Cambodian royalist creates own army

Cambodian royalist creates own army

PHNOM PENH (AFP): A Cambodian two-star general belonging to Prince Norodom Ranariddh's royalist FUNCINPEC party has been arrested and charged with creating an illegal armed force, officials said on Thursday.

General Sena Sak -- who fought with FUNCINPEC troops in 1997 factional violence during which Prime Minister Hun Sen of the Cambodian People's Party ousted co-premier Prince Ranariddh -- was arrested on Wednesday.

If convicted Sak faces between three and 15 years in jail. The evidence against the general, who works in the ministry of defense's strategy research department, included the issue of an unspecified number of false military ID cards.

The issue of false ID cards giving ordinary civilians military ranks, enabling them to collect higher salaries and military benefits, is not new in Cambodia.