DPA
Phnom Penh - A Cambodian judge said Wednesday two former Khmer Rouge soldiers had been charged with murder and remanded in custody over the 1996 murders of British de-miner Christopher Howes and his Cambodian translator Huon Huot. Howes and Huot were abducted in March 1996 while working for the British aid organization Mines Advisory Group in the northern province of Siem Reap.
Although it was always suspected that Khmer Rouge guerrillas were behind the abduction, it was not until years later that defectors confirmed the murders, which caused an outcry in Britain. A street in Phnom Penh was named after Howes in 1999.
Phnom Penh Municipal Court vice president Ke Sakhan said by telephone that Khim Un, a former deputy of the Khmer Rouge's deceased military commander Ta Mok, and his follower Luch Mao had been formally charged with murder.
They were remanded in Phnom Penh after being transferred from the remote Thai border Khmer Rouge stronghold of Anlong Veng, more than 100 kilometres north of Siem Reap.
If convicted of murder, the pair face 15 years to life imprisonment. Sakhan did not rule out further arrests.
"They told the court they killed him. We cannot give more details until the case is investigated and heard," Sakhan said.
The pair were remanded in the capital's Prey Sar prison. Under Cambodian law they can be held for up to six months while police build a case.
Although it was always suspected that Khmer Rouge guerrillas were behind the abduction, it was not until years later that defectors confirmed the murders, which caused an outcry in Britain. A street in Phnom Penh was named after Howes in 1999.
Phnom Penh Municipal Court vice president Ke Sakhan said by telephone that Khim Un, a former deputy of the Khmer Rouge's deceased military commander Ta Mok, and his follower Luch Mao had been formally charged with murder.
They were remanded in Phnom Penh after being transferred from the remote Thai border Khmer Rouge stronghold of Anlong Veng, more than 100 kilometres north of Siem Reap.
If convicted of murder, the pair face 15 years to life imprisonment. Sakhan did not rule out further arrests.
"They told the court they killed him. We cannot give more details until the case is investigated and heard," Sakhan said.
The pair were remanded in the capital's Prey Sar prison. Under Cambodian law they can be held for up to six months while police build a case.
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