(14 Sep 1998) English/Nat
Riot police in Cambodia beat and arrested opposition supporters on Monday, in a crackdown against the second week of protests calling for the ouster of strongman Hun Sen.
The protestors believe Hun Sen won the country's July 26th polls by fraud and want him to step down.
Four people have died so far in the unrest, but opposition leader, Prince Norodom Ranariddh on Monday announced an unexpected agreement for new talks that could end Cambodia's political crisis.
The march in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh on Monday had started peacefully.
Two-hundred opposition activists gathered outside the U-S Embassy and home of opposition leader Prince Norodom Ranariddh, then set out on foot and motorcycles for their daily protest.
Their ranks swelled to 15-hundred, but police were well prepared.
Hundreds of officers in riot gear were deployed on several streets, bottling up the protesters, who quickly scattered.
About 50 protestors were grabbed and beaten, but unlike previous days the police did not immediately resort to gunfire.
Ten were loaded on to trucks and taken to the police station.
Police also arrested any protesters they found trying to regroup.
The continuing unrest comes only 10 days before the National Assembly that resulted from disputed elections on July 26th meets for the first time.
The opposition threatens to deny Hun Sen the two-thirds majority needed to form a government, meaning Cambodia could have no legal ruler.
Opposition leaders, Prince Norodom Ranariddh and Sam Rainsy say Hun Sen won the elections by fraud.
A tense standoff also started on Monday when a United Nations vehicle trying to take a badly beaten man to a hospital was blocked for 40 minutes by police trucks.
A deal was finally struck to take him to the Interior Ministry.
The U-N has rescued many people, including Buddhist monks, from beatings over the past several days.
Six motorcycles left behind in the panic were loaded onto trucks.
Human-rights workers confirmed that a total of 17 people had been arrested.
At least four people have been confirmed killed in the unrest and scores injured.
Hun Sen cracked down on what had been weeks of relatively peaceful protest on September 7th, after a grenade attack on his home.
He was not there at the time and no one was hurt.
Opposition leaders deny Hun Sen's charges that they were behind it and accuse him of staging the incident as a pretext to the crackdown.
Ranariddh said opposition supporters were being targeted by police.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"The peaceful demonstration had always been attacked by the police. And the police protects, on the contrary, those who support the CPP (Cambodian People's Party) and the government. I think it is completely unfair."
SUPER CAPTION: Prince Norodom Ranariddh, Opposition leader
But the opposition leader later announced new talks that could end the country's political crisis.
Ranariddh told reporters progress had been made in talks with Thailand's deputy foreign minister, who is on a mediation mission.
He (Ranariddh) said Cambodia's three main parties had agreed to a summit presided over by King Norodom Sihanouk.
The Thai deputy foreign minister, Sukhumbhand Paribhatra held meetings with the leader of Hun Sen's party, Chea Sim.
He also met Ranariddh and Sam Rainsy, and said progress was being made.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
SUPER CAPTION: Sukhumbhand Paribatra, Thailand's deputy foreign minister
Protests against the election have brought together people weary of Hun Sen's 13 years in power.
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