Five corpses covered with white cloth were accumulated side by side in the middle of a temple inside Phnom Penh, Cambodia on July 7, 1997. Five corpses of Cambodian citizens were scattered on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. Uniformed police officers surrounded the corpses; the five bodies were murdered in a car that had countless bullet holes left in it. A Lanalitha identity card was left in the wallets of the bodies. They were driving out of Phnom Penh to escape capture by Hun Sen's troops when they were spotted by Hun Sen's forces, shot and killed.
On July 5, 1997, Hun Sen's troops swept into Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, and swept through the city. While Cambodian citizens were fleeing the city, the army soldiers opened fire in a deadly rage. The army indiscriminately shelled and shot at the city, including civilians, in order to clear out the Ranaritists. On July 7, Hun Sen's forces completely overran the capital Phnom Penh.
The Cambodian Civil War ended with the Paris Peace Accords of October 23, 1991, which gave the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) provisional rule over Cambodia; in May 1993, UNTAC, whose special representative is Yasushi Akashi, held general elections in Cambodia. In May 1993, UNTAC, whose special representative was Yasushi Akashi, held general elections in Cambodia. The Ranaritist Hunsinpec Party, which originated from King Sihanouk, won about 45% of the vote, and the Hun Senist People's Party won 39%. The Kingdom of Cambodia was established with Ranarit as the first Prime Minister and Hun Sen as the second Prime Minister. From then on, the Lanarit-led Hunsinpec Party and the Hun Sen-led People's Party clashed with each other.
On July 5, 1997, Hun Sen's forces of the People's Party triggered a coup d'etat and armed clashes with Lanarit forces while Lanarit was on a foreign visit. The Lanaritists were defeated and Lanarit was dismissed as prime minister. The Lanalit forces continued to fight on the Thai border with the Pol Pot forces.
