1997 clashes in Cambodia The 1997 clashes in Cambodia , also referred to as 1997 coup in Cambodia ( especially by critics of Hun Sen ) , took place in Cambodia in July and August 1997 . As a result , co - premier Hun Sen ousted the other co - premier Norodom Ranariddh . Tens of people were killed during the conflict . Background . On March 16 , 1992 , the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia ( UNTAC ) , under UNSYG Special Representative Yasushi Akashi and Lt . General John Sanderson , arrived in Cambodia to begin implementation of the UN Settlement Plan , that was concluded as a result of the Paris Peace Accords of 1991 . Free elections were held in 1993 . The Khmer Rouge or Party of Democratic Kampuchea ( PDK ) , whose forces were never actually disarmed or demobilized , barred some people from participating in the 10 - 15 percent of the country ( holding six percent of the population ) it then controlled . Altogether , over four million Cambodians ( about 90 % of eligible voters ) participated in the May 1993 elections . Prince Norodom Ranariddh ' s royalist FUNCINPEC Party was the top vote recipient with 45 . 5 % vote , followed by Hun Sen ' s Cambodian People ' s Party ( ex - communist ) and the Buddhist Liberal Democratic Party ( of Son Sann ) , respectively . Despite the victory , the FUNCINPEC had to enter into coalition talks with the Cambodian People ' s Party , led by the strong - man Hun Sen , who refused to relinquish power . After talks , Prince Ranariddh and Hun Sen became First and Second Prime Ministers , respectively , in the Royal Cambodian Government ( RCG ) . Factional fighting . In 1997 , long tensions between the two governing parties broke into factional fighting between FUNCINPEC supporters of Prince Norodom Ranariddh and of Hun Sen , resulting in a number of casualties . This event was generally treated by the press , as well as by some scholars , as a " bloody coup by strongman Hun Sen " , without much serious and neutral investigation into its causes and its development . Among the very few who attempted to look at evidence from both sides at the time were Australian ambassador to Cambodia Tony Kevin , and journalist Barry Wain , who wrote , " in circumstances that remain disputed , Mr . Hun Sen ' s military forces . . . defeated Prince Ranariddh ' s troops in Phnom Penh " . Thomas Hammarberg , the United Nations Special Representative on Human Rights in Cambodia , made it clear in his October 1997 report to the UN General Assembly : the events of July 5 – 6 were a " coup d ' état . " In retrospect , following issues have been identified as the causes of the violent events : the ' dual power ' accorded by the 1993 power sharing formula allowed the CPP to retain control over power structures ; while officially a ruling party , the FUNCINPEC concluded an alliance – National United Front – with the opposition Sam Rainsy Party ; the opposite sides accused each other of trying to integrate former Khmer Rouge fighters , who had been / were defecting . Thus , Hun Sen alleged that Ranariddh had been planning a take - over with the help of Khmer Rouge fighters , supposedly smuggled into the capital ( on the other hand , Hun Sen ' s army included a number of ex - Khmer rouge fighters as well ) . After the royalist resistance was crushed in Phnom Penh , there was indeed some joint resistance by FUCINPEC - Khmer Rouge forces in the Northern provinces , where the fighting against Hun Sen offensive lasted until August 1997 . Following the seizure of power by Hun Sen , Prince Ranariddh went into exile to Paris . Some FUNCINPEC leaders were forced to flee the country , many were shot and Ung Huot was elected as the new First Prime Minister . FUNCINPEC leaders returned to Cambodia shortly before the 1998 National Assembly elections . In those elections , the CPP received 41 % of the vote , FUNCINPEC 32 % , and the Sam Rainsy Party ( SRP ) 13 % . Many international observers judged the elections to have been seriously flawed , claiming political violence , intimidation , and lack of media access . The CPP and FUNCINPEC formed another coalition government , with CPP the senior partner .