Sam Bith prior to his arrestBy Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
07 February 2008
Tribunal officials sought to triple the budget of the special courts Thursday, asking donors in New York for an additional $114 million on a day that saw one former Khmer Rouge leader in the dock and two in the hospital.
Former Khmer Rouge military commander Sam Bith joined former foreign minister Ieng Sary in Phnom Penh’s Calmette Hospital, as jailed ideologue Nuon Chea appeared for a bail hearing Thursday morning.
Sam Bith was in critical condition, hospital officials said Thursday, declining to elaborate.
Sam Bith, who was given a government advisory position after his defection from the Khmer Rouge, has not been charged by the tribunal.
He is serving a life sentence for his role in the murder of three Western backpackers in 1994.
Sam Bith’s hospitalization added to worries that the aging former leaders of the Khmer Rouge will die without seeing atrocity crimes trials.
Tribunal administrators, meanwhile, sought to allay worries that the tribunal will run out of time and money before trials can be conducted, by asking donors to triple the courts’ budget.
The tribunal’s initial $56 million budget was too low, and up to $170 million will be needed before the courts can finish their mandate, to charge senior leaders of the regime with atrocity crimes.
“We are proposing a little bit more time and quite a bit more money, but this is to fill the gap that currently exists,” UN tribunal spokesman Peter Foster said. “What we are asking for is support for the Victim Unit, for translation and interpretation and audio visual and other services that are essential for us to complete our mandate.”
The request would take the tribunal through March 2011, Foster said. As many as 12 former senior leaders of the regime could face tribunal charges, he said.
The budget was proposed at a Jan. 5 meeting with donors, but it remains unclear which countries may be willing to contribute.
US officials say they will not fund a tribunal that does not reach international standards.
The tribunal, meanwhile, continued with trial proceedings of already jailed leaders.
Former ideologue Nuon Chea appeared before tribunal judges Thursday, arguing he should be released ahead of his atrocity crimes trial.
“I have no intention of fleeing my dear mother land,” he told judges. “I have no intention of putting pressure on witnesses and influencing them.”
The full-day hearing—the second to be held by the tribunal so far—was adjourned and will continue Friday, when a decision is expected from Pre-Trial Chamber judges.
(Mean Veasna and Heng Reaksmey in Phnom Penh contributed to this report.)
Former Khmer Rouge military commander Sam Bith joined former foreign minister Ieng Sary in Phnom Penh’s Calmette Hospital, as jailed ideologue Nuon Chea appeared for a bail hearing Thursday morning.
Sam Bith was in critical condition, hospital officials said Thursday, declining to elaborate.
Sam Bith, who was given a government advisory position after his defection from the Khmer Rouge, has not been charged by the tribunal.
He is serving a life sentence for his role in the murder of three Western backpackers in 1994.
Sam Bith’s hospitalization added to worries that the aging former leaders of the Khmer Rouge will die without seeing atrocity crimes trials.
Tribunal administrators, meanwhile, sought to allay worries that the tribunal will run out of time and money before trials can be conducted, by asking donors to triple the courts’ budget.
The tribunal’s initial $56 million budget was too low, and up to $170 million will be needed before the courts can finish their mandate, to charge senior leaders of the regime with atrocity crimes.
“We are proposing a little bit more time and quite a bit more money, but this is to fill the gap that currently exists,” UN tribunal spokesman Peter Foster said. “What we are asking for is support for the Victim Unit, for translation and interpretation and audio visual and other services that are essential for us to complete our mandate.”
The request would take the tribunal through March 2011, Foster said. As many as 12 former senior leaders of the regime could face tribunal charges, he said.
The budget was proposed at a Jan. 5 meeting with donors, but it remains unclear which countries may be willing to contribute.
US officials say they will not fund a tribunal that does not reach international standards.
The tribunal, meanwhile, continued with trial proceedings of already jailed leaders.
Former ideologue Nuon Chea appeared before tribunal judges Thursday, arguing he should be released ahead of his atrocity crimes trial.
“I have no intention of fleeing my dear mother land,” he told judges. “I have no intention of putting pressure on witnesses and influencing them.”
The full-day hearing—the second to be held by the tribunal so far—was adjourned and will continue Friday, when a decision is expected from Pre-Trial Chamber judges.
(Mean Veasna and Heng Reaksmey in Phnom Penh contributed to this report.)
7 comments:
US officials say they will not fund a tribunal that does not reach international standards.
Big question mark for "International Standards", is it the Universal International Standards that every nations shall abide or the kind of "USA International Standards" that applied at camp delta where many have been hold, locked up [without any charges] and denied access to their representatives or legal team.
I think this trial mismanages their budget. why need a lot of money? Look at Hanoi and China conducts the trial, just hang them all. They are all committing the crime. So why spent too much money on this stupid trial?
5:53 AM: So why spent too much money on this stupid trial?
Well, one may have to ask people who pushed for the ECCC. Certainly the RGC would like to see justice for innocent lives lost during the 1975-79 regime, but they know they don't have such money to spend and on the other hand they committed themselves along with the promise of fundings by UN and international community's arrangement, therefore the UN and international community cannot simply back out if they want to see the court complete their mandate - trials of those leaders who are responsible.
WHY THE WEST COUNTRIES MUST PAY THIS TRAIL WITHOUT INTERNATIONAL STANDARD LIKE IN GERMANY after 1945? Why always the Westerners?
Why China and Hanoi don´t pay for this?
$170,000,000.00 That's a lot. We can built 5 river crossing bridges with that money!!!!
Justice don't come cheap,Especially KR in CCP non have been arrested yet, we need missile and this not cheap either. $170,000,000.00 =170 missiles that quite right.
What if the holocaust was a hoax?
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