from the coalition if the CPP did not take immediate action to uphold its pledge.

Hun Sen publicly appealed to the government and people for “patience” but was reportedly furious behind closed doors. Hun Sen on March 25 demanded a public apology from Prince Ranariddh, insisting that he would consider upholding the agreement only if the prince first made amends.

Rumor mills churned theories about the prince’s reaction, with reports that the royalist leader was preparing to recall Funcinpec military units from the northwest, a plan that threatened to undermine government efforts to claim Khmer Rouge strongholds in the region.

CPP Defense Ministry officials accused Funcinpec of strengthening its forces in the capital, an indication that Prince Ranariddh was readying forces for a coup d’etat.

King Norodom Sihanouk vehemently denied conspiring against Hun Sen in a bid to oust him from power. Prince Ranariddh and Funcinpec “have no intention or desire to quit the present government or the present National Assembly,” the King said in a statement April 27.

Khmer National Party supporters in Paris were more vocal in their calls for Hun Sen’s resignation in June. Three busloads of KNP supporters demonstrated in June, chanting “Down with dictatorship,” ”Down with corruption” and “Down with the mafia.” Hun Sen said he would not call for retaliatory protests, but reminded students that it was he who built their schools.

National-level accusations heightened tensions between the CPP and Funcinpec, but it was debate over district-level leadership that created the greatest coalition rift, CPP spokesman Khieu Kanharith said.

When candidate lists were asked of both parties to establish a district-level power sharing arrangement, Khieu Kanharith said Funcinpec was unable to offer its roster. The royalists reacted defensively, he said, accusing the CPP of ill-preparedness.

“We were ready with our lists, but they weren’t. After that we could no longer talk about district-level candidates,” Khieu Kanharith said. “From there, Funcinpec said the only way to regain full control of power was to have the Khmer Rouge destroy the CPP.”

The government’s repeated offensives against Khmer Rouge forces in Pailin proved successful in August, when Hun Sen announced that 3,000 Khmer Rouge soldiers had left their bases to join the government.

Reuters

Ieng Sary (left) inspects defectors under his control who joined the Cambodian army on Nov 6, 1996.

Khmer Rouge defections in Pailin and Malai dealt a heavy blow to the group. The defections drew a deep line between Khmer Rouge members loyal to hard-liners Ta Mok and Son Sen and those loyal to Ieng Sary, a former Khmer Rouge deputy prime minister.

The defection of Khmer Rouge Brother No 3, Ieng Sary, gave the government military control of almost the entire northwest section of Cambodia, the first stronghold of the region in 17 years.

In an unprecedented show of unity, Hun Sen and Prince Ranariddh said Aug 25 that they would seek amnesty for Ieng Sary.

“If we can avoid bloodshed or the loss of thousands of lives by Ieng Sary’s conduct and leadership, we just welcome him, and I think it is only a small fight for his life,” Hun Sen said.

The king granted the amnesty, but not without grievances.
Ieng Sary’s breakaway Khmer Rouge movement officially joined RCAF Nov 6, while his newly formed political party, the Democratic National United Movement grew roots beneath the “umbrella” of the King.

While the government deemed the defection a political success, Khmer Rouge victims considered it a further offense.

Ieng Sary’s move was not a defection, but rather a “political integration,” said to Youk Chhang, executive director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia.

The union of one of the most murderous Khmer Rouge forces with the ruling government was an unacceptable move, he said.

“The Khmer Rouge victims were victimized again,” Youk Chhang said. “The victims have used it as burial ground to pursue further justice from a Khmer Rouge tribunal.”