By SOPHENG CHEANG
The Associated Press
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — The children of a former Khmer Rouge leader who recently left his home said Wednesday he was not fleeing a U.N.-backed genocide tribunal and believes he has nothing to fear.
Khieu Samphan, 75, the former Khmer Rouge head of state, left his home in northwestern Cambodia before dawn Tuesday in a pickup truck packed with household goods.
His departure came a day after prosecutors began collecting evidence for the long-awaited trial of the regime's ex-leaders for atrocities committed during their reign of terror in the 1970s. It was not immediately clear whether Khieu Samphan had fled to avoid prosecution.
A tribunal spokesman, Reach Sambath, declined to comment on Khieu Samphan's move.
Media speculation over his whereabouts prompted government spokesman Khieu Kanharith to accuse the media of "harassing" former Khmer Rouge leaders.
"Each citizen enjoys the right to move around and to privacy," said Khieu Kanharith. He criticized what he called a trend in the media to treat former Khmer Rouge leaders as "convicts," which "is wrong."
Family members gave conflicting accounts of where Khieu Samphan and his wife were headed.
His daughter, Khieu Rattana, declined to specify exactly where her parents had gone but said Wednesday they had arrived in Battambang province, 55 miles from their home in Pailin, a former Khmer Rouge stronghold. She said they planned to stay with a friend for two weeks.
"He's not running anywhere," Khieu Rattana said by telephone. "He has no remorse in his life, because he believes he has done everything for the nation."
Separately, the couple's son, Khieu Uddom, said his parents were visiting him in Anlong Veng, another former Khmer Rouge stronghold 190 miles north of Phnom Penh. He declined to stay how long they planned to stay.
"He is not escaping anywhere," Khieu Uddom said in a telephone interview. "He spent years carrying on a (revolutionary) struggle in the jungle and he had no fear about it, so why should he be afraid?"
Khieu Samphan has lived in Pailin since 1999, along with several other former Khmer Rouge officials.
The regime's 1975-79 rule left some 1.7 million people dead from starvation, disease, overwork and execution.
Many fear that aging Khmer Rouge leaders may die before they can stand trial.
A 2003 agreement between Cambodia and the United Nations charges the tribunal with prosecuting senior leaders of the Khmer Rouge and those most responsible for the crimes committed during its rule.
Pol Pot, the former senior leader of the Khmer Rouge, died in 1998.
The Associated Press
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — The children of a former Khmer Rouge leader who recently left his home said Wednesday he was not fleeing a U.N.-backed genocide tribunal and believes he has nothing to fear.
Khieu Samphan, 75, the former Khmer Rouge head of state, left his home in northwestern Cambodia before dawn Tuesday in a pickup truck packed with household goods.
His departure came a day after prosecutors began collecting evidence for the long-awaited trial of the regime's ex-leaders for atrocities committed during their reign of terror in the 1970s. It was not immediately clear whether Khieu Samphan had fled to avoid prosecution.
A tribunal spokesman, Reach Sambath, declined to comment on Khieu Samphan's move.
Media speculation over his whereabouts prompted government spokesman Khieu Kanharith to accuse the media of "harassing" former Khmer Rouge leaders.
"Each citizen enjoys the right to move around and to privacy," said Khieu Kanharith. He criticized what he called a trend in the media to treat former Khmer Rouge leaders as "convicts," which "is wrong."
Family members gave conflicting accounts of where Khieu Samphan and his wife were headed.
His daughter, Khieu Rattana, declined to specify exactly where her parents had gone but said Wednesday they had arrived in Battambang province, 55 miles from their home in Pailin, a former Khmer Rouge stronghold. She said they planned to stay with a friend for two weeks.
"He's not running anywhere," Khieu Rattana said by telephone. "He has no remorse in his life, because he believes he has done everything for the nation."
Separately, the couple's son, Khieu Uddom, said his parents were visiting him in Anlong Veng, another former Khmer Rouge stronghold 190 miles north of Phnom Penh. He declined to stay how long they planned to stay.
"He is not escaping anywhere," Khieu Uddom said in a telephone interview. "He spent years carrying on a (revolutionary) struggle in the jungle and he had no fear about it, so why should he be afraid?"
Khieu Samphan has lived in Pailin since 1999, along with several other former Khmer Rouge officials.
The regime's 1975-79 rule left some 1.7 million people dead from starvation, disease, overwork and execution.
Many fear that aging Khmer Rouge leaders may die before they can stand trial.
A 2003 agreement between Cambodia and the United Nations charges the tribunal with prosecuting senior leaders of the Khmer Rouge and those most responsible for the crimes committed during its rule.
Pol Pot, the former senior leader of the Khmer Rouge, died in 1998.
1 comment:
Khiev Saphan, you were highly educated but you obeyed Pol Pot's commands like a dog. I hope you are living in the burning hell.
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