Their arrival in Phnom Penh, where the royalist party is in disarray, will likely further erode Ranariddh's position.

CNN: Rebuilding A Country?

In the faction-ridden royalist party, many fear that Sam Rainsy is a bigger threat than Hun Sen to the survival of a declining Funcinpec.

ECONOMIST: A non-existent coalition and an invisible prince

He defied the result, bullied his way into partnership with the winner, Prince Norodom Ranariddh, the leader of the royalist party, and set about ridding himself of opposition.

ECONOMIST: Hun Sen means to stay in power, by hook or by crook

It had faced resistance from soldiers loyal to Prince Norodom Ranariddh, head of the royalist party, after the prince son of the elderly King Sihanouk was deposed last year as joint prime minister.

ECONOMIST: Cambodia: That��s better | The

During a strategy session with exiled members of his royalist party in Bangkok, Thailand, participants said, the prince agreed to peace proposals endorsed by his father, King Norodom Sihanouk, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

CNN: Hun Sen warns against international interference

Prince Norodom Ranariddh, head of the royalist Funcinpec party, also made an appearance in Kompong Cham.

CNN: A VOTE FOR PEACE

Bun-Ly's slaying heightened tensions in a capital already troubled by a quarrel between Ranariddh's royalist FUNCINPEC party and Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party.

CNN: An editor's murder highlights political tensions

"You are touching not just a film star here, but the whole culture of Cambodia, " says a senior member of the royalist Funcinpec party.

CNN: A DEADLY SOAP OPERA

Ranariddh's royalist Funcinpec party can count on significant grassroots support and could be the most potent rival to the CPP, but Hun Sen's "coup" last July has left it devastated.

CNN: POWER PLAY