He said troops assigned to polling booths must comply with the no gun order while the police and military elsewhere must also ensure security for voters, political activists, local and international election monitors.

"Your duty will not be over until after the elections and your duty will have to be fulfilled until the new government is formed," he said.

He told reporters large political rallies were expected in the capital on Friday, the last day of official election campaigning.

"They will rally in the parks, the gardens and on the streets. Your job is to provide safe protection for all of them because police and military officials are neutral forces, and a tool of the government," he said.

But Hok Lundy also warned that in a post-electoral environment his men would be armed with police dogs, tear gas and electric batons which would be used if political activists protested the result in a violent fashion.

"This is not a message to threaten political parties but we have to be prepared. If the result comes out and some parties make violent demonstrations against the result then this intervention will be used," the chief of police said.

He said violence in Phnom Penh had shown a notable decline when compared with previous election campaigns, adding six people had been killed between June 26 and July 21 but none were politically motivated.

However, Hok Lundy declined to offer comparable statistics from national elections held in 1998 or 1993, or from local district polls held in February last year.

The warnings were issued as the opposition Sam Rainsy Party claimed one of its activists was murdered late Monday in the north west town of Pailin. The SRP also offered a reward of 10,000 dollars to anyone providing information on electoral fraud.

SRP spokesman Ung Bun Ang said activist Thep Vibol, 25, was killed with an axe after leaving home for a nearby village.

"He was found dead this morning with a lot of injuries caused by an axe," he said.

SRP chief Sam Rainsy also announced the reward for information on electoral fraud, saying if anyone came forward with such information, "we will give them 10,000 US dollars."

Country-wide there have been eight killings during the campaign which the government and election monitors agree were suspected political murders while several other killings have been cited for further investigations.

However, election monitors say this campaign has been the most peaceful since Cambodia began its transition to a democracy with the end of Vietnamese occupation in 1989.

Prime Minister Hun Sen and his Cambodian People's Party remain hot favourite to win the poll.

WAR.WIRE