Cambodian police officials stand guard in front of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Court of Cambodia (ECCC) in Phnom Penh. A spokesman for Cambodia's UN-backed genocide tribunal said that Khmer Rouge's most senior surviving leader Nuon Chea was formally charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity.(AFP/Tang Chhin Sothy)Mean Veasna, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
19 September 2007
Nuon Chea, the Khmer Rouge commander known as "Brother No. 2," was detained by the tribunal courts Wednesday and charged with crimes against humanity and war crimes, officials said.
Nuon Chea was flown by helicopter from his home in Pailin and whisked from a military airport in Phnom Penh, by cars with tinted windows, to face charges at the tribunal courts.
His arrest marked the most significant action to date by the beleaguered Khmer Rouge tribunal.
Nuon Chea was taken past reporters into the court, where he was questioned, charged and placed in detention, according to a tribunal statement issued Wednesday evening.
Following Nuon Chea's extraction from Pailin, the former Khmer Rouge stronghold remained quiet.
Chheng Sopheak, an investigator for the rights group Licadho, said people were surprised, but not upset, by the arrest.
"We did not see people protest against the arrest. We have asked some people who say that actually it is a chance for Nuon Chea to clarify at the court to show justice," Chheng Sopheak said. "Some people are happy about the arrest."
Nuon Chea emerged as Pol Pot's top lieutenant following the victory of the Cambodian communists over US-backed forces in 1975, and scholars say he was instrumental in the policies that led to the deaths of 2 million people.
Nuon Chea has said he welcomes his day in court and told journalists in July he had no knowledge of the murderous purges undertaken by the regime when it controlled Cambodia, from 1975 to 1979.
Nuon Chea was flown by helicopter from his home in Pailin and whisked from a military airport in Phnom Penh, by cars with tinted windows, to face charges at the tribunal courts.
His arrest marked the most significant action to date by the beleaguered Khmer Rouge tribunal.
Nuon Chea was taken past reporters into the court, where he was questioned, charged and placed in detention, according to a tribunal statement issued Wednesday evening.
Following Nuon Chea's extraction from Pailin, the former Khmer Rouge stronghold remained quiet.
Chheng Sopheak, an investigator for the rights group Licadho, said people were surprised, but not upset, by the arrest.
"We did not see people protest against the arrest. We have asked some people who say that actually it is a chance for Nuon Chea to clarify at the court to show justice," Chheng Sopheak said. "Some people are happy about the arrest."
Nuon Chea emerged as Pol Pot's top lieutenant following the victory of the Cambodian communists over US-backed forces in 1975, and scholars say he was instrumental in the policies that led to the deaths of 2 million people.
Nuon Chea has said he welcomes his day in court and told journalists in July he had no knowledge of the murderous purges undertaken by the regime when it controlled Cambodia, from 1975 to 1979.
1 comment:
Dear Cambodians
It is good to see that Nuan Chea is on trial for accused crimes he is believed committed in 1975-79.We all hope that the trial can clear our darkest dream for us as survivors.However we have to remain impartial until guilty is proven in court of law and hopefully there is no political involvements or distortion for judgement.
Events in cambodia for above period has a lot more to answer for.There were involvement from third parties like china where experts were assisting in manufactoring plants in Battambang,sugar plantation...and other areas in Cambodia as well.
Along with that,Vietnamese involvement of the events took place,not to mention about previous involvement and current,that cambodians know and international organisations aware of that.So what has been happening in the last decades?
I believe there are documents,evidences in China,Vietam and other communist coutries involved for the period.
Fellow cambodians we have to try to understand behind the scenes being displayed before we conform to any judgement because it was our story to tell if we last.
We are grateful for international assistances and NGO's for survival of cambodians indiscriminately.
Khmer Soth
Post a Comment