THE top surviving commanders of the 1970s Khmer Rouge regime masterminded one of the “worst horrors” of the 20th century, creating a living nightmare by killing or enslaving millions of Cambodians, a UN-backed war crimes trial has heard.

Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihanouk declared today that his son, Prince Norodom Sihamoni, is ready to accept the crown to resolve a political crisis triggered last week when the 81-year-old monarch announced he would abdicate.