Pol Pot died unceremoniously in a jungle shack on April 15, 1998, and was burned like trash, nearly a year after Hun Sen had quite dramatically taken over Cambodia's government. At first he was an international pariah, but the July 1998 elections "legitimized" Hun Sen's coup and the former KR turncoat has since turned his attention to getting back the foreign aid that accounts for half of the Cambodian budget-and to dealing with loud calls from the international community to bring former high-ranking Khmer Rouge cadres to justice in a court with John Grisham credentials. Of course, this is at the risk of reigniting the revolutionary flame in Pailin, where most of Pol Pot's henchmen are living freely and shooting craps at the Riviera Casino. But rifles could well replace the dice should the prime minister fire off anything more than sound bites. At the moment, Cambodia may be politically safer than a year ago, but don't put this theory to test on the streets. During a two-week period in October 1998, there were more than 15 armed robberies of foreigners in Phnom Penh.
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