Khmer Rouge trio get 20 years for killing Briton

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - A Cambodian court sentenced three former Khmer Rouge soldiers to 20 years in jail on Tuesday for the murder of British de-miner Christopher Howes and his translator in 1996. The trio told the court last week they had received orders directly from Khmer Rouge "Brother Number One" Pol Pot to kill Howes due to Britain's support for the Phnom Penh government that came to power after U.N.-backed elections in 1993. Howes was working for Mines Advisory Group (MAG), a British-based charity, when he and his Cambodian interpreter were captured near the northwestern town of Siem Reap before being taken to the Khmer Rouge stronghold of Anlong Veng along the Thai border. He was shot in the head in March 1996 after receiving a final... [read full story]