Sam Bith
Encyclopedia
Sam Bith was a Cambodia
n guerilla commander, convicted murderer for Khmer Rouge
, and former deputy to its military head Ta Mok
.
On July 26, 1994, Bith and his fleet of rebels ambushed a train carrying the three backpackers — Australian David Wilson, Briton Mark Slater and Frenchman Jean-Michel Braquet, with at least ten Cambodians being killed in the attack itself. The group held the three foreigners and several Cambodians under "miserable conditions" at Vine Mountain rebel base in the southern Cambodian province of Kampot. They were killed three months after the attack when government-backed negotiations for their release and the $150,000 ransom failed.
Fellow rebel Nuon Paet was sentenced to life in prison for his role in it in June 1999. In his trial, he testified against Bith, claiming that Bith, his superior officer, ordered them killed. By the time the manhunt began that same year Bith was a general in the Royal Cambodian Army
after defecting from the Khmer Rouge in 1996.
Bith was found following the publication in a Thai newspaper of reports of his lavish home in Pailin
in western Cambodia. He was charged with kidnapping, conspiring in premeditated murder, terrorism and robbery in December 2002 and was sentenced to life in prison. Bith pleaded innocent to those charges, claiming in court he had already been relieved of his position as a regional commander by Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot
several weeks before the train ambush. He had been suffering from health problems the day before his arrest and two doctors had been assigned to look over him.
Bith died on February 15, 2008, aged 74. While no official cause of death has been given, his wife Khem Ri said he had been "very sick" with diabetes and high blood pressure and had been taken to Calmette Hospital ten days beforehand.
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
n guerilla commander, convicted murderer for Khmer Rouge
Khmer Rouge
The Khmer Rouge literally translated as Red Cambodians was the name given to the followers of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, who were the ruling party in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, led by Pol Pot, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Son Sen and Khieu Samphan...
, and former deputy to its military head Ta Mok
Ta Mok
Ta Mok , which means "Grandfather Mok" in Khmer, was the nom de guerre of Chhit Choeun , a senior figure in the leadership of the Khmer Rouge...
.
On July 26, 1994, Bith and his fleet of rebels ambushed a train carrying the three backpackers — Australian David Wilson, Briton Mark Slater and Frenchman Jean-Michel Braquet, with at least ten Cambodians being killed in the attack itself. The group held the three foreigners and several Cambodians under "miserable conditions" at Vine Mountain rebel base in the southern Cambodian province of Kampot. They were killed three months after the attack when government-backed negotiations for their release and the $150,000 ransom failed.
Fellow rebel Nuon Paet was sentenced to life in prison for his role in it in June 1999. In his trial, he testified against Bith, claiming that Bith, his superior officer, ordered them killed. By the time the manhunt began that same year Bith was a general in the Royal Cambodian Army
Royal Cambodian Army
The Royal Cambodian Army is a part of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces. It has ground forces which numbered about 175,000 divided into eleven divisions of infantry, with integrated armour and artillery support...
after defecting from the Khmer Rouge in 1996.
Bith was found following the publication in a Thai newspaper of reports of his lavish home in Pailin
Pailin
Pailin is a province at the northern edge of the Cardamom Mountains, in the west of Cambodia near the border of Thailand. This province is surrounded by Battambang Province, and was officially carved out of Battambang to become a separate administrative division after the surrender of the Ieng...
in western Cambodia. He was charged with kidnapping, conspiring in premeditated murder, terrorism and robbery in December 2002 and was sentenced to life in prison. Bith pleaded innocent to those charges, claiming in court he had already been relieved of his position as a regional commander by Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot
Pol Pot
Saloth Sar , better known as Pol Pot, , was a Cambodian Maoist revolutionary who led the Khmer Rouge from 1963 until his death in 1998. From 1976 to 1979, he served as the Prime Minister of Democratic Kampuchea....
several weeks before the train ambush. He had been suffering from health problems the day before his arrest and two doctors had been assigned to look over him.
Bith died on February 15, 2008, aged 74. While no official cause of death has been given, his wife Khem Ri said he had been "very sick" with diabetes and high blood pressure and had been taken to Calmette Hospital ten days beforehand.