Amnesty Asked For Cambodian Prince

A Japanese-brokered peace plan for Cambodia gained new life Saturday when coup leader Hun Sen appealed for a pardon of his deposed co-premier.

Hun Sen wrote to Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk seeking a pardon for the exiled prince, who was convicted in absentia Wednesday of plotting with Khmer Rouge guerillas to overthrow the government and sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Earlier in the day, a distraught Sihanouk had written to Prince Norodom Ranariddh, his son, denying him the amnesty because Hun Sen had not approved the move.

The denial dashed hopes for the complex Japanese plan, which seeks to end the political deadlock in Cambodia that emerged after Hun Sen ousted Ranariddh in a July coup.

Under the terms of the proposed settlement, Ranariddh's trials would go forward in Hun Sen-controlled courts, where his convictions were assured. He would then be pardoned by the king and return to compete in elections scheduled for July 26.

The international community regards Ranariddh's participation in the polls as essential if they are to be free and fair.

Many Western nations cut aid to the cash-strapped Hun Sen government to protest the coup, and Hun Sen is anxious to win back their financial support as well as international legitimacy.

In his letter to the king, Hun Sen said a royal amnesty could void a $54 million fine against Ranariddh levied by a military court Wednesday as compensation for damages during two days of fierce fighting in the July coup.

Ranariddh, calling the proceedings a sham, said after the trial that he wouldn't pay. It wasn't likely he even had the means.

"I ask you to give a pardon to Ranariddh," Hun Sen wrote, adding that the amnesty should erase Ranariddh's 30-year prison sentence for conspiring with the outlawed Khmer Rouge and also drop a five-year term for weapons smuggling.

The charges against Ranariddh were widely viewed as politically motivated.

"The door is always open for Ranariddh to return home to participate in the election," said Hun Sen's letter, which was faxed to Sihanouk in Beijing, where he is receiving medical treatment for cancer, kidney problems, and other ailments.

It was the most conciliatory message Hun Sen had written about Ranariddh since the coup. In fact, in patches of Cambodian jungle near the Thai border, government troops are still battling forces comprised of rebels and soldiers loyal to Ranariddh.

"We understand that only such a request can show that in Cambodia no one has the goal to put up obstacles preventing the return of Prince Ranariddh for the election," Hun Sen wrote.

A spokesman for Ranariddh cautiously welcomed the news of Hun Sen's appeal.

"I haven't seen the letter, but if it's true, then it's good for the Cambodian people and for peace," said Vibol Kong, speaking in Bangkok, where Ranariddh is in exile.

Sihanouk had expressed fears that if hgranted Ranariddh the pardon without Hun Sen's permission, the coup leader would use the Cambodian media to attack the monarchy.

There would be "extremely violent attacks on the radio and television and angry demonstrations," Sihanouk wrote in his monthly bulletin, which appeared Saturday.

Written by Robin McDowell
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