France provides help to the Khmer Rouge TribunalFriday, April 25, 2008
By J.M. Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Luc Sâr
France provided an additional grant of $1 million to the Khmer Rouge Tribunal. The announce was made by Rama Yade, France’s Secretary of State in charge of Foreign Affairs and Human Rights, during a press conference held on Friday 25 April, at the French embassy in Phnom Penh.
The secretary of state was on a 3-day official visit in the kingdom. One portion of this visit was dedicated to the Khmer Rouge Tribunal (KRT). Rama Yade reminded that “France was the second largest donor to the tribunal after Japan,” and that international justice was one of the priorities of France’s action overseas. “This tribunal also has a strong French influence, in particular, with the justice system based on the French law system,” she said.
For all these reasons, France reaffirms its engagement to the KRT, and provides an additional grant of $1 million for the 2008 operation. 75% of this amount will be directed to the international budget. This announcement is good news for the KRT which is still looking for an additional budget of more than $100 million in order to operate until 2011. Donor countries are still waiting for a detailed budget from the KRT before they proceed to the funding. The announcement will be made in May.
Regarding the recent news on the KRT, Rama Yade declined to “provide comments” regarding the outburst of Jacques Vergès, last Wednesday, during his client’s appeal hearing.
With a lot of prudence, Rama Yade also touched on the thorny human rights issue in the kingdom. She only said that she met both human rights defense groups and members of the government, including Hun Sen. She did not provide any public judgment on this issue, saying only that Cambodia is a “land of contrast.” On Friday morning, the timing was not reserved for thundering declarations, but it was in fact filled with diplomatic talks. However, the goal of this visit, as Rama Yade said it, wasn’t it for “re-launching the political dialog, as well as the economic and cultural exchange” between the two countries?
The secretary of state was on a 3-day official visit in the kingdom. One portion of this visit was dedicated to the Khmer Rouge Tribunal (KRT). Rama Yade reminded that “France was the second largest donor to the tribunal after Japan,” and that international justice was one of the priorities of France’s action overseas. “This tribunal also has a strong French influence, in particular, with the justice system based on the French law system,” she said.
For all these reasons, France reaffirms its engagement to the KRT, and provides an additional grant of $1 million for the 2008 operation. 75% of this amount will be directed to the international budget. This announcement is good news for the KRT which is still looking for an additional budget of more than $100 million in order to operate until 2011. Donor countries are still waiting for a detailed budget from the KRT before they proceed to the funding. The announcement will be made in May.
Regarding the recent news on the KRT, Rama Yade declined to “provide comments” regarding the outburst of Jacques Vergès, last Wednesday, during his client’s appeal hearing.
With a lot of prudence, Rama Yade also touched on the thorny human rights issue in the kingdom. She only said that she met both human rights defense groups and members of the government, including Hun Sen. She did not provide any public judgment on this issue, saying only that Cambodia is a “land of contrast.” On Friday morning, the timing was not reserved for thundering declarations, but it was in fact filled with diplomatic talks. However, the goal of this visit, as Rama Yade said it, wasn’t it for “re-launching the political dialog, as well as the economic and cultural exchange” between the two countries?
7 comments:
Thank you everyone for the great job in moving all of our human rights issue into history book. No one could ever done it faster.
the article has nothing to do with the topic. hmmmm??????
Mr.12:40PM
Your statement has inadvertently turned our Prime Minister Hun Sen and other Cambodian leaders into liars and cheats. They have signed the Paris Peace Agreements under which they have untertaken to observe and respect human rights. They have also made our Constitution which recognises, guarantees and protects human rights and they have taken and oath to abide by this constitution.
In 1789 the French people, in their Declaration of the rights of man and the citizen, considered that " ignorance, forgetfulness, or contempt of the rights of man are the sole causes of public miseries and the corruption of governments".
Cambodia was ruled by France for 90 years, but its elite has never learned this truth, and its people have suffered the worst "public miseries" in its history when its Khmer Rouge rulers became, as US President Jimmy Carter put it in 1978, "the world's worst violators of human rights".
"Public miserie and corruption of governments" have continued to hit the Cambodian people.
Only those who ignore, forget or have contempt for human rights cannot see such miseries and corruption. Human Rights are very much a topical issue in Cambodia. They are not history as yet.
LAO Mong Hay, Hong Kong
LOL, Dr Lao, I think you misunderstood what I said. I meant we solved the human right issue that we have had. I didn't meant that we never had human right issue. According, to the article, the French's Minister of Foreign Affair (Ram Yade) who was in charge of Human Right had spoken to the Human Right Defense groups and members of the government, which included PM Hun Sen, and they didn't bark at us like the Dog (Ghai) did. Therefore, our Human Right issue is not as serious as you saw it. Am I wrong?
Well, evidentially this very same freaking Viet troller @12:40 PM and @3:15 that pretends to be Cambodian speaking out for Cambodian (bark at us like the Dog (Ghai) did?) all over KI-Media here just keeps twisting every word in every twist and turn anybody has anything to say about the Viet-puppet regime in Phom Penh - isn't this the true nature and color of the Viet invader?
Go home Viet!
The world knows you Viet true color already!
Get lost gorilla fucker!
No you Viet pimp/prostitute @9:11PM, GO HOME! Quit prostituting on Khmer's land you whores!
Go home Viet!
Go home freaking "Yuon Katop"!
The world knows you Viet's true color already!
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