By Guy De Launey
BBC News, Phnom Penh
A United Nations report criticising the Cambodian administration of the Khmer Rouge trials has been made public.
The report says the special courts are employing unqualified staff at inflated salaries, without a proper recruitment process.
It recommends that the UN pull out of the process if changes are not made.
The courts are probing allegations of genocide by the Khmer Rouge. More than one million people are thought to have died during the regime's 1975-79 rule.
'Unbalanced account'
The audit says the courts are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on staff who should not have been employed.
All Cambodian staff contracts should be cancelled and the recruitment process re-started from scratch.
The United Nations Development Programme says that "serious consideration should be given to withdrawing from the project", if the Cambodian administration refuses to address its concerns.
In response, the Cambodian side has called the audit an "unbalanced account" and its recommendations "out of proportion".
It says that great achievements have been made despite major difficulties and that many problems could have been averted with more assistance from the UN.
The Open Society Justice Initiative, which is monitoring the courts, has welcomed the report's publication.
But the organisation said it was disappointed that the report had not looked into other allegations of corruption.
The Justice Initiative claimed in February that Cambodian staff were paying part of their salaries to superiors in return for being hired.
The report says the special courts are employing unqualified staff at inflated salaries, without a proper recruitment process.
It recommends that the UN pull out of the process if changes are not made.
The courts are probing allegations of genocide by the Khmer Rouge. More than one million people are thought to have died during the regime's 1975-79 rule.
'Unbalanced account'
The audit says the courts are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on staff who should not have been employed.
KHMER ROUGE TRIBUNALIt described more than 50 as "excess" hirings beyond the original budget and it said that more than half of the courts' Cambodian employees did not have the required qualifications or experience.
- Will try cases of genocide and crimes against humanity
- Five judges (three Cambodian) sit in trial court
- Cases decided by majority
- Maximum penalty is life imprisonment
- Budget of $56.3m
All Cambodian staff contracts should be cancelled and the recruitment process re-started from scratch.
The United Nations Development Programme says that "serious consideration should be given to withdrawing from the project", if the Cambodian administration refuses to address its concerns.
In response, the Cambodian side has called the audit an "unbalanced account" and its recommendations "out of proportion".
It says that great achievements have been made despite major difficulties and that many problems could have been averted with more assistance from the UN.
The Open Society Justice Initiative, which is monitoring the courts, has welcomed the report's publication.
But the organisation said it was disappointed that the report had not looked into other allegations of corruption.
The Justice Initiative claimed in February that Cambodian staff were paying part of their salaries to superiors in return for being hired.
7 comments:
Don't mess with the UN!
Where have you been? Have you ever smelt Cambodia westerners ? We are smell like Durian OK(the king of fruit)
That is how CPPs conduct their business daily folks. Don't be surprise, OK!
Just get the God damn trial on the road and stop the nonsenses. We don't care who underpaid, overpaid, or paid kickback shit. WE JUST WANT TO GET THE TRIAL OVER WITH. You got that, you corrupted UN?
Okay, let me express my idea in a different form: We all know many westerner countries used juries from the local area were the crime had been commited to render a verdict to the criminal. Am I wrong so far? If not, let me continue: Now let's say that a crime happened in the countryside. If this is the case, can someone tell me, what type of qualification does a farmer juries have to render a verdict to any criminal?
Same here, is qualification really needed to render a verdict to the KR criminal?
Thus, what is the point to all this qualification shit?
Folks, whatever you do, don't give the corrupted UN any excuses to restart this whole process. We all know for sure, then, that the trial will not succeeded. Just keep pressure them to move forward at all cost, no matter how bumpy it will be. That is if you what to have a slim chance to get any justice for the 2 million souls. Regretfully, even if we manage to start the trial, I can't offered anyone any guarantee. My gut feeling is that we have been too late long ago.
Oh, btw folks, I just want you to know that I am not condoning westerner using farmers to render verdict for anyone, especially myself.
And I bet if I were to investigate all their criminal cases for the last 100 years or so, you will be disappointed at how many innocent people were victimized by the culture of impunity. And if that is not retarded, I don't know what is?
Post a Comment