Cambodia coup rebels jailed

Eight people died in the gun battle last November

A Cambodian court has sentenced 26 men to prison terms of up to 15 years for their part in a failed coup attempt last November.

Eight people were killed and 14 injured when the group of armed rebels known as the Cambodian Freedom Fighters (CFF) attacked government buildings in Phnom Penh.

The men sentenced on Monday were mostly farmers and labourers hired to take part.

Most of the ringleaders were sentenced in June for their role in the attempt to oust Prime Minister Hun Sen.

There was tight security outside the court on Monday with hundreds of heavily armed soldiers and police with Alsatian dogs.

Crushed

Three men were sentenced to 15 years in jail, seven received 10 years, and another 16 were given lesser sentences. The court dropped charges against two other suspects.

The gun battle lasted one hour

Defence lawyers said they were considering an appeal.

"The court did not fulfil the legal procedures correctly," said Dy Borima who acted for eight of the accused. "I will consider taking an appeal to the upper court."

The group's leader, who is based in the US, has said the men were members of the CFF.

Little was known about the group before it launched its abortive raid on the Defence Ministry last year.

Its leader, Chhun Yasith, is a 44-year-old accountant in Long Beach, California, whose family fled to the US in 1982.

He is one of hundreds of exiles from Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos who continue to campaign from the US against communism in their countries of origin.

Mr Yasith said he had hoped his group's attack on the Cambodian capital would start a popular uprising against the government of Hun Sen.

But it got little popular support and was easily suppressed by the Cambodian army, which appeared to have advance knowledge of the raid.

Among the eight people killed, seven were from the rebel ranks.