Cambodian killer of 3 tourists captured

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- Cambodian authorities have captured a former Khmer Rouge commander who was convicted of the 1994 murders of three Western tourists.

Officials said that Chhouk Rin, who had been at large for nearly a year, was detained in the north of the country, the BBC reported Wednesday.

In September 2002 he was sentenced to life in prison for his involvement in the abduction and killing of three backpackers from Britain, Australia and France, but he was allowed to remain free while his two appeals were being considered.

The three tourists were ambushed on a train traveling from the capital, Phnom Penh, to the seaside resort of Sihanoukville. They were killed when ransom negotiations with the government failed. Thirteen Cambodians also died.

At the time of the kidnapping, Chhouk Rin, now 51, was a midlevel Khmer Rouge commander, although he had changed over to the government side by the time the tourists' bodies were discovered.

Two senior Khmer Rouge commanders are already serving life sentences for their roles in the deaths.