Cambodia Won’t Try Rebel Leaders

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Prime Minister Hun Sen said Monday that two leaders of the murderous Khmer Rouge will be welcomed with “flowers . . . not a bullet,” defying calls that they be brought to justice.

Khieu Samphan, official leader of the revolutionary group, and political chief Nuon Chea will visit Phnom Penh with families today, Hun Sen said. Military officials promised tight security.

They will not be forced to appear either in an international tribunal or a Cambodian court, he said.

“If we bring them to trial, it will not benefit the nation; it will only mean a return to civil war,” Hun Sen said. “We should dig a hole and bury the past and look toward the future.”