Wife defects

KAMPOT - The wife of Rin, a Khmer Rouge leader whose forces are holding three Westerners hostage, had defected to the government, raising hopes that her husband would follow with as many as 100 rebels, Cambodian police said yesterday. Rin is second-in-command under General Paet, whose forces took the Westerners, including Mark Slater of Britain, hostage in July. Reuter