VOA Khmer
Washington
02/02/2007
NEWARK, New Jersey – Scholars and experts discussed here at Rutgers University on Thursday the factors and influences in recent years that caused leaders of the United States to give tepid, but not official and direct, assistance to the recently convened Tribunal setup to hold to account surviving leaders of the Khmer Rouge regime.
The Khmer Rouge Tribunal setup official operations in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh in early 2006, following more than 10 years of tough negotiations between the United Nations and the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen.
After compromises by both sides, especially the U.N., a unique ‘joint’ tribunal was agreed upon in 2003: Cambodian judges and prosecutors and international judges and prosecutors are working together to try to bring at least a hand full of men and women who led the 1970s Khmer Rouge regime to justice.
The work of the tribunal today is being hindered because the Cambodian judges and prosecutors and the international judges and prosecutors have been unable to agree on rules, regulations and procedures and details related to the tribunal’s work, including witness protections. Talks have run into a wall in Cambodia, sources from both sides have told reporters in recent days.
At issue, in essence, is whether the tribunal can be conducted free of political pressure. Hun Sen and many of his top associates and ministers were low- and mid-level Khmer Rouge functionaries in the 1970s.
The Khmer Rouge Tribunal setup official operations in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh in early 2006, following more than 10 years of tough negotiations between the United Nations and the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen.
After compromises by both sides, especially the U.N., a unique ‘joint’ tribunal was agreed upon in 2003: Cambodian judges and prosecutors and international judges and prosecutors are working together to try to bring at least a hand full of men and women who led the 1970s Khmer Rouge regime to justice.
The work of the tribunal today is being hindered because the Cambodian judges and prosecutors and the international judges and prosecutors have been unable to agree on rules, regulations and procedures and details related to the tribunal’s work, including witness protections. Talks have run into a wall in Cambodia, sources from both sides have told reporters in recent days.
At issue, in essence, is whether the tribunal can be conducted free of political pressure. Hun Sen and many of his top associates and ministers were low- and mid-level Khmer Rouge functionaries in the 1970s.
3 comments:
Which guilty criminal would want
to stay close to the trial with
their finger prints all over the
places?
That goes the same for Hun Sen's CPP and China. They don't want their finger print known, or else this trial would have proceeded by now.
Well, let me put it to you this
way: should the Khmer Rouge managed
to rise to power again, Hun Sen
will certainly be dead meat within
a blink of an eye. Accordingly, it
does not make sense to say that
Hun Sen has desired to block the
trial of his most vicious enemy.
As for China, on the other hand,
I don't recollect any article
claimed that China kept it
distance from KR tribunal as
suggest here, but I am sure KI
Media or Ah Svakrava will whip up
something soon to balance thing
out, LOL.
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