Ex-Khmer Rouge leader says will unveil new secrets at trial
(Kyodo) - Former Khmer Rouge leader Nuon Chea says he will unveil "yet untold secrets" if he is summoned to appear at the planned Khmer Rouge tribunal.
"I have reserved some new secrets to be heard in a trial," Nuon Chea said in an interview with Kyodo News at his home in the former Khmer Rouge stronghold of Pailin near the Thai border.
When asked who were responsible for the genocide committed during the 1975-1979 Khmer Rouge regime, Nuon Chea, 80, mentioned enemies that the regime's leaders could not identify.
"There were many enemies," he said, adding that a group of leaders of the United States and Vietnam were also responsible for the deaths of at least 1.7 million Cambodians.
"John Foster Dulles and Henry Kissinger of the United States, and Le Duan of Vietnam were also held accountable," he said without elaborating.
When pressed on his own accountability as one of the senior leaders in the regime, Nuon Chea said he was sad to learn of the mass killings and the existence of a torture prison.
"I express my apologies to the victims and relatives of the victims who have died in the regime," he said.
He also disputed the death toll of 1.7 million. "How did they count on the victims? Many of the victims might have been killed during the wartime before Democratic Kampuchea came to power, while many others were killed when Vietnam came to our country in 1979 and in the time after," he said.
Nuon Chea, who appeared to be in frail health, said he is concerned whether he will be strong enough to defend himself in court.
The tribunal, officially known as the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, is a hybrid court being put together by the United Nations and the Cambodian government to try surviving Khmer Rouge leaders over atrocities committed during the Khmer Rouge reign.
Discussions on the special court have dragged on since 1997.
Besides Nuon Chea, other former top Khmer Rouge leaders expected to be summoned are Ieng Sary, Khieu Samphan, and Kaing Kek Ieu, better known as Duch.
"I have reserved some new secrets to be heard in a trial," Nuon Chea said in an interview with Kyodo News at his home in the former Khmer Rouge stronghold of Pailin near the Thai border.
When asked who were responsible for the genocide committed during the 1975-1979 Khmer Rouge regime, Nuon Chea, 80, mentioned enemies that the regime's leaders could not identify.
"There were many enemies," he said, adding that a group of leaders of the United States and Vietnam were also responsible for the deaths of at least 1.7 million Cambodians.
"John Foster Dulles and Henry Kissinger of the United States, and Le Duan of Vietnam were also held accountable," he said without elaborating.
When pressed on his own accountability as one of the senior leaders in the regime, Nuon Chea said he was sad to learn of the mass killings and the existence of a torture prison.
"I express my apologies to the victims and relatives of the victims who have died in the regime," he said.
He also disputed the death toll of 1.7 million. "How did they count on the victims? Many of the victims might have been killed during the wartime before Democratic Kampuchea came to power, while many others were killed when Vietnam came to our country in 1979 and in the time after," he said.
Nuon Chea, who appeared to be in frail health, said he is concerned whether he will be strong enough to defend himself in court.
The tribunal, officially known as the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, is a hybrid court being put together by the United Nations and the Cambodian government to try surviving Khmer Rouge leaders over atrocities committed during the Khmer Rouge reign.
Discussions on the special court have dragged on since 1997.
Besides Nuon Chea, other former top Khmer Rouge leaders expected to be summoned are Ieng Sary, Khieu Samphan, and Kaing Kek Ieu, better known as Duch.
10 comments:
Yeah right, what a nice guy? Just
tell it to the stupid trial and
not us (Khmer). Dream on, stupid?
No one in their right mind will
believed a thing of you have to say
in the trial.
bETTER sHIHANOUK?
I wonder Why did they Kill Sinsisamout, and Ros SereySothea?
The Vietcongs are better than dogs
but there is no dog in vietnam
because Youns eat dogs !!!
Youns=Vietcong=Vietnam
Call us Youns better
This is the Communist Youns logic
for eating dogs, so Communist Youns
have no religion!!! ahahaha
This is the Communist Youn justice
system!!!ahahahah
The Youn Vietcong will go the way
of the communist in China because
Youns Vietcong is the ethnic people
of China since thousands years!!
The old letters of Youns Vietcong are Chinese letters
There you go. All we have to do
is start to farm dog and export
it to Vietnam. That should close
the gap on our trade deficit.
And yeah 12:44, that is our biggest
lost. Still, we haven't found any
star that is as good as Sisamouth
and Sothea to date.
How the sick fuck want to control Khmer is by eliminating talented Khmer. And this is how they controlled Cambodia through Ah Pler Hun Sen.
And who's talented? Would you mind
give us a few names?
reveal your secrets now sucker before it's too late...
Nuon Chea, you deserve to be thrown alive in the stool pitch, head first.
I don't believe even a word from Khmer rouge leaders. They are even more poison that the Vietcong. They have prided themselve too much during their regime. I was there. I cannot move from one village into another village. The Khmer Rouge have divided Cambodia into small isolated administration system. In each small administration, they allowed these small authority to have full power on human lives in each area. Each small authority has all their full authority to control all human lives lived in their area. They can kill anyone or can keep anyone was up to them. High authority of PolPot and Nuon Chea have given all power to their small authorities. How can USA or Vietcong can kill Cambodian with all the system in which Pol Pot and Nuon Chea has controled very tight. Moving from one area to another area was being punished by death penalty. The wost killings were yaken place in 1978 when Pol Pot and Nuon Chea have ordered all people being sent from Prey Veng and from Svay Rieng to Pursat and Battambang and during the invasion by Vietnam forces. Those who didn't ran during the pass by vietnamese force. When the Vietnamese force left, the khmer rouge have came back and have killed all the local people. Before the trial, they tried to make excuse and blame to other people. They are indeed " Chun Orntheak Pearl ". Areak Prey
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