Rumors Say Pol Pot Sick, May Have Died

Unconfirmed reports circulated in Cambodia on Thursday that the Khmer Rouge leader, Pol Pot, was seriously ill and perhaps had died in his jungle hideout near the border of Thailand.

The architect of a four-year regime of terror in the late 1970s, Pol Pot has continued to lead his rebel army since he was driven from power in early 1979 by a Vietnamese invasion.

Both rebel defectors and King Norodom Sihanouk have recently reported that Pol Pot, who is believed to be 68, was seriously ill, possibly with malaria.

But past reports of his illness or death have proven untrue, and most Cambodia experts remained cautious on Thursday.

Government officials in both Cambodia and Thailand said they could not confirm Thursday’s reports that he may have died. Western diplomats said they believed that he was terminally ill but also had no confirmation of a death.