Sam Rainsy: Ask Sihanouk Why Hor Namhong Is Known as 'Butcher of Boeng Trabek'

(Photo: RFA)

13 May 2008
By B. Veasna
Moneakseka Khmer
Translated from Khmer by Anonymous

Referring to a document he obtained from Tuol Sleng Prison, which was Van Pini's hand-written confession, Sam Rainsy concluded that Hor Namhong certainly was the director of Boeng Trabek Prison, known as K-17 during the time of the Khmer Rouge.

Sam Rainsy explained to reporters during a press conference at the Sam Rainsy Party [SRP] headquarters yesterday morning, "I read the document from Tuol Sleng, or S-21, a confession extracted under torture before killing to such questions as: What did you do? What was your role? This document was written by Van Pini, who was head of K-17 and this K-17, according to research findings, was said to be Boeng Trabek Prison. Van Pini wrote in his own handwriting that he was director of K-17 and Hor Namhong admitted himself to be replacing Van Pini."

Nevertheless, Sam Rainsy stated that concerning the role of Hor Namhong in the Khmer Rouge regime, he did not mention him by name at all. He merely made a vague comment and in particular he just quoted what the former King had already said.

Sam Rainsy said, "I did not even mention the name. I only repeated after Samdech Sihanouk. Samdech Sihanouk when in France said that Hor Namhong was the Butcher of Boeng Trabek Prison."

At the same time, the famous opposition party leader claimed that he had many other documents, including confessions from Tuol Sleng Prison and interviews that witnesses had with Phnom Penh Post in 2001. He said, "There was a Senate member from the FUNCINPEC [National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, and Peaceful Cambodia] Party named Kev Bunthok. She is dead now. She said that when she was a prisoner at Boeng Trabek, Hor Namhong held an important position. He was not just Hor Namhong but the supervisor of political prisoners or former male diplomats while his wife was the supervisor of female prisoners and their son, Hor Sothun, was head of the child prisoners."

Here, Sam Rainsy fully rejected what Hor Namhong usually claimed about his being a common prisoner like other prisoners. Sam Rainsy said that Hor Namhong certainly was not an ordinary person.

Sam Rainsy said, "In the past Hor Namhong admitted that he was head of the prisoners' commission but with the same status as any other prisoner. However, this is not the same thing, for his wife had a role and their son also had a role. And according to Madame Senator Kev Bunthok, she said that every day and every night after work and after eating there were late-night meetings and she said that if a person was accused or reprimanded by Hor Namhong, a couple of days later that person would disappear. Therefore, this role was not ordinary. During the Khmer Rouge period no one could do anything at will and still remained an equal. If a person led a meeting and made accusations against this or that individual and the next day or the next couple of days this or that individual disappeared, then the person was not an ordinary prisoner; he must have something that made him more special than others."

Meanwhile, in response to the summons issued by the Phnom Penh Municipal Tribunal [PPMT] for him to appear in court to answer questions in Hor Namhong's lawsuit on 22 May, the opposition party leader said that he would not comply with this summons and that he demanded that this case be handled by the Khmer Rouge Tribunal [KRT].

Sam Rainsy said, "I am not going to the PPMT; I am going to the court for trying the Khmer Rouge leaders because only the current KRT has the jurisdiction to seek the truth about what was happening during the Khmer Rouge period, how was the leadership structure of the Khmer Rouge, who was responsible for the killings, who accused whom, and who did what? Only the court that tries the Khmer Rouge leaders would know about incidents that took place in the time of the Khmer Rouge. Therefore, I am not going to the PPMT, and if I go to the KRT I will bring along documents. I have all the documents and witnesses in the world. If the witnesses refuse to come to Cambodia for fear of being murdered, they could make affidavits in writing certifying that they were imprisoned in Boeng Trabek Prison and they would testify to what Hor Namhong did when they were jailed at Boeng Trabek."

At the same time, this opposition leader also criticized PPMT for its untrustworthiness, the reason he refused to be tried there.

Sam Rainsy asserted, "The tribunal in Cambodia, you know, even if the truth is so obvious is not going to give you a fair trial. Therefore, I do not trust it and I do not recognize the jurisdiction of the PPMT concerning Hor Namhong's lawsuit against me."

Furthermore, Sam Rainsy also affirmed that the KRT should go see the former King, for he used to say that anyone who wanted to know about the Khmer Rouge should get an audience with him at the royal palace, where he said he knew what Hor Namhong did. Sam Rainsy said, "Samdech Norodom Sihanouk's remarks were in writing. Frankly speaking, Hor Namhong was the Butcher of Boeng Trabek Prison responsible for arranging the killings and among those who died because of such arrangements were Prince Sisowath Methani and Princess Nanique, who was the elder sister of Samdech Princess Norodom Monineath Shanouk. At that time, Samdech Sihanouk talked about the person responsible for the death of Princess Nanique. Therefore, the KRT should ask the former King to just repeat his words."

Concerning the assertion that the PPMT prosecutor issued a summons for Kang Kek-eav, alias Duch and former warden of Tuol Sleng Prison, to appear as a witness for Hor Namhong on 16 May, KRT spokesman Reach Sambath yesterday said that the court had not yet received the summons.