The 'events' of July 1997, as they are euphemistically known in Cambodia, were preceded by a lengthy courting period in which both Funcinpec and the CPP attempted to win the trust of the remaining Khmer Rouge hardliners in northern Cambodia. Ranariddh was close to forging a deal with the jungle fighters and was keen to get it sewn up before Cambodia's accession to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), as nothing would provide a better entry fanfare than the ending of Cambodia's long civil war. In his haste, he didn't pay enough attention to detail and was outflanked and subsequently outgunned by Second Prime Minister Hun Sen. On 5 July 1997 fighting again erupted on the streets of Phnom Penh as troops loyal to the CPP clashed with those loyal to Funcinpec. The heaviest exchanges were around the airport and key government buildings, but before long the dust had settled and the CPP once again controlled Cambodia. The strongman had finally flexed his muscles and there was no doubt as to which party commanded the most support within the military.

The international reaction was swift and decisive. Asean suspended Cambodia's imminent membership, the Cambodian seat at the UN was declared vacant and a freeze was put on all new aid money. This was to have a serious impact on the Cambodian economy over the next couple of years.

Following the coup, the remnants of Funcinpec forces on the Thai border around O Smach formed an alliance with the last of the Khmer Rouge under Ta Mok's control. The fighting may have ended, but the deaths certainly did not: several prominent Funcinpec politicians and military leaders were subjected to extrajudicial executions, and even today no-one has been brought to justice for these crimes. Many of Funcinpec's leading politicians fled abroad, while the senior generals led the resistance struggle on the ground.

As 1998 began the CPP announced an all-out offensive against its en¬emies in the north. By April it was closing in on the Khmer Rouge strongholds of Anlong Veng and Preah Vihear, and amid this heavy fighting Pol Pot evaded justice by dying a sorry death on 15 April in the Khmer Rouge's captivity. He was cremated on a pyre of burning tyres soon after; an official autopsy was never performed, which bred rumours and gossip in Phnom Penh that rumble on today. The fall of Anlong Veng in April was followed by the fall of Preah Vihear in May; and the big three, Ta Mok, Khieu Samphan and Nuon Chea, were forced to flee into tha jungle near the Thai border with their remaining troops.