Ousted Cambodian Stripped of Immunity

Legislators here voted today to strip Prime Minister Prince Norodom Ranariddh of his legislative immunity, clearing the way for a criminal prosecution of the co-premier ousted in last month’s coup.

In a vote that displayed coup leader Hun Sen’s total control over the once fractious and independent National Assembly, all but one of the 99 representatives present approved the motion.

The vote to lift Ranariddh’s immunity was the first of two aimed at validating Hun Sen’s violent takeover and applying a veneer of democracy to what has essentially become one-man rule.

Legislators also voted to formally replace Ranariddh with Foreign Minister Ung Huot, a member of the prince’s political party. Ung Huot was handpicked by Hun Sen to replace Ranariddh, so his election was assured.

The National Assembly has 120 members, but many legislators loyal to Ranariddh fled the country in the wake of Hun Sen’s bloody July 5 coup.

Scores of Ranariddh’s supporters, and members of their families, were executed in a nationwide purge of opponents carried out by Hun Sen’s followers in the days after the takeover.

Hun Sen has vowed to put Ranariddh on trial for allegedly reviving the genocidal Khmer Rouge and illegally bringing arms and guerrillas into the capital. Ranariddh fled Cambodia shortly before the coup and is now in exile.

Journalists and other observers were barred from the votes.

The Assn. of Southeast Asian Nations, which postponed Cambodia’s entry into the regional bloc last month because of the coup, said it still recognizes Ranariddh as first prime minister because he was elected to the post. Several Western nations also have said they will refuse to recognize Ung Huot as first prime minister.