Bob Mcmullan (L), Australian parliamentary secretary for international development assistance, listens to Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An during a news conference in Phnom Penh April 3, 2008. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea Thu Apr 3, 2008
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodia is confident about securing an additional $114 million from donors to pay for the ballooning costs of the Khmer Rouge "Killing Fields" tribunal, senior minister Sok An said on Thursday.
"We will have no problem with the financial support," he told a news conference to announce a pledge of an additional A$500,000 ($459,000) from Australia towards the United Nations-backed proceedings against Pol Pot's top surviving henchmen.
The court had an initial budget of $56 million, and was expected to run for three years. However, it was slow in starting, and is now expected to run over until 2011.
Sok An said the court had enough funds to last until the end of this year.
An estimated 1.7 million died under Pol Pot's 1975-79 reign of terror as the dream of creating an agrarian utopia descended into the nightmare of the "Killing Fields".
Many victims were tortured and executed. The rest died of starvation or disease.
Five top Khmer Rouge cadres have been arrested by the court and charged with war crimes or crimes against humanity.
They are "Brother Number Two" Nuon Chea, former president Khieu Samphan, former foreign minister Ieng Sary and his wife, Ieng Thirith, and Duch, head of Phnom Penh's Tuol Sleng, or "S-21" interrogation and torture centre.
Pol Pot himself died in 1998.
"We will have no problem with the financial support," he told a news conference to announce a pledge of an additional A$500,000 ($459,000) from Australia towards the United Nations-backed proceedings against Pol Pot's top surviving henchmen.
The court had an initial budget of $56 million, and was expected to run for three years. However, it was slow in starting, and is now expected to run over until 2011.
Sok An said the court had enough funds to last until the end of this year.
An estimated 1.7 million died under Pol Pot's 1975-79 reign of terror as the dream of creating an agrarian utopia descended into the nightmare of the "Killing Fields".
Many victims were tortured and executed. The rest died of starvation or disease.
Five top Khmer Rouge cadres have been arrested by the court and charged with war crimes or crimes against humanity.
They are "Brother Number Two" Nuon Chea, former president Khieu Samphan, former foreign minister Ieng Sary and his wife, Ieng Thirith, and Duch, head of Phnom Penh's Tuol Sleng, or "S-21" interrogation and torture centre.
Pol Pot himself died in 1998.
3 comments:
What a waste of money! These murderers would probably die before the trial is over. The money could have been used into something else better than a show-controlled trial to protect others involved, including Hun Sen and a bunch of former Khmer Rouges, including countries who had contributed to the slaughtering of our people,i.e. China, Vietnam, Russia etc..
To me, there is no justice here. Another voice from the victim of the Cambodian Killing Fields.
Chamroeun
I would support if the trial is in Hague. Then there will be justice for all of us victims. As of now, it is in no way justice. Not even close by any mean. Of course, it would make those countries who had previously contributed to the killing of our people feel a bit more better about themselves.
Remember, this is no justice in any shape or form in comparision to the trial in Hague and what happened to those Nazi murderers after world war II. They are being tracked down and prosecuted up until today. We, there are 5.
It just don't worth the cash and the moralility aspect of the victim like myself.
what did he means by no problem?..loco-laidlaw!
??????
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