By GRANT PECK
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — The former schoolteacher accused of being the Khmer Rouge's torture chief told a genocide tribunal Monday that U.S. policies in the 1970s contributed to the brutal communist regime's rise to power.
Kaing Guek Eav (pronounced Gang Geck EE-UU), better known by his nom de guerre Duch, made the observation as part of a detailed account of his personal journey to revolution. Early on, he said, he realized that the Khmer Rouge's activities would end up in a "disaster."
Duch (pronounced Doik) spoke as the U.N.-assisted genocide tribunal began the second week of his trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity, as well as homicide and torture.
Duch, now 66, commanded Phnom Penh's S-21 prison — also known as Tuol Sleng — when the Khmer Rouge held power from 1975-79. As many as 16,000 men, women and children are believed to have been tortured there before being sent to their deaths.
He took the stand last week to deliver a personal statement of remorse, but Monday began his actual testimony, in which he demonstrated a phenomenal memory for detail, reciting without notes people's names and exact dates of activities from four decades ago.
Asked by a judge to put his story in a historical context, he said, — without any apparent intention to justify his actions — that he believed the Khmer Rouge would have died out by 1970 if the United States had not supported Cambodia's military-led government following the 1970 coup d'etat that removed Prince Norodom Sihanouk from power.
He attempted to describe the confusing politics of Cambodia in the late 1960s and early 70s, as the Vietnam War raged on Cambodia' eastern border and the Khmer Rouge tried to recruit peasants and intellectuals angry with Sihanouk's autocratic regime.
"I think the Khmer Rouge would already have been demolished," he said of their status by 1970. "But Mr. Kissinger (the U.S. secretary of state) and Richard Nixon were quick (to back coup leader Gen. Lon Nol), and then the Khmer Rouge noted the golden opportunity."
Because of this alliance, the Khmer Rouge were able to build up their power over the course of their 1970-75 war against the Lon Nol regime, Duch said.
Critics of the U.S. policy say the U.S. agreed to the coup because Washington felt Sihanouk's neutralist policies benefited the communists in Vietnam, who used Cambodian territory as a rear base and a supply line.
But the coup triggered greater Vietnamese communist presence in Cambodia and caused them to vastly increase their support for the Khmer Rouge.
Although the tribunal's mandate covers only the Khmer Rouge time in power — April 17, 1975 to January 6, 1979 — Duch's initial testimony covered an early period when the Khmer Rouge were still fighting for power, and he commanded a jungle jail called M-13.
Duch chose to make his story a personal one, telling how he became interested in politics in 1957 and how in 1964 "decided to join the revolution."
He said his parents were sympathetic to his belief in fighting oppression but afraid because he risked arrest and imprisonment.
"I sacrificed everything to the revolution," he told the court.
When he decided to go to the countryside to become a full-time Khmer Rouge cadre, he went to say goodbye to his parents, he said. "My father was shocked," he recalled, but gave him a lucky wristband. His friends presented him with a watch. Then he left to take his oath of loyalty to the Communist Party of Kampuchea, also known as the Khmer Rouge.
He had been teaching morality to his fellow guerrillas, he recalled, but his abilities were recognized by his superiors, and he was put in charge of interrogation at M-13 in a jungle stronghold.
As prisoners and documents were sent to him, he saw that members of the Khmer Rouge were accusing, arresting and killing each order.
"I said to myself, 'Oh, this is going to be a disaster,'" he testified.
The trial reopened Monday under a cloud of corruption allegations against its personnel.
Peter Taksoe-Jensen, U.N. assistant secretary-general for legal affairs, is visiting Cambodia to meet with government and tribunal officials about allegations that Cambodian personnel taking part in the U.N.-backed tribunal were forced to pay kickbacks to obtain their positions.
Defense lawyers and human rights groups suggest that the allegations, if unanswered, could sink the tribunal's credibility. They also pose a financial threat, since foreign aid donors who provide the budget for Cambodian personnel are withholding their funds pending a resolution of the issue.
Duch is the first senior Khmer Rouge figure to face trial, and the only one to apologize for his actions.
Four more senior leaders of the group are also in custody and expected to be tried sometime over the next year. An estimated 1.7 million Cambodians died from forced labor, starvation, medical neglect and executions under the Khmer Rouge.
Kaing Guek Eav (pronounced Gang Geck EE-UU), better known by his nom de guerre Duch, made the observation as part of a detailed account of his personal journey to revolution. Early on, he said, he realized that the Khmer Rouge's activities would end up in a "disaster."
Duch (pronounced Doik) spoke as the U.N.-assisted genocide tribunal began the second week of his trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity, as well as homicide and torture.
Duch, now 66, commanded Phnom Penh's S-21 prison — also known as Tuol Sleng — when the Khmer Rouge held power from 1975-79. As many as 16,000 men, women and children are believed to have been tortured there before being sent to their deaths.
He took the stand last week to deliver a personal statement of remorse, but Monday began his actual testimony, in which he demonstrated a phenomenal memory for detail, reciting without notes people's names and exact dates of activities from four decades ago.
Asked by a judge to put his story in a historical context, he said, — without any apparent intention to justify his actions — that he believed the Khmer Rouge would have died out by 1970 if the United States had not supported Cambodia's military-led government following the 1970 coup d'etat that removed Prince Norodom Sihanouk from power.
He attempted to describe the confusing politics of Cambodia in the late 1960s and early 70s, as the Vietnam War raged on Cambodia' eastern border and the Khmer Rouge tried to recruit peasants and intellectuals angry with Sihanouk's autocratic regime.
"I think the Khmer Rouge would already have been demolished," he said of their status by 1970. "But Mr. Kissinger (the U.S. secretary of state) and Richard Nixon were quick (to back coup leader Gen. Lon Nol), and then the Khmer Rouge noted the golden opportunity."
Because of this alliance, the Khmer Rouge were able to build up their power over the course of their 1970-75 war against the Lon Nol regime, Duch said.
Critics of the U.S. policy say the U.S. agreed to the coup because Washington felt Sihanouk's neutralist policies benefited the communists in Vietnam, who used Cambodian territory as a rear base and a supply line.
But the coup triggered greater Vietnamese communist presence in Cambodia and caused them to vastly increase their support for the Khmer Rouge.
Although the tribunal's mandate covers only the Khmer Rouge time in power — April 17, 1975 to January 6, 1979 — Duch's initial testimony covered an early period when the Khmer Rouge were still fighting for power, and he commanded a jungle jail called M-13.
Duch chose to make his story a personal one, telling how he became interested in politics in 1957 and how in 1964 "decided to join the revolution."
He said his parents were sympathetic to his belief in fighting oppression but afraid because he risked arrest and imprisonment.
"I sacrificed everything to the revolution," he told the court.
When he decided to go to the countryside to become a full-time Khmer Rouge cadre, he went to say goodbye to his parents, he said. "My father was shocked," he recalled, but gave him a lucky wristband. His friends presented him with a watch. Then he left to take his oath of loyalty to the Communist Party of Kampuchea, also known as the Khmer Rouge.
He had been teaching morality to his fellow guerrillas, he recalled, but his abilities were recognized by his superiors, and he was put in charge of interrogation at M-13 in a jungle stronghold.
As prisoners and documents were sent to him, he saw that members of the Khmer Rouge were accusing, arresting and killing each order.
"I said to myself, 'Oh, this is going to be a disaster,'" he testified.
The trial reopened Monday under a cloud of corruption allegations against its personnel.
Peter Taksoe-Jensen, U.N. assistant secretary-general for legal affairs, is visiting Cambodia to meet with government and tribunal officials about allegations that Cambodian personnel taking part in the U.N.-backed tribunal were forced to pay kickbacks to obtain their positions.
Defense lawyers and human rights groups suggest that the allegations, if unanswered, could sink the tribunal's credibility. They also pose a financial threat, since foreign aid donors who provide the budget for Cambodian personnel are withholding their funds pending a resolution of the issue.
Duch is the first senior Khmer Rouge figure to face trial, and the only one to apologize for his actions.
Four more senior leaders of the group are also in custody and expected to be tried sometime over the next year. An estimated 1.7 million Cambodians died from forced labor, starvation, medical neglect and executions under the Khmer Rouge.
4 comments:
The international community have to research into WHY there were the genocides in Cambodia before and during the KR rule (1975-79)and in other parts of our planet.
World War II was over in 1945. It caused immense devastation, BUT the COLD WAR was more destructive.
Since the start and until the end of Cold War, the number of the world population killed is not less than those killed during the WW2.And, the negative effects of the COLD WAR and its aftermath are still existing.
Because of their divided ideology, people took up arms and killed one another in all part of the world. The world superpowers (Western Bloc (the US) and Eastern Bloc ( The USSR) and China)were playing and testing the world with their political ambitions to control the world by means of waging the COLD WAR.
They provided weapons, money and military support to the divided nations to fight for their ideology that hopefully in the end those nations might fall into their political Blocs.
Cambodia and her people have always been the victims of the COLD WAR, even today.
The Communist China supplied military equipment to the KR and the US backed its satellite regime of Lon Nol to make war with the KR. They set Khmers against Khmers, killing Khmers. The US even bombarded Cambodia, using B-52warplane.
Several thousands of tons of bombs were dropped to kill KRouges, however only every few KR soldiers were destroyed, but large number was the innocent Khmers. The US bombardment was not any winning, but it was just a shameful setback as KR at that time became stronger and more solid militarily, politically and ideologically despite untold hardship they suffered from the air attacks .
Finally the US acts of aggressions were nothing but putting the fuel to the flame of the KR's anger and revenge.
When KR took power in 1975 they start the massacre in retaliation. As the US moved out of Cambodia, the only target of the KR's retaliation was the Pro-Lon Nol Regime Khmer people.
China, Vietnam, the US, the USSR all participated directly and indirectly in the massacre of Khmers.
Reader in Phnom Penh
This motherfucker 4:06pm did not even mention a bit about HO CHI MING trail that was built inside Cambodia or the Vietcong sanctuaries.The HO CHI MING trail was used by the North to attack the South and American Force there.The bombing targets were those trails and those sanctuaries.
You Yankee or Khmer Yankee, yourself did not know, where the Vietcong were after their attacks again US army. Always manipulated the informations to the world and said Vietcong were running into Cambodia only 30 mintues with all military equipments for the distance more than 30 Km from Saigon. In reality the Vietcong were not more than 10 Meters under the Yankee feet (US Army bases).
Did you saw or heard about the trail or Tunnels ?
8:41pm!
Have you ever seen the film from Hanoi's military archive about the famous trail that was built well inside Cambodia.May be not.Did you know the Vietcong launched the attack against the American or the South vietnam from bases inside Cambodia?.And when they got beat back by the opposing force ,they withdrawn right into the khmer villages and make those villages the targets for destruction.And then your idiot SIHANOUK ,instead of blaming the one who provoked ,he then blaming the American.Your idiot super dumb Sihanouk always side with the Vietcong from the beginning ,that's why he got kick out from POWER.And he deserved it.
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