Ranariddh was Cambodia's first prime minister before being deposed by Hun Sen on July 5, 1997. The king's son and born with a silver spoon, Ranariddh-before the coup-ran the country as if he were hosting a dinner party. Although painted as the good guy during the crisis of '97, Ranariddh's hands are dirty with his courting of the Khmer Rouge. To buy votes for the 1998 elections, Ranariddh's olive branch to the KR were offers of wristwatches, money, new legs and senior positions in the Cambodian military. He struck deals with KR monsters such as Ieng Sary and Khieu Samphan. Ieng Sary's punishment for the death of 2 million Cambodians was his own little fiefdom in western Cambodia and all the pretty little gems and hardwood forests that came with it. Ranariddh is still leader of the FUNCINPEC party and holds the position of speaker of the general assembly.
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