By Ek Madra
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen warned Tuesday that putting more Khmer Rouge cadres on trial for crimes committed during Pol Pot's 1975-79 reign of terror could plunge the country back into civil war.
"I would prefer to see this tribunal fail instead of seeing war return to my country," Hun Sen, himself a former Khmer Rouge commander, said a day after the joint U.N.-Cambodian court resumed its trial of Pol Pot's chief torturer.
Duch, former head of the S-21 prison where more than 14,000 "enemies" of the ultra-Maoist revolution died, is the first of five aging senior cadres to face trial 30 years after the end of a regime blamed for 1.7 million deaths in Cambodia.
Human rights groups have used this week's trial to push for investigations of more suspects, arguing that would ensure justice is delivered to millions of victims and survivors.
But Hun Sen, speaking at the opening of an industrial zone in the port of Sihanoukville, said the trials should not go beyond the five charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity.
"If as many as 20 Khmer Rouge are indicted to stand trial and war returns to Cambodia, who will be responsible for that?," he told the audience.
After Duch, the others awaiting trial are "Brother Number Two" Nuon Chea, the regime's ex-president Khieu Samphan and Ieng Sary, its foreign minister, and his wife.
They have denied any wrongdoing. Duch has expressed remorse for his victims, but said he was following orders.
The court admitted in January that a bid to go after more suspects was brushed aside by the Cambodian co-prosecutor, who argued it would not be good for national reconciliation.
A final ruling on the additional cases -- details of which the court has not disclosed but the number of which has been put at six in media reports -- is still pending.
"The issue regarding the jurisdiction of the court and whether or not to have further suspects is complicated," said Helen Jarvis, an Australian working for the tribunal.
The government has denied meddling in the court, but rights activists have long suspected Hun Sen does not want it to dig too deep for fear it will unearth secrets about senior Khmer Rouge figures inside his administration.
Hun Sen, 58, joined the Khmer Rouge during their 1970-75 guerilla war against the U.S.-backed government of General Lon Nol. He rose to be a junior commander and lost an eye in fighting just before the rebels took the capital, Phnom Penh.
He has said he defected to Vietnam in mid-1977 and played no part in Pol Pot's bloody agrarian revolution, in which an estimated 1.7 million people, or a third of the population, died.
Vietnamese troops invaded in late 1978 and installed a communist government made up mostly of former Khmer Rouge cadres including Hun Sen, who became premier in 1985.
Analysts said Hun Sen's opposition to expanding the tribunal's work may reflect his concerns former Khmer Rouge commanders will flee back to the jungle and fight any move to arrest them.
Pol Pot's death in 1998 was followed by a formal Khmer Rouge surrender that helped usher in a decade of peace and stability, threatened now by the global economic downturn.
(Writing by Darren Schuettler; Editing by Jerry Norton)
"I would prefer to see this tribunal fail instead of seeing war return to my country," Hun Sen, himself a former Khmer Rouge commander, said a day after the joint U.N.-Cambodian court resumed its trial of Pol Pot's chief torturer.
Duch, former head of the S-21 prison where more than 14,000 "enemies" of the ultra-Maoist revolution died, is the first of five aging senior cadres to face trial 30 years after the end of a regime blamed for 1.7 million deaths in Cambodia.
Human rights groups have used this week's trial to push for investigations of more suspects, arguing that would ensure justice is delivered to millions of victims and survivors.
But Hun Sen, speaking at the opening of an industrial zone in the port of Sihanoukville, said the trials should not go beyond the five charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity.
"If as many as 20 Khmer Rouge are indicted to stand trial and war returns to Cambodia, who will be responsible for that?," he told the audience.
After Duch, the others awaiting trial are "Brother Number Two" Nuon Chea, the regime's ex-president Khieu Samphan and Ieng Sary, its foreign minister, and his wife.
They have denied any wrongdoing. Duch has expressed remorse for his victims, but said he was following orders.
The court admitted in January that a bid to go after more suspects was brushed aside by the Cambodian co-prosecutor, who argued it would not be good for national reconciliation.
A final ruling on the additional cases -- details of which the court has not disclosed but the number of which has been put at six in media reports -- is still pending.
"The issue regarding the jurisdiction of the court and whether or not to have further suspects is complicated," said Helen Jarvis, an Australian working for the tribunal.
The government has denied meddling in the court, but rights activists have long suspected Hun Sen does not want it to dig too deep for fear it will unearth secrets about senior Khmer Rouge figures inside his administration.
Hun Sen, 58, joined the Khmer Rouge during their 1970-75 guerilla war against the U.S.-backed government of General Lon Nol. He rose to be a junior commander and lost an eye in fighting just before the rebels took the capital, Phnom Penh.
He has said he defected to Vietnam in mid-1977 and played no part in Pol Pot's bloody agrarian revolution, in which an estimated 1.7 million people, or a third of the population, died.
Vietnamese troops invaded in late 1978 and installed a communist government made up mostly of former Khmer Rouge cadres including Hun Sen, who became premier in 1985.
Analysts said Hun Sen's opposition to expanding the tribunal's work may reflect his concerns former Khmer Rouge commanders will flee back to the jungle and fight any move to arrest them.
Pol Pot's death in 1998 was followed by a formal Khmer Rouge surrender that helped usher in a decade of peace and stability, threatened now by the global economic downturn.
(Writing by Darren Schuettler; Editing by Jerry Norton)
17 comments:
Why did the blind dog said that?
No one can't create war if those has no power like HUN SEN.
Only HUN SEN can make rain and wind.
Hun Shit needs to educated!!!
KhmerPP,
On the one hand high level officials scream of the injustice done to Cambodia for recently being categorized near the top of the EIU's Instability index (to civil unrest from the current economic crisis); and now here the PM claims that a trial of some 2nd tier cadre, who are innocent until proven guilty, will after 30 years (& no ideological basis left, or external backers) bring the country to civil war. Does the government have so little faith in its ability to keep the country secure if the trial is expanded? And if the government does perceive this as a genuine risk, then they know who to direct their attention to in order to lessen that risk, and they have time to do this.
Oh Why is HUN SEN so ignorant???
No one can make war beside him.
We also need to try HUN SEN as well.
United Khmer,
Obviously, he don't care about history, what happened, or does he care about his people, country or justice owed to the nation.
Maybe justice trial him and his regime SOON. And i don't mean the a UN.
If he cares enough to bring Cambodia into justice he shouldn't threat his words like that.
I don't think this guy work for the sake of the country. If he is not afraid why on earth he has such an excuses about this and that. If he wasn't involved, why not let them trial the rest of left over KRs.
I would blame the justice if you have done nothing wrong.
Is this how Khmer's leader done to their country??
Come on HUN SEN think logic!!
United Khmer,
I would encourage the UN to trial them all. Because if Cambodia don't do it there will be a waste and it will haunt us back and forth.
Khmer Kandal,
Hun Sen is Pol Pot Version2. If you bring all the TOP KR who is responsible (include all goal leader) for the genocide it is justice to Khmer people all around the world. So whoever the additional 6 member the tribunal think of extending they SHOULD MAKE IT HAPPEN ASAP.
There WON'T BE ANY CIVIL WAR as Ah Kwak Hun Sen claimed. Instead there WILL BE CELEBRATION OF JUSTICE for Cambodia.
We are waiting as Khmer for the Tribunal to bring this justice that we waited for more then 30 years.
If Hun Sen want/talk of creating civil war. He should be brought to the court to answer his inttention for this reasoning & the plendering of international funds if the tribunal failed and should be gaol if found guilty. It make the international communities and the UN a clone if they allow Hun Sen to dictate this.
Like Sam Rainsy and his members said. Ho Vann or Son Chhay said, these modern day no one wants to make war. It is time to keep the country ahead in term of lifting national interest such as political, economical and stability.
And it is baseless, ignorant and uneducated for a leader to instigate such comments.
KhmerPP,
6:24 PM
Cambodia is the Country of Khmers, but first the Khmers inside. They can decide their own future. Khmer live outside Cambodia are also nationalist and patriotic, only a small part are very arrogant, behave like "Caucasian-Khmer."
I wish the tribunal will bring all the Khmer Rough Leaders including those who foreigners, such as USA, USSR, China and VN.
Ah Hun Sen is the want to blame.
He should be try as well.
Khmen Thai Border,
Hun Sen always makes these threats. He does not want the KR Tribunal to investigate more people simply because he is one of the people that should also be trialed alongside that of King Sihanouk. They were both responsible to the what happened during the genocide times of Cambodia. Various members of his administration are responsible for what happened. Not only 5 people are responsible for the genocide there are still many still alive and are CPP Government Offices! If you really want to get to the root cause of the Khmer Rouge Trial, Hun Sen and Sihanouk should be arrested and trialed!
ហ៊ុនសែន ជាស៊ីម ហេងសំរិន ក៏មានពាក់ព័ន្ឋនឹងរឿងសម្លាប់មនុស្សដែរ។ ប្រជាជន ដែលបានបណ្តេញចេញពីក្រុងភ្នំពេញ និងក្រុងកំពង់ចាម ត្រូវបានពួកនេះ យកទៅសម្លាប់ភ្លាមៗ កាលបើបានដឹងអំពីប្រវត្តិពិត របស់ជនរងគ្រោះ ថាជាទាហាន ជាអាវុធហត្ថ ជាប៉ូលីស ឫជាកុម្មង់ដូ។ បន្ទាប់មក គ្រប់អ្នករដ្ឋការស៊ីវិល មានគ្រូ ជាដើមត្រូវយកទៅរៀនសូត្រ។ ក្នុងចំពូកទី២នេះ អ្នកខ្លះក៏បានមកវិញ ខ្លះក៏បាត់រហូត។
We need fully cooperation with PM, why war will be happenning just get those mad killers for trials. Lets be honest, Cambodia would be strongly united when this wounded is healed.
Agree with you 4:41AM!
Cambodia has gone a long way for national reconciliation and now this self-righteous human right activists would put Cambodia in danger of another civil conflict just because it makes them feel like they are doing good for humanity. Well, they aren't. Just look at who left Cambodia for death once again in the 80's in the documentary Cambodia the betrayal. These same saint-wannabe devils were the ones that caused Khmer all the astrocities and now they want justice?
This thing is just a puppet show for them.
We Khmer need to be smart about this. THe country became one again when we forgave each other. That's how the last of the Khmer Rouge surrendered and reintegrated back into normal society.
This guy named hun sen still thinks he can fool khmer people with his nonsense barkings. A Threat of Another CIvil War? Bring it on Mr hun sen!!! You think you can silence khme people by resorting to war and genocide, or are you looking to joining your communist boss in vietnam or china to commit another genocide? Come on mr hun sen! Bring it on! No one is afraid of your threat. If you the pm of cambodia, and you alone is threatening to go to war with cambodian people, who do you think will lose? I'll put my bet on the cambodian people side. Now run to your boss in viet or china begging for support...
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