Kayla Hutzler
The Quadrangle (Manhattan College)
When people attend a Cambodian Genocide symposium, most are expecting to hear story of heart-wrenching despair about the victims. However, at his lecture "Genocide in World History" on Feb. 24th Ben Kiernan introduced about 35 students to another side of genocide - the side of the leaders and their consequences.
Kiernan wrote six names on the board, one up higher and then next five a few inches lower in list form. Those were the names of six influential leaders of the Khmer Rouge. Pol Pot was the infamous leader who is now dead. The other five however are currently awaiting trials in Cambodia before an international criminal tribunal. This is a government composed of UN and Cambodian judges, where neither group of judges can make a decision on their own.
Duch was the second name that appeared on the board. He controlled Tuol Sleng prison, a prison/death camp, where he was responsible for the murder of at least 14,000 people. Towards the end of Khmer Rouge command, Duch was told by Nuon Chea to destroy the documents and photos they had taken at Tuol Sleng. (Nuon Chea was a chief decision maker in the Khmer Rouge.)
However, Kiernan explained, Duch killed the last of the prisoners and never had time to destroy the documentation. This has resulted in about 4,000 photo negatives being found, a large part of evidence against them.
Duch; Khieu Samphan, who was head of state; Ieng Sary, the former foreign minister; and his wife Ieng Thirith, who was involved in the Khmer Rouge Central Committee, have all been imprisoned for the past ten years. Duch's trial began last week, and it is believed that he will release incrimination information about other Khmer Rouge leaders.
While some formal charges have been lodged against these leaders, it is not yet known what they will be charged with. The prosecutors seem to have enough evidence to ensure they receive charges of crimes against humanity, forced labor, crimes against political parties and war crimes.
Unfortunately, to charge them with genocide is an extremely large task explained Kiernan. The genocide convention act requires that the alleged group must prove to have deliberately attempted to destroy an entire group of people.
This appears to be the case, as they murdered almost every Vietnamese, Chinese, and Muslim person. However, Keirnan seemed skeptical as to whether or not there was enough evidence to charge the remaining five leaders with genocide.
A large concern of Kiernan and many of the Cambodian Genocide survivors is that the ECCC (Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia) will run out of money before all the leaders are put on trial. The mixed tribunal and the ECCC do not receive nearly enough funds to continue working through the evidence and putting on the trials. A large concern is they will run out of money before all five can be rightfully charged.
Kiernan spent the rest of his time explaining history of the Khmer Rouge, something a few of the confused students found great relief in. While getting heavily into the current day issues of legality and punishing the leaders, many students still seemed to be wondering exactly what it is they had done, and how this had occurred in such a recent age.
The Q+A time proved to be the moment most students will remember and take with them. As students were asking questions, an older Cambodian raised his hand, and in a foreign language spoke with Kiernan, who then translated. He explained that he and two of the gentlemen with him were Cambodian Genocide survivors and that everything he said was entirely true, and he genuinely thanked him.
Kiernan wrote six names on the board, one up higher and then next five a few inches lower in list form. Those were the names of six influential leaders of the Khmer Rouge. Pol Pot was the infamous leader who is now dead. The other five however are currently awaiting trials in Cambodia before an international criminal tribunal. This is a government composed of UN and Cambodian judges, where neither group of judges can make a decision on their own.
Duch was the second name that appeared on the board. He controlled Tuol Sleng prison, a prison/death camp, where he was responsible for the murder of at least 14,000 people. Towards the end of Khmer Rouge command, Duch was told by Nuon Chea to destroy the documents and photos they had taken at Tuol Sleng. (Nuon Chea was a chief decision maker in the Khmer Rouge.)
However, Kiernan explained, Duch killed the last of the prisoners and never had time to destroy the documentation. This has resulted in about 4,000 photo negatives being found, a large part of evidence against them.
Duch; Khieu Samphan, who was head of state; Ieng Sary, the former foreign minister; and his wife Ieng Thirith, who was involved in the Khmer Rouge Central Committee, have all been imprisoned for the past ten years. Duch's trial began last week, and it is believed that he will release incrimination information about other Khmer Rouge leaders.
While some formal charges have been lodged against these leaders, it is not yet known what they will be charged with. The prosecutors seem to have enough evidence to ensure they receive charges of crimes against humanity, forced labor, crimes against political parties and war crimes.
Unfortunately, to charge them with genocide is an extremely large task explained Kiernan. The genocide convention act requires that the alleged group must prove to have deliberately attempted to destroy an entire group of people.
This appears to be the case, as they murdered almost every Vietnamese, Chinese, and Muslim person. However, Keirnan seemed skeptical as to whether or not there was enough evidence to charge the remaining five leaders with genocide.
A large concern of Kiernan and many of the Cambodian Genocide survivors is that the ECCC (Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia) will run out of money before all the leaders are put on trial. The mixed tribunal and the ECCC do not receive nearly enough funds to continue working through the evidence and putting on the trials. A large concern is they will run out of money before all five can be rightfully charged.
Kiernan spent the rest of his time explaining history of the Khmer Rouge, something a few of the confused students found great relief in. While getting heavily into the current day issues of legality and punishing the leaders, many students still seemed to be wondering exactly what it is they had done, and how this had occurred in such a recent age.
The Q+A time proved to be the moment most students will remember and take with them. As students were asking questions, an older Cambodian raised his hand, and in a foreign language spoke with Kiernan, who then translated. He explained that he and two of the gentlemen with him were Cambodian Genocide survivors and that everything he said was entirely true, and he genuinely thanked him.
6 comments:
Noun Chea perhaps was the dumbest one in the family. No one really knew where he was or what he was doing. He was always in people's bizzar talk of secret. Little did they know, he turned out to be such a murderer. No symphathy for a very sick man.
Ben Kiernan invented the KR history.
you can read it at http://khmer-heroes.blogspot.com
i haven't read much of mr. kiernan's work, however from a brief peek into his work, i think mr. kiernan was focusing more on the ethnic minority rights in cambodia, especially during the KR era, and thus tend to forget or misleading his readers that only ethnic minorities are the ones to suffered or was targeted by the KR regime. not true, mr. kiernan because more khmer people, the ethnic majority group of people in cambodia perished under this stupid KR regime. so, for him to just focus more on the minority's rights durign that time was so distorted and misleading altogether because it is like ignoring or being biased against the majority khmer people who were targeted and killed under the KR regime. so, mr. kiernan needs to be fair and just to khmer people in his work. don't forget to mention or make note that the KR did not discriminate in their killing spree; in fact millions of famous, educated khmer people were targeted more than others during that dark period. mr. kiernan needs to know the truth and just because he is married to a vietnamese person doesn't give him the right to be bias and in favor of this wife's race more than khmer people. hello! please know the truth! thank you.
Kiernan has dedicated his life to a career in academic studies regarding the history of the KR. He arguably knows more than anyone on the planet concerning this period in Cambodian's history. He should be applauded for his efforts.
Racist, nationalist, moronic behavior is the norm on this site.
12:56PM if a fool dedicated to wrong think it still fucking fool and wrong!
Racist is yourself, may god punish the evil like you!
Kiernan was a Khmer Rouge's Cheerleader in 1975. After that he made a career writing books about Cambodia. He is one of the academics responsable of the KR takeover for the moral support that they gave to them in the Academic World and the Media.
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