Chhouk Rin, the ex-Khmer Rouge commander serving time in prison for the murder of three Western backpackers, has appealed to NGOs for life-saving medicine.
His lawyer and family say he has AIDS, among other diseases, and in a hand-written letter, Chhouk Rin says he will die without medication.
Chhouk Rin was in charge of band of Khmer Rouge that ambushed a train in Kampot province in 1994, taking hostage among others the backpackers, who were later executed.
Chhouk Rin's wife, Yem Sao said she visited her husband last week and confirmed his health was failing.
"I would like for the organizations that know about his condition to give him medicine," she said. "He is [in prison], afflicted with illnesses, and I would like for him to get medicine so he can live like everybody else."