DPA
Phnom Penh - A top judge at Cambodia's UN-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal said Monday lack of international funding meant the court would be unable to pay its domestic staff salaries this month. Kong Srim, president of the tribunal's Supreme Court Chamber, told a plenary session of tribunal judges in Phnom Penh that the international donor shortfall had put the Cambodian side of the hybrid court in a dire financial position.
"Unfortunately the national side of the court will not have sufficient funds for the staff salaries this month," he said.
"I see this as our most important challenge, as it seems hardly reasonable for judicial officers and staff to be expected to continue working without remuneration."
Five former Khmer Rouge leaders are currently facing trial for their roles in the deaths of up to 2 million people through execution, starvation or overwork during the Maoist group's 1975-79 reign.
Millions of dollars worth of UN funding for the domestic side of the court was frozen in July after a series of allegations that Cambodian staff were forced to pay kickbacks to some of their superiors.
A UN review of the allegations was sent to the Cambodian government in September, but it was made not public.
The UN said funding would be withheld until a satisfactory investigation of the allegations was completed.
The UN side of the court was not affected by the funding freeze, but the domestic side has since relied on tentative funding arrangements with individual donors, such as Japan, Australia, France and the United States.
Peter Taksoe-Jensen, UN assistant secretary-general for legal affairs, met with Cambodian government officials in Phnom Penh last week to discuss the investigation's progress.
"Following the most positive outcome of the meeting between the assistant secretary-general and the deputy prime minister we are confident this problem will be shortly resolved," Kong Srim said.
International judge Silvia Cartwright, who is a former New Zealand governor-general, told the session that the court needed to operate in an open, transparent and "corruption-free" environment.
"The investigating judges have said that we encourage the Cambodian government and the UN to work together to ensure there be no impediment to the court's progress," she said.
The Khmer Rouge tribunal was established in 2006 after a decade of negotiations between the Cambodian government and the UN.
The trial of former Tuol Sleng torture facility chairman Kaing Guek Eav, known by his revolutionary name Duch, began last month and will resume on March 30.
"Unfortunately the national side of the court will not have sufficient funds for the staff salaries this month," he said.
"I see this as our most important challenge, as it seems hardly reasonable for judicial officers and staff to be expected to continue working without remuneration."
Five former Khmer Rouge leaders are currently facing trial for their roles in the deaths of up to 2 million people through execution, starvation or overwork during the Maoist group's 1975-79 reign.
Millions of dollars worth of UN funding for the domestic side of the court was frozen in July after a series of allegations that Cambodian staff were forced to pay kickbacks to some of their superiors.
A UN review of the allegations was sent to the Cambodian government in September, but it was made not public.
The UN said funding would be withheld until a satisfactory investigation of the allegations was completed.
The UN side of the court was not affected by the funding freeze, but the domestic side has since relied on tentative funding arrangements with individual donors, such as Japan, Australia, France and the United States.
Peter Taksoe-Jensen, UN assistant secretary-general for legal affairs, met with Cambodian government officials in Phnom Penh last week to discuss the investigation's progress.
"Following the most positive outcome of the meeting between the assistant secretary-general and the deputy prime minister we are confident this problem will be shortly resolved," Kong Srim said.
International judge Silvia Cartwright, who is a former New Zealand governor-general, told the session that the court needed to operate in an open, transparent and "corruption-free" environment.
"The investigating judges have said that we encourage the Cambodian government and the UN to work together to ensure there be no impediment to the court's progress," she said.
The Khmer Rouge tribunal was established in 2006 after a decade of negotiations between the Cambodian government and the UN.
The trial of former Tuol Sleng torture facility chairman Kaing Guek Eav, known by his revolutionary name Duch, began last month and will resume on March 30.
8 comments:
How much, how more million dollar do the KR trial corruptedly need? The KR trial is only jokefully decoyed from the start, it can not reasonably bring these cold-bloodly unhuman criminals into justice, 'cause the law is still eternally in their killing hands!
Khmer people must read their history...Viet is behind of all the killing of khmer people!
www.khmer-heroes.blogspot.com/
If you voted for CPP (Cambodian People's Party):
Also known as:
Communist People's Party
Khmer Rouge People's Party
Khmer Krorhorm People's Party
You're support the killing of 1.7 million innocent Khmer peoples in Cambodia.
You're support the killing of innocent men, women and children on March 30, 1997 in Cambodia.
You're support assassination of journalists in Cambodia.
You're support political assassination and killing in Cambodia.
You're support attempted assassination and murder of leader of the free trade union in Cambodia.
You're support corruption in Cambodia.
You're support murder of Piseth Pilika (Hun Sen's affaire).
You're support Hun Sen Regime burn poor people's house down to the ground and leave them homeless.
Hun Sen, Chea Sim and Heng Samrin was a former Khmer Rouge commanders.
Now, Hun Sen, Chea Sim and Heng Samrin are Khmer Rouge leaders, since their leader (Pol Pot) is dead.
From 1975 to 1979, these Khmer Rouge commanders responsible for killing 1.7 million innocent Khmer peoples in Cambodia.
From 1980 to present, these Khmer Rouge leaders responsible for killing innocent men, women and children on March 30, 1997, assassinated journalists, political assassination and killing, murder of Piseth Pilika (Hun Sen's affaire) and attempted assassinated and murder of leader of the free trade union in Cambodia.
When is the ECCC going to bring these three criminals to U.N. Khmer Rouge Tribunal?
Khmer Rouge Regime is a genocide organization.
Hun Sen Regime is a terrorist organization.
Hun Sen Bodyguards is a terrorist organization.
Hun Sen Death Squad is a terrorist organization.
Cambodian People's Party is a terrorist organization.
I have declare the current Cambodian government which is lead by the Cambodian People's Party as a terrorist organization.
Whoever associate with the current Cambodian government are associate with a terrorist organization.
Hun Sen's government committed:
Human Rights Abuses
Human Trafficking
Under Age Child Sex
Drugs Trafficking
Intimidation
Death Threat
Assassination
Murder
Killing
Terrorism
Mass Eviction, by burn poor people's house down to the ground and leave them homeless.
Land Grabbing
Corruptions
Injustice
Illegal Firearms
Illegal Logging
Steal Votes
Violates the Constitution
These are the Trade Marks of Hun Sen Regime.
Under Hun Sen Regime, no criminals that has been committed murder and all other crimes within Hun Sen's government ever been brought to justice.
Information change without notice as it become available.
This is the strategy it seem.They dragged the trial on and on and no end in sight so they can make money on it.We heard one judge make at least $5000.00/month.With that much money ,who want to stop the trial.It became business as usual.
1.7 millions death are enough as evidences to hang those 5 defendants .Beside,the trial itself was not even fair from the beginning.One principal of the architect of the KR victory is not there.
Since you want to know who are the achitect of this trial. read my share with KY.
I Swear what I wrote in here are true whether you Cambodians believe me or not.
"Are you just learning how to write your Essay, KY?
The Problems in Cambodia linked to only Vietnamese involvement no on elese but the Vietnamese.
The Vietnamese created Khmer Rouge in 1930's, and King Sihanouk sought China & De Gaule for advices how to defend Cambodia from the aggressive Communist Vietnam. The new group of Khmer Rouge like Hou Yun, Hou Nim, Kheiv Sasmphan then infiltrated in Viet-Khmer Rouge. The Vietnamese KNEW everything because they have too many well trained spies from Vietnam just they have too many spies today.
The Vietnamese were able to make Khmers kill each other and lured Pol Pot to enter Vietnam with his smal campaign, and there the Vietnamese did use it to invade Cambodia.
The Vietnamese can make one of their spies look just like one of you and spoke via radio just like one of you.
I am telling you because I see you Cambodians are still suffering and cannot stop killing each others.
If you kill Hun Sen the Vietnamese will produce many more Hun Sen.
Vietnamese Doctors for plastic surgery are best but you don't hear on the News.
Did you see this Khmer Rouge trial only Khmer Rouge spies from China stand trial? These people did not even know where was their angka Leu. It was Hanoi. The Vietnamese were able to make the Khmers kill each others.
K-5 happened I knew from someone who survived. Those Khmers claimed they listened to radio and said King called them? No it was stratey of the Vietnamese to find their enemy. It was not King Sihanouk voice but a fake voice by the Vietnamese spies.
You Cambodians believe me or not I don't care but I knew through a friend whose brother in law is a spie from Vietnam who married to his sister, a rich family in Cambodia. I also knew that one of the Vietnamese spy is working with Global Witness.
For every few Khmers there are at least one or few Vietnamese spies."
If pouk Ah Scam Rainxy has not persistently interfered with the work of the court, everything would have been done long ago.
And KI-Media is great making you Viet leech, big time suckers wanting to come back for more and more....just like the one at 5:27 AM...hehehe!
5:27AM,
Viet-leech from chbar om pov'slum! Pouk Ah Youn-ss, living illegally in cambodia...
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