Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2007
Time Magazine (USA)
Khieu Samphan, the former Khmer Rouge head of state whose arrest by a U.N.-backed genocide tribunal has been widely anticipated, suffered a stroke Tuesday, said his daughter and a neighbor.
Khieu Samphan's daughter in Phnom Penh, Khieu Rattana, said she learned about her father's stroke in a call from her sister in Pailin, the former Khmer Rouge guerrilla stronghold in northwestern Cambodia where her parents live.
He was stricken just a day after two of his colleagues in the 1970s Khmer Rouge regime were arrested by the tribunal. "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," Khieu Rattana said.
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 said family and doctors were gathering at the house to tend to their father, who is believed to be 76. A neighbor, who asked not to be identified in order to maintain good relations with the family, said Khieu Samphan spoke only with difficulty, making his words hard to understand.
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.
U.S. Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli said the arrests of Ieng Sary and his wife have helped generate more confidence in the tribunal process, noting previous concerns that an amnesty Ieng Sary received as a reward for defecting to the government might shield him from prosecution by the tribunal. "There were people who've thought Ieng Sary was untouchable, that they're too frightened to arrest him, and (now) they have," he said.
"I think a lot of the naysayers (and) those who were so skeptical and cynical (about the tribunal) need to reassess now that the judicial process is going quite well," he said.
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.
Khieu Samphan's daughter in Phnom Penh, Khieu Rattana, said she learned about her father's stroke in a call from her sister in Pailin, the former Khmer Rouge guerrilla stronghold in northwestern Cambodia where her parents live.
He was stricken just a day after two of his colleagues in the 1970s Khmer Rouge regime were arrested by the tribunal. "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," Khieu Rattana said.
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 said family and doctors were gathering at the house to tend to their father, who is believed to be 76. A neighbor, who asked not to be identified in order to maintain good relations with the family, said Khieu Samphan spoke only with difficulty, making his words hard to understand.
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.
U.S. Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli said the arrests of Ieng Sary and his wife have helped generate more confidence in the tribunal process, noting previous concerns that an amnesty Ieng Sary received as a reward for defecting to the government might shield him from prosecution by the tribunal. "There were people who've thought Ieng Sary was untouchable, that they're too frightened to arrest him, and (now) they have," he said.
"I think a lot of the naysayers (and) those who were so skeptical and cynical (about the tribunal) need to reassess now that the judicial process is going quite well," he said.
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.
12 comments:
What else is new? Man-made law is full of flaws.
Many years ago I heard one of Amnassador Mussolemi's predecessor told a group of people at his residence that "next year we'll the picture of the Khmer Rouge leaders in the dock on TV". There have many "next years" since then.
Anything could happen before the final verdict will be handed down to all those Khmewr Rouge leaders. Then will the trials be able to inculcate accountability in our leaders? Can our courts hold them to account?
I'd wait and see.
LAO Mong Hay, Hong Kong
He is not arrested yet. He is just hospitalized of frighten.
Yes, and at that age, I doubt that those elderly people will come out of the trial alive.
Just look at Noun Chea, he can't even answered all the pretrial questions because his blood pressure was acting up... . How then can he survived the real trial questions?
I am a naysayers, we Cambodian weakess people have hurd many promissed from small, local, big, international organizations in the world! And what we are end up now?
-Milder, slower,but sure done of Khmer rouge modern regime or The vietnamese support regime!
_UNTAC by the Paris agreement should, supposed, to help give Cambodian a change to built a democracy societty, after what we have suffered!
-What we have after that ( Because of haft-help (no Thank to you cheaters)from UNTAC)we live under the same group that government us from 1975 to 1992 ( the Khmer rouge leader and the Heng Somrin group)!
- What we are getting now with less hope than 1975 to 1992, They the communist or dictators can law fully suppress us and killed us, chase us out from our vilages!
- You American like to say " help yourself Cambodian!" How are we going to help ourselves, since we are so weak ( Do you know about killing field, FOOL?)after the killing of khmere rouge and live under the Viet K5 program for decade and till now!
-Give us a break, the trail get to quiet and we do not know what those Khmerouge have had say! We don't whant just to take any body word any more. HAVE JUSTICE FOR YOURSELF FOOL!
Can you understand of our situation , Mr. Mussomeli?
I give you only one simple and ongoing case to say it all of our situation after liberated help by world powers Paris agreement!!!!!!
"MONK TIM SAKHORN"
Where the beef????????????????????
Or all horse shoe crab?????????????
Carot tie on a fishing pole in fron of a mule ( Cambodia Victim + mule to UN )
correction for above
(+ should be =)
To some one who has blamed the UN, Is it Sihaknuk false to tell his son to share it power with the snake Hun Sen? Now Hun Sen get all the power and he doesn't want to share with no body,so at this point you are holding UN countable for that mistake?
If your answer /yes you will get F+.
Sihaknuk playing God role .He saved cobra live,or starving tigers,now who are suffering?
Nope, it is Ah Khmer-Yuon criminals false.
6:37AM, go get your A+, but if you goback to Paris agreement which stated that they planed to help us Cambodian get a new least of life under democracy.
They did not say to give ourlife under any person or group!
And with all their expertise and knowleges they should atleast know Shihanouk may be was on of the killers!
How right, they delivered us to the hand of one who was the president and officers of the Killing Khmerouge and the Communist?
They, the UNTAC, should reform the JUSTICE, the POLICE and the ARMY ( as stated in the agrreement, even to draw our frontier for us!, to give proper time to small, weak,and ordinary honested ( who have no past connection and kind of killing power) Cambodian to get back to our feet and have our own democratic party.
But to be get of the hook or intentionally, UN just gave us right away with out completed it duty, to the hand of Shihanouk and Hun Sen!
-Can the communist play figting game so they do not have to pay for the bill (crime)?
Think again you above and UN, OK for me to take and F- but do your job right, lot of life lost with your careless action UNTAC!!!!!
2:02, there is a difference between killing your enemy and killing innocent people.
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