Sunday, October 7, 2007
The Associated Press
BANGKOK, Thailand: The Khmer Rouge's former foreign minister, Ieng Sary, said Sunday he believes he is next to face charges by a U.N.-backed genocide tribunal, but denied responsibility for the deaths of some 1.7 million people during the group's rule of Cambodia in the late 1970s.
After arriving at Bangkok's international airport, he said he heard about the speculation on the radio earlier Sunday as he headed to the airport in Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital.
"I have done nothing wrong," Ieng Sary, believed to be 77, said of his years with the Khmer Rouge regime.
"I am a gentle person. I believe in good deeds. I even made good deeds to save several people's lives (during the regime). But let them (the tribunal) find what the truth is," he said without elaborating.
He was in Thailand to receive a checkup for a heart condition, he said.
Surviving Khmer Rouge leaders have typically claimed innocence in the crimes committed when their communist group held power in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979.
The group's radical policies caused the death of an estimated 1.7 million people from starvation, illness, overwork and execution.
Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot died in 1998, and his former military chief, Ta Mok, died in 2006 in government custody.
The tribunal's prosecutors have recommended five former Khmer Rouge leaders for trial. So far, only two of them — Nuon Chea, the former Khmer Rouge ideologist, and Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch who headed the former Khmer Rouge S-21 torture center — have been detained on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The other three suspects have not been publicly named. But Ieng Sary, who lives freely in Cambodia but in declining health, is widely believed to be on the prosecutors' list.
Ieng Sary, dressed in khaki pants, shirt and hat, flew on a Bangkok Airways flight with a Cambodian aide.
When he arrived in the Thai capital, he had to be pushed in a wheel chair, while his aide carried a walker.
Ieng Sary said he was visiting a Bangkok hospital for a regular heart checkup and would return to Cambodia in a few days.
"My heart is not functioning well following previous surgeries. My health is my big concern now," Ieng Sary said.
After arriving at Bangkok's international airport, he said he heard about the speculation on the radio earlier Sunday as he headed to the airport in Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital.
"I have done nothing wrong," Ieng Sary, believed to be 77, said of his years with the Khmer Rouge regime.
"I am a gentle person. I believe in good deeds. I even made good deeds to save several people's lives (during the regime). But let them (the tribunal) find what the truth is," he said without elaborating.
He was in Thailand to receive a checkup for a heart condition, he said.
Surviving Khmer Rouge leaders have typically claimed innocence in the crimes committed when their communist group held power in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979.
The group's radical policies caused the death of an estimated 1.7 million people from starvation, illness, overwork and execution.
Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot died in 1998, and his former military chief, Ta Mok, died in 2006 in government custody.
The tribunal's prosecutors have recommended five former Khmer Rouge leaders for trial. So far, only two of them — Nuon Chea, the former Khmer Rouge ideologist, and Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch who headed the former Khmer Rouge S-21 torture center — have been detained on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The other three suspects have not been publicly named. But Ieng Sary, who lives freely in Cambodia but in declining health, is widely believed to be on the prosecutors' list.
Ieng Sary, dressed in khaki pants, shirt and hat, flew on a Bangkok Airways flight with a Cambodian aide.
When he arrived in the Thai capital, he had to be pushed in a wheel chair, while his aide carried a walker.
Ieng Sary said he was visiting a Bangkok hospital for a regular heart checkup and would return to Cambodia in a few days.
"My heart is not functioning well following previous surgeries. My health is my big concern now," Ieng Sary said.
8 comments:
Yep, another NOT GUILTY. I am sure they'll see him as a diplomat who represent his government.
See, he's not hiding or running and they are not chasing after him. Plus, he probably knew half of the foreigners in the ECCC already. Therefore, forget about him.
In 1975 as I was 5 years old, your "ANG KA" killed my lovely parents in front of my eyes and fast all my families mumbers because we were Khmers. And now you said "may be not you"!.During you had full power you killed people without thinking what is the inpact for their families. Owing to the old Khmer proverb: "NOW THE COFFIN IS WAITING FOR YOU, THEN YOU ARE AFRAID FROM THEM AND TEAR DOWN".Had you ever thinking this case during in your regime? Buddha told all, if you do worse you will get in the future. If you did wrong you must explain what you real acted, not lie. If you don´t know who is the ANG KA, then you don´t know who is the CPP too.
Damn, you must be shock, to see your parent shot. Sorry to hear such a broken heart story. I mean when I was 5, just hearing my parent arguing scared the hell out of me, my sis, and bro. I remembered saying to each other, who's going to cook, what are we going to eat, ..., or where are we going to live if our parent were to really split up. I never forget that feeling no matter how long I'll live, and I wished no kids ever go through such experience. Unfortunately, my wish never came true and will never come either.
yES nobody responsible for anything starting from the traitor Sihanouk down.Even POL POT while alive has said; he got nothing to do with the mass killing. I said; just hang those motherfuckers and be done with it.They knew exactly what they were doing under their rule that is mass exodus,torturing,executing,starving people, force labor and so forth...Justice will not prevail under another former khmer rouge government.
Courage!RED KHMER
I lived with you since 1970 until December 1979!
during vietcong they call ANGKA LEU !
UN hurry up!
2.000.000 Killed n' est pas gratuit!
Start with Sihaknuk that make our country get at the miserable point that we are now ,Sihaknouk can't deny that .Sihaknuk married with youn daughter =Monique Sihaknuk did what Monique tell him to do some history said Sihaknuk drink Monique period =woo-do magic water so Sihaknuk=Jei JethaII the one that married with Viet woman and gave a free land to youn,Now Sihaknuk comes to finish Cambodia. Cambodia survive we have to eliminate Sihaknuk.
All the evidences are there and sufficient enough to deal with those criminals and do it a la khmer rouge way which is THBAUG CHOP and digging your own graves .
All I can say is the way things are going, we are not going to get any benefit from the $60 millions whatsoever. Instead of focus on moving the trial forward, they are bickering about the staff peanut salary to stall everything until we broke the budget, not to mention the damn trial is very very late as is already. What is a bunch of assholes?
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