Rasmei Kampuchea newspaper
Translated from Khmer and posted at KRtrial.info
Kamrieng-Battambang: Kamrieng is a district governed by former Khmer Rouge (KR) soldiers who integrated with the government in 1996. The leaders in the area who have positions in the government seem to be hesitated in giving any comment on the trials of top leaders of the Democratic Kampuchea Regime. In contrast, former KR soldiers some of whom are now the disabled or become ordinary people are still trying to protect their former leaders.
Though they dare not to disagree openly, those former KR soldiers claimed about their former leaders’ innocence and accused the deceased people such as Pol Pot, Son Sen, and Ta Mok, who they think should be tried, of atrocities.
“Concerning the trials of the top leaders of the Democratic Kampuchea regime, it’s the responsibilities of the government and the United Nations. We “small people” do not have any comment,” recently said Nob Sovann, Kamrieng’s deputy governor, a former KR soldier in division 705. “We are so tired of war, but now we’re having peace. Everything must be done in conform to law,” said the deputy, adding that he didn’t disagree with the trials since the court would be a good sample for younger people to realize that the people who committed atrocities would be punished.
However, a former KR soldier whose lower right leg was lost said on the condition of anonymity that he didn’t know what the living KR leaders had committed from 1975 to 1979 since he had been fighting along the Vietnamese bother to protect the country. But, after the regime collapsed, he has been living along Thai border in the forest in Kamrieng. He has noticed that the KR leaders who are living nowadays are “good people”, and that they may have been under the order of Pol Pot, Son Sen and Ta Mok only.
“When [I] was fighting, Uncle Ieng Sary was mostly abroad and Uncle Khieu Samphan was a scholar. Other [KR] leaders were all respectfully meek,” said the former KR soldier, adding that the trials of those people were not right since they seem not to have killed the people.
The disabled former KR soldier claimed that Pol Pot, Son Sen, and Ta Mok were the people who should have been punished since while they were alive they were very cruel and never absolved anyone.
Nob Sovann, however, claimed about his stance that everything should be done in accordance with law. He pointed out that his former soldiers didn’t react anything to the trials. “I know their minds clearly,” he said.
Though they dare not to disagree openly, those former KR soldiers claimed about their former leaders’ innocence and accused the deceased people such as Pol Pot, Son Sen, and Ta Mok, who they think should be tried, of atrocities.
“Concerning the trials of the top leaders of the Democratic Kampuchea regime, it’s the responsibilities of the government and the United Nations. We “small people” do not have any comment,” recently said Nob Sovann, Kamrieng’s deputy governor, a former KR soldier in division 705. “We are so tired of war, but now we’re having peace. Everything must be done in conform to law,” said the deputy, adding that he didn’t disagree with the trials since the court would be a good sample for younger people to realize that the people who committed atrocities would be punished.
However, a former KR soldier whose lower right leg was lost said on the condition of anonymity that he didn’t know what the living KR leaders had committed from 1975 to 1979 since he had been fighting along the Vietnamese bother to protect the country. But, after the regime collapsed, he has been living along Thai border in the forest in Kamrieng. He has noticed that the KR leaders who are living nowadays are “good people”, and that they may have been under the order of Pol Pot, Son Sen and Ta Mok only.
“When [I] was fighting, Uncle Ieng Sary was mostly abroad and Uncle Khieu Samphan was a scholar. Other [KR] leaders were all respectfully meek,” said the former KR soldier, adding that the trials of those people were not right since they seem not to have killed the people.
The disabled former KR soldier claimed that Pol Pot, Son Sen, and Ta Mok were the people who should have been punished since while they were alive they were very cruel and never absolved anyone.
Nob Sovann, however, claimed about his stance that everything should be done in accordance with law. He pointed out that his former soldiers didn’t react anything to the trials. “I know their minds clearly,” he said.
2 comments:
I think the trial aughta to extend to those who have blood stains on their hands, including these lower level Khmer Rouge soldiers.
How about an uper level like head of state?
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