Wednesday November 21, 2007By SETH MEIXNER
AFP
Phnom Penh - Khieu Samphan has never denied the bloodletting suffered under the Khmer Rouge, but the former head of state of Cambodia's radical communist government of the late 1970s has never admitted to a role in the regime's excesses. Instead, he has styled himself as an intellectual and nationalist who, until long afterwards, knew little of the devastation that was wrought during the Khmer Rouge's nearly four years in power.
He continues to deny that the regime intentionally committed mass murder.
''There was no policy of starving the people. There was no policy of mass killings,'' he wrote in his new book, Reflection on Cambodian History from Ancient Times to the Era of Democratic Kampuchea, published just days before his arrest on Monday.
Judges formally detained and charged Khieu Samphan with war crimes and crimes against humanity late Monday after nearly 10 hours of talks with his lawyers.
Khieu Samphan is the last of five top leaders currently under investigation by Cambodia's UN-backed genocide court to be detained.
Like most Khmer Rouge leaders at the height of the regime's power in the late 1970s, Khieu Samphan was a shadowy figure, his identity cloaked by the secrecy of the movement's inner circles.
But as the Khmer Rouge struggled for power in the civil war that followed their 1979 ouster, he became the regime's most visible public figure as it sought, and was to some extent granted, international credibility.
Throughout the 1980s he held positions as prime minister of the communist's government-in-exile and president of the party, and was promoted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and other countries as a moderate voice of the regime.
A key player in peace talks in the early 1990s, Khieu Samphan remained the Khmer Rouge's most visible figure until defecting from the then-dying movement in 1998 with Nuon Chea, the regime's second most senior cadre who was arrested in September.
Believed to have been born in 1931 in southeastern Cambodia, Khieu Samphan is highly-educated, graduating from university in France, where he rose to prominence in leftist circles and became a Cambodian student leader.
His doctoral thesis, completed at the University of Paris in 1959, promoted national economic self-sufficiency and independence, and would resonate with the Khmer Rouge's own policies 16 years later.
Before turning communist guerrilla, though, Khieu Samphan returned to join Cambodia's economic and social renaissance of the 1960s as an academic and journalist.
In the confused politics of the time, he was both condemned and elevated by the country's leader, then-Prince Norodom Sihanouk.
As editor of a leftist newspaper at odds with the government, Khieu Samphan was imprisoned in 1960 after Sihanouk branded him an ''oppositionist''.
But he was later elected to parliament and served as Sihanouk's commerce minister in 1962-63.
Three years later he went underground for good after again becoming a target for his left-leaning politics, remaining with future Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot in the jungle.
Following Sihanouk's ouster in a 1970 coup, he rose through the ranks of the communist hierarchy that emerged as the Khmer Rouge's Democratic Kampuchea administration after the guerrillas seized the country in 1975.
During the regime years Khieu Samphan was appointed head of state as well as to more powerful positions within the party and government.
It was in these roles that genocide researchers say he would have had to have been aware as one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century unfolded.
Up to two million people died of starvation and overwork, or were executed as the communist regime emptied Cambodia's cities, exiling millions to vast collective farms in a bid to forge an agrarian utopia. The Khmer Rouge also abolished money, religion and schools before being overthrown in 1979.
He continues to deny that the regime intentionally committed mass murder.
''There was no policy of starving the people. There was no policy of mass killings,'' he wrote in his new book, Reflection on Cambodian History from Ancient Times to the Era of Democratic Kampuchea, published just days before his arrest on Monday.
Judges formally detained and charged Khieu Samphan with war crimes and crimes against humanity late Monday after nearly 10 hours of talks with his lawyers.
Khieu Samphan is the last of five top leaders currently under investigation by Cambodia's UN-backed genocide court to be detained.
Like most Khmer Rouge leaders at the height of the regime's power in the late 1970s, Khieu Samphan was a shadowy figure, his identity cloaked by the secrecy of the movement's inner circles.
But as the Khmer Rouge struggled for power in the civil war that followed their 1979 ouster, he became the regime's most visible public figure as it sought, and was to some extent granted, international credibility.
Throughout the 1980s he held positions as prime minister of the communist's government-in-exile and president of the party, and was promoted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and other countries as a moderate voice of the regime.
A key player in peace talks in the early 1990s, Khieu Samphan remained the Khmer Rouge's most visible figure until defecting from the then-dying movement in 1998 with Nuon Chea, the regime's second most senior cadre who was arrested in September.
Believed to have been born in 1931 in southeastern Cambodia, Khieu Samphan is highly-educated, graduating from university in France, where he rose to prominence in leftist circles and became a Cambodian student leader.
His doctoral thesis, completed at the University of Paris in 1959, promoted national economic self-sufficiency and independence, and would resonate with the Khmer Rouge's own policies 16 years later.
Before turning communist guerrilla, though, Khieu Samphan returned to join Cambodia's economic and social renaissance of the 1960s as an academic and journalist.
In the confused politics of the time, he was both condemned and elevated by the country's leader, then-Prince Norodom Sihanouk.
As editor of a leftist newspaper at odds with the government, Khieu Samphan was imprisoned in 1960 after Sihanouk branded him an ''oppositionist''.
But he was later elected to parliament and served as Sihanouk's commerce minister in 1962-63.
Three years later he went underground for good after again becoming a target for his left-leaning politics, remaining with future Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot in the jungle.
Following Sihanouk's ouster in a 1970 coup, he rose through the ranks of the communist hierarchy that emerged as the Khmer Rouge's Democratic Kampuchea administration after the guerrillas seized the country in 1975.
During the regime years Khieu Samphan was appointed head of state as well as to more powerful positions within the party and government.
It was in these roles that genocide researchers say he would have had to have been aware as one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century unfolded.
Up to two million people died of starvation and overwork, or were executed as the communist regime emptied Cambodia's cities, exiling millions to vast collective farms in a bid to forge an agrarian utopia. The Khmer Rouge also abolished money, religion and schools before being overthrown in 1979.
12 comments:
First thing is to recorgnise is his brave outspoken attitude and everyone should be encouraged to speak out the truth (LOGICS).
Secondly he portrayed to khmer society that he has been really committed not to corrupt, he was not then and he has not now with any selfish opportunity that he has had.It is quite a contrast to selfish social norm in cambodia.
Thirdly, Cambodia's killing field is the result of Indochinese war, and USA,CHINA,formerUSSR are quite well aware of that.Focus alone on the result of cambodia's conflict is misleading.
Lastly according to the rule of law,accusation can be made with logical ground and convicted is until proven of guilty,where the rights and dignity of a man should be preserved.
Nope, the truth is he has a vision for khmer people, and he'll killed anyone (including his family members and relatives) in his way to bring his vision to life, just like others evil westerner trained khmers.
How about his radio boracast in 1977 with language of violence determinigto kamptech any enemies who wouldn't toe the ankgar line ?
His Phd thesis was trhe one Pol pot applied to send you and me to commune eating, and slave labour camp- that was how he ridded of corruption, he 'd claimed in the thesis.
It is a great mistake that Samphan and his movement should admit it. It is not a result of Indochina War, but it is a failed blueprint of utopian society in Cambodia. The Khmer Rouge leadership should learn the fiasco of cultural revolution in China that had brought total destruction to China's economy and million of people dead. However, they turned their blind eyes on the fiasco in China and used this method again in Cambodia without well-prepaired strategy. The Soviet or North Korea models were probably the better blue prints for our society. After a long bloody war, people were exhausted and our economy was totally collapsed, so radical revolution should not be practiced at that time. We don't know what kid of revolution that Pol Pot had practiced in our country. Twenty-four hours after he took over the power, all people were chased out from the cities and their homes with bare hands to live and forced overwork in the jungle. American Revolution, French Revolution, Russian Revolution, Chinese Revolution, none of them are commparable with the Khmer Rouge Revolution.
First of all I'd like to read Mr. Kheiu Samphan's thesis regarding his doctorial degree. If Mr. Khieu believes what he has written and practiced what he has learnt than the question is...why the regime failed? To me personally, thesis is like a set of rules or structures that have been written to be followed and maximize the usage of its intentions. However, it is not so. Written thesis is one thing, but when it comes to practice it is another thing. It involves many people throughout the country. From this horrible experience, many have seen, myself included; There is nothing great about communism and its idealism. It all comes down to what matter most for the people. Because it is people who is actually own the country and not some groups or any government for that matter.
To have an efficient government and a stable society, it is a combination of all effort and must have strong supports from the publics. Eventually, the public is the mass and the mass has the power to drive any country at any given time. To make this statement more forceable and more powerful one must understand the power of mother nature. Mankind cannot play God, thus, the government of any social elites may not be as God as well. They have to respect "the mass".
Secondly, let's look at the case and point in Cambodia. Samdech Hun Sen for instant. Samdech Hun Sen must respect the mass because should Samdech angry the mass eventually the mass will be the one who will judge Samdech...just like the ECCC is judging the Khmer Rouge now. If Khmer Rouge can be judged...Samdech Hun Sen can also be judged, thus, his activitied to govern Cambodia must be approved by the mass.
I thank you.
Can't believe how dumb this educated person is. Thanks to his genius economic formular, Cambodia was successfully brought back to the stone age.
Wrong, Communist is good when a country is under a condition where the riches controlling the country and lockup most of the wealth and causing famine in the country. How else will you get the wealth back from them? I doubt that sweet-charming them with work?
I would like to know why Samphan's and Kissinger's thesises plus nobel peace prize resulted in 3 millions Cambodians deads (2 millions by KR + 1 millions by USA invasion)? How could Kissinger got the nobel peace prize after implementing carpet bombs and civil war that resulting almost a million Cambodian killed?
This criminal khiev samphan kept saying that he did not know a thing about genocide. It's just unbelieveable.The only way to deal with this type of smart ass is TBAUG CHARP.How could anyone believe him ? he,polpot,ieng sary,ieng thirit,nuon chea,ta mok etc,,are all called << ANGKA LEU>>.Angka dak teus dav.Dak teus dav kaduoy mai vea.
1.7 millions have lost their lives because of Angka leu. Why doesn't anyone hit him in the head now ?
Yeah, and worse part of all is he denied the knowledge of Phnom Penh evacution. How can any of the leader not knowing about this? I mean how are they going to create a one class society in the city and the countryside at the same time. It makes no sense.
Kieu Samphan is dangerous to himself. I hope he stop talking too much.
Samphan's doctoral thesis was not a blueprint of the killingfield, but he is part of the vanguard that ran the system. His actions contributed to the destruction of the country, but he was not a mastermind.
4.39 am, that is right and he is not innocent as some KR apologists claim.
Post a Comment