A Cambodian boy looks at human skulls displayed at Choeung Ek killing field memorial, a vast killing ground, just outside the capital Phnom Penh, in this picture taken in May 20, 2006. Former Khmer Rouge leader Noun Chea has, again, dismissed existence of mass murder under his regime, saying photographed human skulls on display in Cambodia mean nothing, a newspaper reported Friday. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith) January 12, 2007
AP
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia --A former Khmer Rouge leader denied in an interview published Friday that the regime whose extremist policies wiped out much of Cambodia's population in the 1970s committed mass murder.
Nuon Chea, 80, who was second only to Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot, is expected to go on trial before a joint Cambodia-United Nations tribunal later this year on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity.
"Why should we have killed our own people? I do not see a reason," the English-language Phnom Penh Post quoted him as saying. "We wanted a clean, illuminating and peaceful regime."
An estimated 1.7 million people died as a result of the 1975-79 communist regime. Some were executed, while others died of starvation, disease and overwork.
None of the leaders have been held accountable for the atrocities. Pol Pot died in 1998, but Nuon Chea and several other top deputies still live freely in Cambodia.
Nuon Chea also said any documents linking him to the regime's crimes "were manipulated," including photographs of human skulls.
"Those photographs with skulls now being presented do not mean a thing. Modern technology can do this," he told the Post, a biweekly published every other Friday.
The comments outraged Youk Chhang, a Khmer Rouge survivor and leading genocide researcher, who called Nuon Chea "disrespectful and arrogant."
"The Khmer Rouge did not regard us as humans. They took away our love, our family, soul, belief. We were not humans in their eyes. We were their enemies," Youk Chhang said.
Nuon Chea, 80, who was second only to Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot, is expected to go on trial before a joint Cambodia-United Nations tribunal later this year on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity.
"Why should we have killed our own people? I do not see a reason," the English-language Phnom Penh Post quoted him as saying. "We wanted a clean, illuminating and peaceful regime."
An estimated 1.7 million people died as a result of the 1975-79 communist regime. Some were executed, while others died of starvation, disease and overwork.
None of the leaders have been held accountable for the atrocities. Pol Pot died in 1998, but Nuon Chea and several other top deputies still live freely in Cambodia.
Nuon Chea also said any documents linking him to the regime's crimes "were manipulated," including photographs of human skulls.
"Those photographs with skulls now being presented do not mean a thing. Modern technology can do this," he told the Post, a biweekly published every other Friday.
The comments outraged Youk Chhang, a Khmer Rouge survivor and leading genocide researcher, who called Nuon Chea "disrespectful and arrogant."
"The Khmer Rouge did not regard us as humans. They took away our love, our family, soul, belief. We were not humans in their eyes. We were their enemies," Youk Chhang said.
4 comments:
Deny! Deny ! deny !...that's the secret weapon.. only in Cambodia that killers of their own people can live in huge villas, own lands, drive Lexus.
I think the campaign song for the CPP election (and I mean CPP election only because nobody else counts) should be "you can't touch"....
A POL POT
A NOUN CHEA
A SIHANOUK
A HUN SEN
ALL ARE BRAINLESS.
LONG LIVE KHMER PEOPLE.
LONG LIVE SROK KHMER.
DOWN WITH A BRAINLESS.
Dumb ass NUON CHEA will admit his crimes against khmers people until all his fingers nail were pulled, or slice part of his body then sprinkled some fish sauce on it . Until that done then he will admit .Do otherwise this dumb ass will never admit anything.
We knew your fucking game that is killing your own people and then blamed other to conceal your fucking crime. Remember your fucking motto; KEEPING YOU IS NO GAIN,KILLING YOU IS NO LOST...
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