Red train bandit felled by bolt from blue

[quaoar]

Just goes to show that God really is not on the side of the terrorists.

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/

By Luke Hunt

Tea Sarim, the Khmer Rouge commander who led the attack on a train that resulted in the kidnapping and executions of three western backpackers in July 1994, has died after being struck by a bolt of lightning, relatives and friends said.

Tet Nuon, a former Khmer Rouge soldier and commune chief in Chamkar Bei, Kampot Province, said Sarim died in mid-May while visiting a neighbor when the house was hit by lightning. "He was sitting inside the house when the lightning hit," he said.

Three backpackers, Australian David Wilson, Briton Mark Slater and Frenchman Jean-Michel Braquet were abducted during the attack in Kampot about 150 kilometers south of Phnom Penh.

They were shot in the head three months later on the orders of Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot following a botched attempt to meet a $50,000 ransom demand.

Two former Khmer Rouge leaders - Sam Bith and Nuon Paet - are currently serving life sentences for their role in the executions. A third Chhouk Rin, faces jail but is currently free pending an appeal.