Friday, Jul 04, 2003
Buddhist funeral for Pol Pot's wife
PAILIN (Cambodia): The once-powerful wife of the Khmer Rouge leader, Pol Pot, was cremated on Thursday amid chanting by Buddhist monks and religious rituals that the ultra-communist revolutionaries had tried to eradicate during their reign of terror. Khieu Ponnary, the first wife of Pol Pot, died on Tuesday at age 83 in the former Khmer Rouge stronghold of Pailin in northwestern Cambodia. She struggled with mental illness for more than two decades, and more recently suffered from cancer. The cremation, attended by more than 500 monks and mourners. took place at a Buddhist temple. Among those who attended was Ieng Sary, who served as the Khmer Rouge's Foreign Minister during the radical communist group's 1975-79 rule. Ieng Sary, who is in his 70s, is accused of many crimes against humanity. Also in attendance were Khieu Samphan, once nominal head of the group, and Pol Pot's former deputy, Nuon Chea. — AP
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