By SOPHENG CHEANG
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Thousands of Cambodians celebrated Wednesday the fall of the murderous Khmer Rouge regime 30 years ago as a UN-backed tribunal prepared to finally try some of its key leaders for crimes against humanity.
More than 40,000 people packed Phnom Penh's Olympic Stadium for speeches and a parade to mark the day Vietnamese forces entered the capital to oust the ultra-communists from power.
Despite the deaths of 1.7 million or more Cambodians during the Khmer Rouge's 1975-79 rule, none of the surviving leaders have yet faced justice.
One of the accused — Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, who headed the Khmer Rouge's largest torture center — is expected to take the stand in March, said co-prosecutor Robert Petit, adding that the trial is expected to take three to four months.
But the other four, all of them aging and ailing, probably won't be tried until 2010 or later.
Tribunal spokeswoman Helen Jarvis said Tuesday that they would hold a procedural meeting next week.
Although this year's celebration — dubbed "Victory over Genocide" — was the largest ever, keynote speaker and Senate President Chea Sim made no mention of the tribunal.
The Cambodian government, whose top leaders served in the Khmer Rouge ranks before defecting, has been accused of foot-dragging on the trial.
"After 30 years, no one has been tried, convicted or sentenced for the crimes of one of the bloodiest regimes of the 20th century," the New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a release Monday.
"This is no accident. For more than a decade, China and the United States blocked efforts at accountability, and for the past decade (Prime Minister) Hun Sen has done his best to thwart justice," it said.
China was a key supporter of the Khmer Rouge and then the United States backed a post-1979 insurgency, which included Khmer Rouge guerrillas who fought the Vietnamese-installed government in Phnom Penh.
The Khmer Rouge finally fell apart in 1998 after the death of its leader Pol Pot.
Chea Sim said that the legacy of the Khmer Rouge era has yet to be erased in Cambodia, where peace, nonviolence and a sense of self-confidence were still needed. He also noted that 30 percent of the people were still living below the poverty line.
"I am happy to join in the ceremony today because on Jan. 7 my second life began," said a 59-year-old farmer, Im Oun. She said her father and sister both died of starvation during the Khmer Rouge period, when the country was turned into a vast slave labor camp.
"I want to see Khmer Rouge leaders prosecuted as soon as possible because they are getting old now," she said.
More than 40,000 people packed Phnom Penh's Olympic Stadium for speeches and a parade to mark the day Vietnamese forces entered the capital to oust the ultra-communists from power.
Despite the deaths of 1.7 million or more Cambodians during the Khmer Rouge's 1975-79 rule, none of the surviving leaders have yet faced justice.
One of the accused — Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, who headed the Khmer Rouge's largest torture center — is expected to take the stand in March, said co-prosecutor Robert Petit, adding that the trial is expected to take three to four months.
But the other four, all of them aging and ailing, probably won't be tried until 2010 or later.
Tribunal spokeswoman Helen Jarvis said Tuesday that they would hold a procedural meeting next week.
Although this year's celebration — dubbed "Victory over Genocide" — was the largest ever, keynote speaker and Senate President Chea Sim made no mention of the tribunal.
The Cambodian government, whose top leaders served in the Khmer Rouge ranks before defecting, has been accused of foot-dragging on the trial.
"After 30 years, no one has been tried, convicted or sentenced for the crimes of one of the bloodiest regimes of the 20th century," the New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a release Monday.
"This is no accident. For more than a decade, China and the United States blocked efforts at accountability, and for the past decade (Prime Minister) Hun Sen has done his best to thwart justice," it said.
China was a key supporter of the Khmer Rouge and then the United States backed a post-1979 insurgency, which included Khmer Rouge guerrillas who fought the Vietnamese-installed government in Phnom Penh.
The Khmer Rouge finally fell apart in 1998 after the death of its leader Pol Pot.
Chea Sim said that the legacy of the Khmer Rouge era has yet to be erased in Cambodia, where peace, nonviolence and a sense of self-confidence were still needed. He also noted that 30 percent of the people were still living below the poverty line.
"I am happy to join in the ceremony today because on Jan. 7 my second life began," said a 59-year-old farmer, Im Oun. She said her father and sister both died of starvation during the Khmer Rouge period, when the country was turned into a vast slave labor camp.
"I want to see Khmer Rouge leaders prosecuted as soon as possible because they are getting old now," she said.
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ប្រវត្តិវិលវង់ (បទកាកគតិ)
ប៉ុលពតសិស្សយួន.......
ហ៊ុនសែនក៏.....យួន បានដើរតាមក្បួន អុងយួនដាយវៀត
សម្លាប់អស់មនុស្ស រើរុះផ្ទះទៀត រួចខំប្រើស្នៀត
ធ្វើទាស់ទែងគ្នា ។
យកលេសពឹងយួន ដែលបានត្រៀមខ្លួន ចូលលុកកម្ពុជា
បង្កប់ដាក់ទ័ព ពាសពេញភារា លេបយកកម្ពុជា
ទាំងមូលតែម្តង ។
បោកថារំដោះ ជាតិខ្មែរឲ្យរស់ ពីយក្សយង់ឃ្នង
តាមពិតចូលយក សមតាមបំណង ដែលយួនប៉ុនប៉ង
ជាយូរមកហើយ ។
ខ្មែរបានរួចរស់ ដឹងគុណជ្រុលហួស ភ្លេចខ្លួនលោកអើយ
មិនយល់ល្បិចគេ រិះរេយូរហើយ បំភ័ន្តមុខក្រោយ
ឲ្យខ្មែរបែកបាក់ ។
ពាក្យស្លោកមួយឃ្លា យួនប្រៀនសាសន៍វា មានចិត្តស្មោះស្ម័ក្រ
វាយយកស្រុកខ្មែរ ហូរហែឥតអាក់ ចូរឯងជឿជាក់
កុំនៅសង្ស័យ ។
ឈ្នះបានត្រួតត្រា បើចាញ់ពេលណា បានធ្វើសេដ្ឋី
យ៉ាងហោចបំផុត បានពង្រីកដី ស្លាប់ទៅក្នុងន័យ
អ្នកស្នេហាជាតិ ។
ចុះកូនខ្មែរយើង បានអ្វីលើកឡើង ជូនកូនផៅញាតិ
បានត្រឹមតែថា សាមគ្គីថែមទៀត ក្នុងសង្គមជាតិ
រវាតប្រេះឆា ។
អយុត្តិធម៌ អ្នកមានអ្នកក្រ មាក់ងាយហៅមហា
និន្ទាឈ្នានិះ ជាន់ជិះឫស្យា គ្មានទេពាក្យថា
មេត្តាសន្តោស ។
យួនត្រួតត្រាខ្មែរ បញ្ចូលហូរហែ សាសន៍គេច្រើនហួស
នាំយកភោគផល ភោគជលឥតលោះ ត្រីឈើស្រស់ៗ
លូតលាស់មិនទាន់ ។
ត្រួតដប់ឆ្នាំប្លាយ ប្រជាអត់បាយ មន្ត្រីអ្នកមាន
លក់សម្បត្តិជាតិ អាគារវិមាន ប្រមូលធនធាន
ជាស្ថានផងខ្លួន ។
ពួកពុករលួយ លូតលាស់បោះពួយ លើកស្ទួយបំពួន
អំណាចក្បត់រាស្ត្រ បោកប្រាសដោយយួន សម្លាប់ផ្ទួនៗ
ឲ្យយួនគាប់ចិត្ត ។
នៅក្នុងរាជយួន ខ្មែរមួយចំនួន ថែធួនជាតិពិត
ប្រទូស្ត្រមិត្តខ្លួន ពុំស្តាយជីវិត ព្រោះនៅក្នុងចិត្ត
ស្នេហ៍ស្និតខេមរា ។
លោកអ្នកអស់ហ្នឹង កូនខ្មែរបានដឹង ច្បាស់នឹងនេត្រា
សន្តានចិត្តលោក ស្មោះនឹងប្រជា ពុំខ្លាចជីវ៉ា
សង្ខាក្ស័យឡើយ។
យើងសូមគោរព ទោះចាកចោលភព ទៅស្ថានផ្សេងហើយ
យើងសូមឧទ្ទិស កុសលបានស្បើយ ជួបស្ថានសុខអើយ
ជារៀងរហូត ។
២៥ មករា ១៩៩៦
ស.យ.មករា
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