On April 9, The New York Times ran a page-one story revealing US President Bill Clinton’s written order that the State, Justice and Defense departments “devise plans” for the capture of Pol Pot. The Times quoted unnamed administration officials who said the Thai government was willing to seize Pol Pot just across their border as long as the US would whisk him out of their county. The story was publicized in Cam­bodia, doubtless reaching the mountainous hinterland where Pol Pot and the remaining Khmer Rouge fighters were hiding.

Mine and unexploded ordnance casualties in Cambodia decreased by 50 percent in 1997 from the previous year, according to a report released Friday by the Cambodian Red Cross.

For all the rumors of coup d’etat plots swirling around the capital in the first half of 1997, few ordinary Phnom Penh residents waking up the morning of Saturday, July 5 were expecting the kind of weekend that unfolded.

Businesses Wonder Whether They Will Ever See Payback Time

Most of the physical evidence from factional fighting last July has been cleaned up and swept away—factories rebuilt, gas pumps replaced, hoses patched up and holes painted over.

What’s in a name? Would a coup by any other term have gained the UN seat?

Even as the artillery fire echoed over Phnom Penh last year, another battle had begun—this one over what to call the fighting.

But It Might Not Affect Votes Cast Outside the Capital

Cambodia’s dominant political party seems intent on downplaying if not ignoring altogether last July’s bloody factional fighting as an election issue.

A $20-million dry port appears finally ready to open, after months of delays caused by government demands for a hefty cash deposit.

To the 39 political parties campaigning for this month’s polls, a party signboard means an opportunity to attract supporters and voters.

After a month of speculation about his whereabouts and numerous statements criticizing the formation of the Constitution Council, its oldest member has now asked to be sworn into the supreme appeals body.

National Radio announced Thursday that 93-year-old council dean Chau Sen Cocsal Chhum had requested to be sworn in at Saturday’s Royal Palace ceremony alongside Say Bory, who re­places resigning royal ap­pointee Pung Peng Cheng.

Chau Sen Cocsal Chhum confirmed Thursday that he had asked palace minister Kong Som Ol to be included in the ceremony, to take place in the palace throne room at 4:30 pm Saturday.

But he would not elaborate on his change of heart from a month ago, when he failed to turned up for the original ceremony.

A statement bearing his name announced he had left the country.

And he denied having discussed the matter with King Norodom Sihanouk, who appointed him to the council and is said to have been frustrated by the hold-ups in its convening caused by boycotting royal appointees.

Chau Sen Cocsal Chhum also de­nied that he had left the country in the past month, or that he had written any statements challenging the legality of the council.

“I never did anything before, like statements about the functioning of the council,” he said.

Statements bearing Chau Sen Cocsal Chhum’s signature previously announced that he was boycotting the council indefinitely. He had said he would reconsider his stance when he believed all its members had been appointed by the proper legal procedure.

Cambodian Bar Association president Say Bory was appointed to the council by the King following the recent resignation of another royal appointee, Pung Peng Cheng.

Prior to his appointment Say Bory was a vocal critic of the council, which he had branded illegal. His main gripe has been against several members of the council who he believed did not have the required qualifications for the post. But on his appointment, Say Bory vowed to address his concerns about the council as a member of the council, rather than as an outsider.

Two Americans and four Thais have been arrested in Cambodian waters near Koh Kong transporting more than three tons of marijuana, anti-drug and provincial police confirmed Thursday.

Tune into state television and the radio these days, and you’re bound to hear it: Cambodia’s latest hit song and video, “Let’s Go to Vote” by the National Election Committee.

The president of the Khmer Farmer’s Party, stripped of his position due to mismanagement of party funds earlier this week, reconciled with his party members, the party officials confirmed Thursday.

Var Chhuok, the former first vice president, said Wednesday that he took the helm of the CPP-aligned, anti-royalist party after a Tuesday meeting that saw the ous­ter of party president Pon Pisith.

But Thursday, he confirmed that all was well with the party.

“Now we have fixed the problem. We will all work to enhance the party and strengthen the party,” Var Chhuok said.

Var Chhuok had alleged that Pon Pisith had taken party mon­ey and used it for personal reasons.

Another party member, Uk Hai Seila, alleged that the CPP had on June 4 given Pon Pisith $5,000 for the upcoming July elections, but the money had never been de­posited in the Farmer’s Party’s account.

Pon Pisith had confessed his guilt at the meeting and claimed that his memory was getting poor, Var Chhuok said Wednes­day.

After the confession, the members, who numbered in the hundreds according to the two party members, voted Pon Pisith out of the post.

“The problem is solved since those who attempted to remove me have come back. They cannot continue without my leadership, they told me,” Pon Pisith said Thurs­day.

He de­clined to an­swer questions about the party’s fi­nances. However, he said the party’s top officials were not in the office more than once or twice a month because there was no money to pay them.

The misunderstanding grew because he had to make all the decisions on his own, Pon Pisith said.

The Khmer Farmer’s Party ran in the 1993 elections after being formed in 1988, but failed to win any seats.

The party is running in 17 constituencies in the upcoming election.

China on Wednesday donated 27 jeeps to the National Election Committee, with the intention of improving transportation for election staff in the provinces.

A political power struggle turned violent last July 5 and 6, wrecking the lives of dozens and impeding the nation’s redevelopment. Today, The Cam­bodia Daily begins to re­view the events of that bloody weekend and look at some of the individuals affected by it.

Running for cover to escape a bullet-sprayed field, Suon Mom and her four children crammed into a small bunker with 15 people under her neighbor’s house. It was Saturday morning, July 5.

The UN human rights office has released a report highly critical of the campaign atmosphere, alleging local government authorities have largely intimidated op­position parties into a “virtually non-existent” grassroots presence, particularly in the countryside.

Her Niece Dead and Son Wounded, Thoughts of July 5 Make Woman ‘Want to Cry’

Sitha’s family was minutes, maybe only seconds from successfully fleeing the fighting last July near Olympic Stadium.

The Phnom Penh Players’ latest production, Noises Off, opens on the stage of an apparently innocuous, if shambolic, small-town England amateur dramatics production. It seems straightforward enough.

The police chief of Kandal province said Wednesday that his preliminary investigation on the death of a Funcinpec activist indicated suicide, while a UN statement released the same day called the case a “killing.”

Opposition candidate Sam Rainsy says he has won the support of a former CPP Interior Ministry secretary of state, and claims more CPP officials soon will join him.

Court officials are investigating military policemen whose alleged bullying of the Phnom Penh judiciary and beating of suspects this month outraged Justice Minister Chem Snguon and prompted Saturday’s removal of a senior commander.