Khieu Samphan, former Khmer Rouge head of state, recovering from stroke

Tuesday, November 13, 2007
The Associated Press

[So Socheat, Khieu Samphan's wife,] said that when her husband regained consciousness he told the doctors present that he could not afford to pay for any medical expenses in the event he was taken to a hospital for treatment.

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Khieu Samphan, the former Khmer Rouge head of state whose arrest by a U.N.-backed genocide tribunal has been widely expected, is recovering from a stroke, his wife said Wednesday.

So Socheat said her husband is now able to speak more clearly, walk with some help and eat food after receiving home care from doctors in Pailin, the former Khmer Rouge guerrilla stronghold in northwestern Cambodia where the couple live.

Khieu Samphan, believed to be 76 years old, was stricken Tuesday evening, just a day after two of his colleagues in the brutal 1970s Khmer Rouge regime were arrested by the tribunal.

Ieng Sary, the group's foreign minister, and his wife Ieng Thirith, the social affairs minister, were both charged with crimes against humanity. Ieng Sary was also charged with war crimes.

Khieu Rattana, Khieu Samphan's daughter, said her father knew his arrest was imminent, but added that she did not think this caused his stroke.

"He has been aware all along that he will be arrested. He is not concerned about it and said he is ready to go to the tribunal," she said.

His blood pressure has been brought down and he has regained normal movement in his arms and legs, said a nurse, who asked not to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

So Socheat said her husband fainted and collapsed to the floor when he tried to get up from a hammock Tuesday evening.

"His mouth became twisted, and he was not able to pronounce any clear words," she said.

She said that when her husband regained consciousness he told the doctors present that he could not afford to pay for any medical expenses in the event he was taken to a hospital for treatment.

The 1975-79 Khmer Rouge regime was blamed for the deaths of some 1.7 million people from starvation, disease, overwork and execution. None of the group's leaders has yet faced trial.

The U.N.-assisted tribunal was created last year after seven years of contentious negotiations between the United Nations and Cambodia.

The arrests of the Khmer Rouge suspects have come almost three decades after the group fell from power, with many fearing the aging suspects might die before they ever see a courtroom. Trials are expected to begin next year.

Four have been arrested so far, including Ieng Sary and his wife.

According to prosecutors' documents made available to The Associated Press, the fifth suspect they are seeking to charge is Khieu Samphan.

Nuon Chea, the former Khmer Rouge ideologist, and Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch, who headed the Khmer Rouge S-21 torture center, were detained earlier this year on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Ieng Sary and his wife said they do not have money to pay for their legal fees and are seeking financial aid, the tribunal's defense support section said in a statement Tuesday.

But the appeal for financial assistance was disparaged by fellow Cambodians, who said the couple lived a relatively lavish life in a villa in the capital, Phnom Penh.