By Douglas Gillison
THE CAMBODIA DAILY
"We haven't done a good job of telling people there is a
mountain of evidence and about the way we get through it."
—Robert Petit, Tribunal Co-Prosecutor
The tribunal established to try former Khmer Rouge leaders is not doing enough to explain itself to the Cambodian public, tribunal officials said Wednesday.
Poor funding for outreach to the public and an insufficient effort on the part of tribunal staff to explain the long-awaited court process are putting the tribunals' credibility in danger, they said.
"We're going to fail if we don't have the proper outreach program," co-prosecutor Robert Petit said in an interview.
"What I’ve been worried about is the lack of time and opportunities," he said, adding that the budget for outreach was also a concern. "I don’t think it’s adequate."
Co-Investigating Judge Marcel Lemonde agreed.
"If we are misunderstood, if the general public doesn’t understand our mission, we will fail," he said, adding that tribunal staff have recently discussed holding monthly news briefings to explain tribunal operations better, though no date has yet been set for the first such meeting.
At a September public forum on the Khmer Rouge tribunal organized by the Center for Social Development in Kratie province, Petit said he was confronted by basic questions the tribunal must strive to answer for all of Cambodia.
"The majority of people wanted an explanation of why these things happened. Why did they kill? Why did they keep killing after they had the power?" Petit said of the forum.
"We haven’t done a good job of telling people there is a mountain of evidence and about the way we get through it," he said.
The fact that the tribunal will be about criminal accountability and not financial retribution has not been sufficiently explained to the public, and members of the public do not understand how tribunal organs such as the offices of the co-prosecutors, the co-investigating judges and the Supreme Court Chamber function, he added.
Helen Jarvis, chief of public affairs for the tribunal, said the tribunal would welcome additional funds for outreach but her office was doing what it could.
"We've done what we can do. It’s for others to decide," she said. "I think compared to what was done in other tribunals, we're well ahead," she added.
In addition to the $50,000 currently budgeted this year for outreach in the form of print and radio announcements, the tribunal recently received close to $72,000 in extra-budgetary funding from Norway and Australia. This will pay for outreach visits to the provinces as well as producing the current edition of the tribunal's introductory pamphlet, Jarvis said.
Tribunal representatives have made recent visits to pubic events in Sihanoukville, as well as Kratie and Kampot provinces, she added.
Youk Chhang, director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia, said the work of explaining how the tribunal functions is not for the tribunal's investigators and judges but for the office of pubic affairs.
"This is a crucial time," he warned. "If you find it difficult to understand [the tribunal process], imagine the villager," he said, adding that the tribunal's outreach could be improved, even without more funding.
Weekly meetings with members of the public and simple publications explaining the court’s rules, such as the tribunal’s introductory pamphlet, could help narrow the gap between the public's expectations and the realty of the tribunals work, he said.
Poor funding for outreach to the public and an insufficient effort on the part of tribunal staff to explain the long-awaited court process are putting the tribunals' credibility in danger, they said.
"We're going to fail if we don't have the proper outreach program," co-prosecutor Robert Petit said in an interview.
"What I’ve been worried about is the lack of time and opportunities," he said, adding that the budget for outreach was also a concern. "I don’t think it’s adequate."
Co-Investigating Judge Marcel Lemonde agreed.
"If we are misunderstood, if the general public doesn’t understand our mission, we will fail," he said, adding that tribunal staff have recently discussed holding monthly news briefings to explain tribunal operations better, though no date has yet been set for the first such meeting.
At a September public forum on the Khmer Rouge tribunal organized by the Center for Social Development in Kratie province, Petit said he was confronted by basic questions the tribunal must strive to answer for all of Cambodia.
"The majority of people wanted an explanation of why these things happened. Why did they kill? Why did they keep killing after they had the power?" Petit said of the forum.
"We haven’t done a good job of telling people there is a mountain of evidence and about the way we get through it," he said.
The fact that the tribunal will be about criminal accountability and not financial retribution has not been sufficiently explained to the public, and members of the public do not understand how tribunal organs such as the offices of the co-prosecutors, the co-investigating judges and the Supreme Court Chamber function, he added.
Helen Jarvis, chief of public affairs for the tribunal, said the tribunal would welcome additional funds for outreach but her office was doing what it could.
"We've done what we can do. It’s for others to decide," she said. "I think compared to what was done in other tribunals, we're well ahead," she added.
In addition to the $50,000 currently budgeted this year for outreach in the form of print and radio announcements, the tribunal recently received close to $72,000 in extra-budgetary funding from Norway and Australia. This will pay for outreach visits to the provinces as well as producing the current edition of the tribunal's introductory pamphlet, Jarvis said.
Tribunal representatives have made recent visits to pubic events in Sihanoukville, as well as Kratie and Kampot provinces, she added.
Youk Chhang, director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia, said the work of explaining how the tribunal functions is not for the tribunal's investigators and judges but for the office of pubic affairs.
"This is a crucial time," he warned. "If you find it difficult to understand [the tribunal process], imagine the villager," he said, adding that the tribunal's outreach could be improved, even without more funding.
Weekly meetings with members of the public and simple publications explaining the court’s rules, such as the tribunal’s introductory pamphlet, could help narrow the gap between the public's expectations and the realty of the tribunals work, he said.
2 comments:
HUn sen will be assassinated by his bodyguard. That bodyguard will be considered as a hero in Cambodia...
It is coming soon...
when,or if it come true, you will be Sihanouk's main astrologer.
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