28 nov 1998

CAMBODIA'S Prince Norodom Ranariddh is set to retrieve millions of dollars worth of stolen assets after his decision to join a new coalition with Hun Sen ­ the man who deposed him just 17 months ago.

But hundreds of people whose homes were destroyed in fierce fighting when the prince was ousted in July last year remain living in squalor because promised compensation has failed to materialise.

"I've heard the prince will get his property back but what about me?" asked 49-year-old Uy Saroeurn, who said her family had lost their home in the fighting.

"I may be just a small person but I also have a right to replace the things which were destroyed in a fight between our leaders."

Senior officials of Prince Ranariddh's Funcinpec party said the question of stolen assets ­ and the promise of their return ­ had been an important factor in negotiations that led the prince to agree to serve in a new administration led by Mr Hun Sen.

"Stolen property which belongs to any individual (will) be returned to its rightful owner, this is the rule of law," said Funcinpec spokesman May Sam Oeun.

Prince Ranariddh's Phnom Penh villa ­ a property valued around $US1.5 million ($2.4 million) ­ was plundered by soldiers loyal to Mr Hun Sen after royalist forces were routed from the capital in July last year. The luxurious home was subsequently handed over to the prince's former military adviser, general Tom Sambol, reportedly as a reward from Mr Hun Sen for abandoning his former boss.

The building is being refurbished in anticipation of the prince again taking up residence.

Reliable independent sources said the prince also would retrieve a $US1 million ($1.6 million) helicopter that had been impounded in Singapore, while an expensive legal battle attempted to establish whether Prince Ranariddh or Mr Hun Sen's administration should meet the costs of a major refit.

But the whereabouts of Prince Ranariddh's BMW sedan remain a mystery. It was "liberated" by Mr Hun Sen's troops after the former first prime minister fled into exile. The vehicle was reportedly last sighted being driven around the provincial capital of Kompong Cham by Mr Hun Sen's nephew, Hun Tau.

But Mr Sam Oeun and several other senior Funcinpec figures declined to comment on a local newspaper report, which alleged the prince had received $US40 million from Mr Hun Sen before the talks that ended the country's post-election political deadlock.