Pol Pot's widow emerges from hideout to tell of 'good husband'

To the world he may have been known as Pol Pot - but to his second wife Mia Som, he was Saloth Sar, a 'good husband'.

Mia Som, 40, yesterday led their daughter Set-set by the arm from years of hiding to the Thai border to speak of her affection for the man she met in 1985 - six years after the collapse of his notorious genocidal rule.

'I am very sad that he has died and I don't know what my future will bring,' she said after several minutes of silence as she gingerly blinked at flashing cameras. Artillery rounds punched into nearby hills.

'He was a good husband to me and a good father. For my future, I will leave it up to the elders of the Khmer Rouge.' Slowly warming to the attention, her eyes flashed anger, sadness and warmth. She gently gripped Set-set's arm as the 14-year-old silently stared out behind lank bangs that masked the round face similar to her father's.

At times, the girl looked only at the ground, nervously pinching her lips and kicking the dust.

At one point, the press pack became too much and Mia Som tried to return to the Khmer Rouge border gate 50 metres away. She was talked into staying by her apparent minder and rebel spokesman, Nuon Nou, who said she should soon be returned to live with the 'Khmer people'.

She explained that Pol Pot's last days were 'completely normal'. 'He was happy,' she said, adding it was only on his last day - Wednesday - that he fell ill with stomach cramps and a severe headache.