Anniversary of Cambodia upheaval

By Guy DeLauney
BBC News, Phnom Penh

Hun Sen has dominated Cambodian politics for two decades

A bloody battle between supporters of the two main figures in Cambodian politics for leadership of the country is marking its 10th anniversary.

Scores of people died in three days of fighting, and the power-sharing deal between co-prime ministers Hun Sen and Prince Norodom Ranariddh was shattered.

The effects of those days are still being felt. Hun Sen's victory now appears more complete than ever.

Over the past decade, he has led a succession of coalition governments.

But now his party, the CPP, is in total control of the National Assembly.

And his old adversary, Prince Ranariddh, is in self-imposed exile in France.

Improving economy

The anniversary of the events of July 1997 is not officially being marked.

But the extravagant new National Assembly building is opening on the same day the fighting ended 10 years ago. It seems more than a coincidence.

Prince Ranariddh is currently in Europe

Critics say the anniversary is a reminder of what Cambodia has lost.

Democracy was only restored in 1993, after decades of civil war.

But since the factional fighting there has been no serious challenge to the CPP's dominance.

Opposition leaders have occasionally found themselves on the receiving end of legal action - and even jail sentences.

Prince Ranariddh currently faces 18 months in prison if he returns to Cambodia.

But the government points out that the country is enjoying rapid growth and increasing prosperity, and independent monitors described this year's local elections as "free and fair".