The Strongman Does Not Intend To Try the Former Khmer Rouge Leaders while Beijing's Aid Is Attacking the Trial Court
By Hang Oddam
Moneakseka Khmer
Translated from Khmer
Strongman Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge soldier, showed his intent not to let the trial of the former Khmer Rouge leaders take place at this final juncture when he declared that he did not want to see national unification that has been achieved go astray again.
A source said that he had never heard Hun Sen say he wanted to push the Khmer Rouge Trial Court [KRTC] to proceed in order to get justice for Cambodians who were victims of the Khmer Rouge regime as soon as possible. On the contrary, Hun Sen has been heard talking only with indifference about this topic, saying, "The Khmer Rouge issue ended long ago. It has ended since the senior Khmer Rouge leaders went to [my] house and [we] had a dinner together in December 1998."
Strongman Hun Sen further said, "Cambodia has achieved national reconciliation, and I beg that we should not let this national reconciliation be shaken or broken again." Hun Sen made this assertion when he spoke at Anlung Veng, the last bastion of the Khmer Rouge.
Hun Sen recalled the past in these words: "This Anlung Veng region was the main position of the Khmer Rouge government. After their debacle and flight from Phnom Penh, they established their position here. However, when Khieu Samphan, Nuon Chea, Thiounn Thioeunn, and Chan Youran went to my house and we had a dinner together, it was the end."
Most circles were very sorry to hear Hun Sen talking like that. They suspected that the impasse in the KRTC and the disagreement on its internal rules, as well as the conflict with Ky Tech's Cambodian Bar Association, stemmed from Hun Sen's intention not to see the trial of these former Khmer Rouge leaders take place.
If Hun Sen really has this desire, then why did he allow the creation of the court to try the former Khmer Rouge leaders in Cambodia in the first place? Why did Hun Sen try to collect funds for this court's operations? Or was all of that just a deceptive trick played by Hun Sen's "package" government as it does not want to confront the international community?
In consequence, the souls of more than 2 million Cambodians who died under the Khmer Rouge regime will never rest in peace.
Besides, if this court is undermined by Hun Sen's "package" government this government will surely face a strong censure of the United Nations and other donor countries.
In particular, various observers have appealed to the United Nations to help the KRTC to continue moving forward and avoid being obstructed by the ambition of the Cambodian ruler named Hun Sen.
At the same time, the Cambodian leader has repeatedly reminded other people that the expenses on the efforts to try the former Khmer Rouge leaders are just a waste; this money should instead be used for Cambodia's development.
According to the plans of the international community, more than $50 million will be spent on the KRTC. So, according to Hun Sen, this money would be better spent on helping the poor in Cambodia and developing this country rather than being uselessly wasted on the KRTC.
It is probably true that spending money on this KRTC would be a futile exercise because the money would only go to those serving the court instead of finding justice for the Cambodian people who were victims under the Khmer Rouge regime. This is because the legal procedures in this KRTC and the Cambodian judges working in this court are not trustworthy. In particular, most of the Cambodian judges have very bad reputation.
Moreover, concerning the Khmer Rouge issue, some countries are also involved, such as China. Hun Sen himself used to tell a special envoy of the United Nations in charge of human rights in Cambodia that he was pressured by China regarding the negotiations on the creation of the KRTC. Now, what is interesting to most diplomats is that while the international community decided to increase funding for the KRTC, Beijing also decided to increase aid to the Cambodian government.
A Western diplomat said that the money from Beijing, including aid grants, interest-free credit, open-end credit, and consumer credit for the Cambodian government, is an encouragement to this government to use every conceivable method to delay the trial of the Khmer Rouge leaders.
All countries and groups that provide aid for Cambodia have set conditions; at least, they must audit the expenses in a bid to prevent corruption. However, in giving Cambodia aid, China does not care whether there is corruption or not. China has given aid to the Cambodian government without setting any conditions.
Therefore, Chinese aid to Cambodia at present can be seen as a powerful attack on the KRTC, for the international community gives Cambodia aid with focus on the trial of the Khmer Rouge leaders whereas China also gives Cambodia aid but for the development of Cambodia, allowing part of its aid to fall into the hands of corrupt officials.
For example, recently China provided Cambodia with an additional $12.5-million interest-free credit. This money is purportedly for complementing the needs for various priority projects in Cambodia. Therefore, this money could be partly pilfered away by some corrupt officials because there is no checking; the government is free to spend the money whichever way it likes.
This $12 plus million that was signed between Keat Chhon, minister of finance and economy, and Duon Zhinyu, charge d'affaires attached to the Chinese Embassy in Phnom Penh, made the corrupt officials drool with anticipation.
According to an official at the Ministry of Finance and Economy, Keat Chhon signed the receipt of this money and he is also the one who manages the expenses on the projects, but it is the Council of Ministers that orders the release of the funds. Now, only less than three days after Keat Chhon signed the handover of money from China, three ministries have already submitted requests for spending authorization.
China did not clearly say what expenses this more than $12 million in aid is for. It merely said that the money is for complementing the needs of priority projects. Therefore, the spending would be up to the government, which can use it in whichever way it likes. In other words, this money is not different from a much needed shot in the arm for the corrupt officials.
A Western diplomat said that the reason behind the unconditional Beijing aid package is the KRTC since Beijing does not want this court to progress. Therefore, in order to encourage the government, one solution is to pour in some more money to block the KRTC.
In light of the above explanation, a foreign magazine published a column on the process of the KRTC with this headline: "There is no justice in this world."
A source said that he had never heard Hun Sen say he wanted to push the Khmer Rouge Trial Court [KRTC] to proceed in order to get justice for Cambodians who were victims of the Khmer Rouge regime as soon as possible. On the contrary, Hun Sen has been heard talking only with indifference about this topic, saying, "The Khmer Rouge issue ended long ago. It has ended since the senior Khmer Rouge leaders went to [my] house and [we] had a dinner together in December 1998."
Strongman Hun Sen further said, "Cambodia has achieved national reconciliation, and I beg that we should not let this national reconciliation be shaken or broken again." Hun Sen made this assertion when he spoke at Anlung Veng, the last bastion of the Khmer Rouge.
Hun Sen recalled the past in these words: "This Anlung Veng region was the main position of the Khmer Rouge government. After their debacle and flight from Phnom Penh, they established their position here. However, when Khieu Samphan, Nuon Chea, Thiounn Thioeunn, and Chan Youran went to my house and we had a dinner together, it was the end."
Most circles were very sorry to hear Hun Sen talking like that. They suspected that the impasse in the KRTC and the disagreement on its internal rules, as well as the conflict with Ky Tech's Cambodian Bar Association, stemmed from Hun Sen's intention not to see the trial of these former Khmer Rouge leaders take place.
If Hun Sen really has this desire, then why did he allow the creation of the court to try the former Khmer Rouge leaders in Cambodia in the first place? Why did Hun Sen try to collect funds for this court's operations? Or was all of that just a deceptive trick played by Hun Sen's "package" government as it does not want to confront the international community?
In consequence, the souls of more than 2 million Cambodians who died under the Khmer Rouge regime will never rest in peace.
Besides, if this court is undermined by Hun Sen's "package" government this government will surely face a strong censure of the United Nations and other donor countries.
In particular, various observers have appealed to the United Nations to help the KRTC to continue moving forward and avoid being obstructed by the ambition of the Cambodian ruler named Hun Sen.
At the same time, the Cambodian leader has repeatedly reminded other people that the expenses on the efforts to try the former Khmer Rouge leaders are just a waste; this money should instead be used for Cambodia's development.
According to the plans of the international community, more than $50 million will be spent on the KRTC. So, according to Hun Sen, this money would be better spent on helping the poor in Cambodia and developing this country rather than being uselessly wasted on the KRTC.
It is probably true that spending money on this KRTC would be a futile exercise because the money would only go to those serving the court instead of finding justice for the Cambodian people who were victims under the Khmer Rouge regime. This is because the legal procedures in this KRTC and the Cambodian judges working in this court are not trustworthy. In particular, most of the Cambodian judges have very bad reputation.
Moreover, concerning the Khmer Rouge issue, some countries are also involved, such as China. Hun Sen himself used to tell a special envoy of the United Nations in charge of human rights in Cambodia that he was pressured by China regarding the negotiations on the creation of the KRTC. Now, what is interesting to most diplomats is that while the international community decided to increase funding for the KRTC, Beijing also decided to increase aid to the Cambodian government.
A Western diplomat said that the money from Beijing, including aid grants, interest-free credit, open-end credit, and consumer credit for the Cambodian government, is an encouragement to this government to use every conceivable method to delay the trial of the Khmer Rouge leaders.
All countries and groups that provide aid for Cambodia have set conditions; at least, they must audit the expenses in a bid to prevent corruption. However, in giving Cambodia aid, China does not care whether there is corruption or not. China has given aid to the Cambodian government without setting any conditions.
Therefore, Chinese aid to Cambodia at present can be seen as a powerful attack on the KRTC, for the international community gives Cambodia aid with focus on the trial of the Khmer Rouge leaders whereas China also gives Cambodia aid but for the development of Cambodia, allowing part of its aid to fall into the hands of corrupt officials.
For example, recently China provided Cambodia with an additional $12.5-million interest-free credit. This money is purportedly for complementing the needs for various priority projects in Cambodia. Therefore, this money could be partly pilfered away by some corrupt officials because there is no checking; the government is free to spend the money whichever way it likes.
This $12 plus million that was signed between Keat Chhon, minister of finance and economy, and Duon Zhinyu, charge d'affaires attached to the Chinese Embassy in Phnom Penh, made the corrupt officials drool with anticipation.
According to an official at the Ministry of Finance and Economy, Keat Chhon signed the receipt of this money and he is also the one who manages the expenses on the projects, but it is the Council of Ministers that orders the release of the funds. Now, only less than three days after Keat Chhon signed the handover of money from China, three ministries have already submitted requests for spending authorization.
China did not clearly say what expenses this more than $12 million in aid is for. It merely said that the money is for complementing the needs of priority projects. Therefore, the spending would be up to the government, which can use it in whichever way it likes. In other words, this money is not different from a much needed shot in the arm for the corrupt officials.
A Western diplomat said that the reason behind the unconditional Beijing aid package is the KRTC since Beijing does not want this court to progress. Therefore, in order to encourage the government, one solution is to pour in some more money to block the KRTC.
In light of the above explanation, a foreign magazine published a column on the process of the KRTC with this headline: "There is no justice in this world."
4 comments:
So much for the all the fucken preaching for put the Khmer Rouge on trial!!!!
A killer proclaimed that they need national reconciliation but what about Cambodian people who died and suffered under the Khmer Rouge??? Does anybody understand Cambodian people need?
It is very unfortunate we have a leader who loves to flip flop. This one eye man (evil) can say whatever he wants. No one can say anything. A HUN SEN, A SIHANOUK, A PONG DKOR NA DOCH A PONG KDOR NA. Khmer never had a true leader since the fall of Angkor Empire.
Everyone know that China is behind Mr. Noun Chea, but can everyone do anything?
If you don't,it will be your turn next. Mark this word down.
PLease do not lie to people. I have never heard that China is worrying about the khmer rouge. China has repeatly told KR not to follow China foot step. But it was KR leaders and Sihanouk who have used all the killings to eliminate all their opposition. China now has banned Nuo Chea, Ieng Sary to China for their Association to their own killing machine of gang of four. If KR trial cannot proceed, we must comdemn Cambodia government and opposition party. That is all!!!!!
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