Fits and starts: Judges and court officers with the UN-backed tribunal in Phnom Penh seen on Thursday. The court says it needs $170 million to continue. (Photo: Heng Sinith/AP)The tribunal trying Cambodia's former leaders says it needs to triple its $56.3 million budget to try up to eight defendants.
February 08, 2008
By Erika Kinetz
Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
Phnom Penh, Cambodia - The top surviving Khmer Rouge leader appeared in court this week for the first time, three decades after the virulent communist regime allegedly oversaw the deaths of some 1.7 million people in Cambodia.
Nuon Chea, thought by many to be the movement's chief ideologue, is facing charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity at a United Nations-backed tribunal that began work in 2006.
His presence in the docket should be a sign of success for the court, which many hope will undercut decades of impunity that have plagued this tiny nation. But the fitful progress of Cambodia's hybrid tribunal has once again bogged down under budget woes, a lingering management scandal, and real worries that the tribunal's five aging defendants could die before judgments come in.
The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) now plans to spend $170 million to try up to eight defendants, a process it anticipates could take until March 2011, according to a Jan. 30 budget estimate.
That's a big increase from the court's initial three-year budget of $56.3 million – an amount unfathomable to many ordinary people in Cambodia who live on less than $1 a day.
Helen Jarvis, a tribunal spokeswoman, emphasizes that Cambodia's court looks like a bargain compared with tribunals in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, which have cost about $150 million a year. The Cambodian side of the court will start to run out of money in a matter of weeks, but donors have yet to publicly commit any funds.
"We recognize that a certain increase of the budget is justified," said one Phnom Penh diplomat on condition of anonymity. "We, however, are waiting for official clarification of these new figures and for detailed explanation of the considerable increase," he added.
Donor skepticism surged last year after reports revealed severe problems in hiring and management on the Cambodian side of the court. Allegations that Cambodian staff had to give money in exchange for their jobs have yet to be put to rest.
Now donors are looking for reassurance that their money will be well spent. The European Commission, which funds the Cambodian side of the court, has initiated an independent review to determine whether the court has made adequate reforms. Results may come in this month.
The United States, which has funded every major multinational criminal tribunal except the International Criminal Court (ICC), has yet to provide direct funding to the ECCC, despite signs late last year that the State Department was warming to the idea. President Bush's fiscal year 2009 budget request, released this week, doesn't include money for the tribunal, and the US Embassy in Phnom Penh says the issue is still being reviewed.
Some Cambodia watchers in Congress, which barred direct funding pending assurances that the court can meet international standards, remain skeptical.
"Congress remains sober about Cambodia, generally, and the KRT [Khmer Rouge tribunal], specifically," a senior congressional aide said by e-mail. "Those donors who have put funding on the table are griping how dollars were used and abused, and the administrative shortfall/concerns are well known. We will watch closely those international jurists who wrestle with the challenges every day; the greater stink they raise over corruption or political interference, the less chance Congress or other donors will want to pony up."
Meanwhile, the slow drama of justice plays out in a courtroom on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. Nuon Chea on Thursday asked to be released from the tribunal's detention center, where he has been held since his Sept. 19 arrest. He rose to address the court with the help of two guards. "I have no intention to flee my beloved country."
Chuon Choeun, a farmer brought to view the hearing by a nonprofit group, was one of about 100 Cambodians in attendance. He had never seen Nuon Chea before and even though he couldn't understand much of the legal rules under discussion, he found his first glimpse of the man he once believed was all powerful both bracing and strange.
He expected Nuon Chea to look more brutish, somehow. "His face looks fine. He's not nasty. His face is finer than mine."
February 08, 2008
By Erika Kinetz
Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
Phnom Penh, Cambodia - The top surviving Khmer Rouge leader appeared in court this week for the first time, three decades after the virulent communist regime allegedly oversaw the deaths of some 1.7 million people in Cambodia.
Nuon Chea, thought by many to be the movement's chief ideologue, is facing charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity at a United Nations-backed tribunal that began work in 2006.
His presence in the docket should be a sign of success for the court, which many hope will undercut decades of impunity that have plagued this tiny nation. But the fitful progress of Cambodia's hybrid tribunal has once again bogged down under budget woes, a lingering management scandal, and real worries that the tribunal's five aging defendants could die before judgments come in.
The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) now plans to spend $170 million to try up to eight defendants, a process it anticipates could take until March 2011, according to a Jan. 30 budget estimate.
That's a big increase from the court's initial three-year budget of $56.3 million – an amount unfathomable to many ordinary people in Cambodia who live on less than $1 a day.
Helen Jarvis, a tribunal spokeswoman, emphasizes that Cambodia's court looks like a bargain compared with tribunals in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, which have cost about $150 million a year. The Cambodian side of the court will start to run out of money in a matter of weeks, but donors have yet to publicly commit any funds.
"We recognize that a certain increase of the budget is justified," said one Phnom Penh diplomat on condition of anonymity. "We, however, are waiting for official clarification of these new figures and for detailed explanation of the considerable increase," he added.
Donor skepticism surged last year after reports revealed severe problems in hiring and management on the Cambodian side of the court. Allegations that Cambodian staff had to give money in exchange for their jobs have yet to be put to rest.
Now donors are looking for reassurance that their money will be well spent. The European Commission, which funds the Cambodian side of the court, has initiated an independent review to determine whether the court has made adequate reforms. Results may come in this month.
The United States, which has funded every major multinational criminal tribunal except the International Criminal Court (ICC), has yet to provide direct funding to the ECCC, despite signs late last year that the State Department was warming to the idea. President Bush's fiscal year 2009 budget request, released this week, doesn't include money for the tribunal, and the US Embassy in Phnom Penh says the issue is still being reviewed.
Some Cambodia watchers in Congress, which barred direct funding pending assurances that the court can meet international standards, remain skeptical.
"Congress remains sober about Cambodia, generally, and the KRT [Khmer Rouge tribunal], specifically," a senior congressional aide said by e-mail. "Those donors who have put funding on the table are griping how dollars were used and abused, and the administrative shortfall/concerns are well known. We will watch closely those international jurists who wrestle with the challenges every day; the greater stink they raise over corruption or political interference, the less chance Congress or other donors will want to pony up."
Meanwhile, the slow drama of justice plays out in a courtroom on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. Nuon Chea on Thursday asked to be released from the tribunal's detention center, where he has been held since his Sept. 19 arrest. He rose to address the court with the help of two guards. "I have no intention to flee my beloved country."
Chuon Choeun, a farmer brought to view the hearing by a nonprofit group, was one of about 100 Cambodians in attendance. He had never seen Nuon Chea before and even though he couldn't understand much of the legal rules under discussion, he found his first glimpse of the man he once believed was all powerful both bracing and strange.
He expected Nuon Chea to look more brutish, somehow. "His face looks fine. He's not nasty. His face is finer than mine."
12 comments:
Don't think that the RGC has any experienced or have known exactly before hand how much the tribunal would cost them, the UN or international community [who funding for the establishment of ECCC and process], therefore the pre-assumption of costing may be based on the UN' s calculation [based on expenditures of other International court or hybrid court], in which according to the court spoke woman "costing 150 million dollars a year in any international court". Therefore, cannot just pinpoint out to the Cambodia site of court for hiring and management because of this unfortunate blown out budget.
May Buddha help to find out the truth!
....................................
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=MHBBnCUdhXg&feature=related
.....................................
http://www.stage6.com/user/OneCompassion/video/1838681/Dalai-Lama-lectures-at-UC-Irvine
Guilty as charged! 56.6 millions dollars have been spent and more perhaps. When will the truth be revealed if all else failed? Evidences are buried beneath the surface of the earth crust and Pol Pot which is the main ring leader has been dead for quite sometime. Noun Chea, Ieng Sary, Ieng Thirith and Kheiu Samphan are the four left remaining. From my perspective as a legal analyst, I prepare to say that this case wont go any further. Why? ECCC is opening old wounds from the past which its involvement includes Super Power nations such as China, Russia and the United States.
Japan is also claiming that China has a role in Khmer Rouge's dirty hand in mass killing against its own citizens. Russia has been labeled as the accomplices in action in the Vietnamese invasion on Cambodia. These claims are supported with legitimate document made into books and documentary, therefore, I do not see this case go anywhere beside prolonging and delaying its course of action until these four perpetraitors are dead. Then these Super Power nations will not look bad on the International Stage. But I do not blame these Super Power nations, however, I hold the RGC responsible for this trial...because this is Cambodian problem and if we have an incompetent government...well then it is the responsibility of its citizens to remove the government and appointed new members and tried those who are responsible for the genocidal in Cambodia whether they were Super Power or Cambodians.
Thank You
ST
Most of the money goes to the salary of the judges, the life style that they won't sacrifice for justice. My suggestion is that scrap the damn ECCC and just throw those KR guys in jail the evidences are obvious. Don't waste more money on those guys sitting in court, ie judges and defendants alike. Spend it on the poor peasants in the country side where they need it most. Why need this much money?
ST 6:35 AM ECCC is opening old wounds from the past which its involvement includes Super Power nations such as China, Russia and the United States.
Thank you for saying that. Understood that former President "Richard Nixon - the master mind of Nixon Doctrine "To help Cambodia to help themselves" is long gone and R.I.P, but Henry Kissinger is still well alive and live on this planet, why can't he get up and tell people of the world the truth about his advices and plans for that era despites many people have said so about him and former President Nixon of bombing Cambodia without consent.
.because this is Cambodian problem
So you said that what happened in the past is Cambodian problem, is it right?
Can you please elaborate more about that.
i agree that there are so much evidence already. just condemn them and teach future cambodia and world not to repeat same atrocity. keep the money to revamp a social security system for cambodia's elderly and disabled citizens as cambodia do not have one now.
NO MONEY...= NO HONEY
This is major lesson for all nations of the world,Please do not repeat this kind of evil thing again.
Do you know every human life is more precious than anything in this world.
keep the money to revamp a social security system for cambodia's elderly and disabled citizens as cambodia do not have one now.
It's good idea, but don't think that the international community [who are funding the court] would agree and walk out so easy without seeing the mandate is done [facts that many international community would not want their citizens to ask them "Why bother to fund the court in the 1st place, why pull out if the mandate is not done yet]
To 7:18 AM,
To cerain extent the past can be brought as a form of debate, but the question Cambodians should ask themself is...are they living in the past or rather spending time focusing on the future, specially focusing on the present time.
True, while genocidal happened in Cambodia, but Cambodia is not the only nation that has a genocidal crimes happened in their back yard, it happens everywhere as we speak. If it is happening as we speak then who are we to blame...the government or the people or just simply people with power?
These questions must be understood prior to answering them carefully with great thought. If you have spent well enough time reading materials pertaining to genocidal, you will understand or the least you have an idea that this problem exist everywhere inside a country that do not respect rule of law which mostly are Communism or Socialism States.
Cambodia, within its constitution is a democracy state, therefore, it the responsibility of its citizens to use that symbolic power seth forth in the power of the constitution itself. Not to say than when people resist force against the government that there is no killing while trying to solve these problems...it will. Someone will die while doing it and this is a reality of democracy in action. But the great news is that it can be prevented. Are you prepare to defend yourself in the name of Democracy?
The point of having law within any given states is to obey, if you do not obey the law then why wasting time drafting the law that supposedly instructing society on how to behave and act accordingly.
Why this is a Cambodian problem?
The answer is simple...Royal Government of Cambodia is not that naive, they just dont want to do it. Why dont they want to do it? Simple...There are alot of money to be made and power to be bought. If you look at the statistics, it shows that there are more than 1 billion dollars flowing into Cambodia. Example, donor countries, Angkor visitation fees, resorts, revenues from taxation ( from Cambodian businesses and foreign businesses ) these are just a prime example that your own government must look into and prepare to dictates what necessary of them to do for what is just.
Khmer Rouge: True to certain extent that there were some involvement from the Super Power nations, but it is the Cambodian government that has the final say before the beginning of April 17th 1975. It is your own government who has failed you. Therefore, this is Cambodian problem, however, other countries are supporting this tribunal from their own kindness because they do not want to see such atrocity happens ever again in Cambodia or anywhere on this planet earth.
I thank you for your time.
ST
What kind of joke?
They arest some and need money to survive? How about Sihanuk the X leader of khmer rouge whom he hate his own people during 1970.
How about Keat Chhon, the former khmer rouge leader whom he is a director of another prison like s21 too? How about most khmer rouge general who joint kr hun sen and become milionaire .
what kind of joke ?
It a waste.
To cerain extent the past can be brought as a form of debate, but the question Cambodians should ask themself is...are they living in the past or rather spending time focusing on the future, specially focusing on the present time.
Dear ST;
Thank for the explanation but that doesn't answer to the question of US involvement [Nixon Admin] in Cambodia. Don't you think that the young generation now who look to US as mother land of Democracy deserve to know and understand of the situation. Don't think Cambodians live in the past at all.
Post a Comment