Tuesday, July 25, 2006

US Ambassador calls for Cambodia to speed up Khmer Rouge tribunals

25/07/2006
Australian Broadcasting Corporation


The United States ambassador to Cambodia says a United Nations backed tribunal must speed up efforts to try surviving Khmer Rouge leaders, following the death of former leader Ta Mok.

Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli says death is stealing justice from Cambodians.

Mr Mussomeli addressed hundreds of villagers who were brought to the capital Phnom Penh to tour sites of Khmer Rouge atrocities.

The program is part of ongoing efforts to educate Cambodians about the Khmer Rouge tribunal which has commenced, 27 years after the regime came to power.

Cambodian and foreign judges have been tasked with prosecuting former regime leaders, with the first trials expected in mid-2007.

The death of Ta Mok, a former military commander who briefly led the Khmer Rouge in the late 1990s, has highlighted concerns that the regime's elderly bosses could die before facing court.

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