Thursday, May 07, 2009

ECCC to decide on pursuing additional suspects

06 May 2009
By Huy Vannak
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
Click here to read the article in Khmer


ECCC judges plan to review the disagreements between the co-prosecutors regarding the investigation into additional KR leaders.

An official from the ECCC indicated that in June, ECCC judges plan to hold a hearing to resolve the disagreements between the Cambodian and International co-prosecutors. The latter requested for additional investigations on a number of former KR leaders involved.

On Tuesday, Reach Sambath, ECCC spokesman, said that this case is already in the hands of the ECCC judges. Reach Sambath said: “Therefore, the ECC will decide in June on whether to charge additional suspects or not. According to the internal rule, this decision meeting will be held behind closed door, but the International co-prosecutor said that there could be some open issues and some issues will be held behind closed door. This does not depend on any of the parties involved, but it depends on the law and the decision made by the ECCC.”

At the beginning of this year, Robert Petit, the International co-prosecutor requested to investigate additional KR leaders. Reports indicated that there could be 6 additional KR leader cases.

Robert Petit claimed that these criminals should be investigated by the investigating judges, and he also said that these additional cases will shed a large wide understanding into the KR regime.

However, Chea Leang, the Cambodian co-prosecutor, opposed this request. She based her argument on the preservation of political stability in Cambodia, and also to preserve the national reconciliation spirit.

Chea Leang’s opposition was met by criticism from a number of national and international civil society groups which called it a political interference.

Nevertheless, Khieu Kanharith, the minister of Information and government spokesman, said that the government wants to see the ECCC moving forward with its current agenda.

Khieu Kanharith said: “The KRT agenda means what was set with the UN and that the trial will follow what we agreed on, and also on the number of people that we already agreed on. And we also agreed to use the Cambodian law as the first priority. We call this as having a prior character for our agenda.”

The KR regime caused the unfair death of about 1.7 million people 30 years ago. Up until now, 5 KR leaders are incarcerated while waiting for their trials. Currently, the ECCC is conducting the trial for Kaing Kek Iev, also known as Duch, the former Tuol Sleng prison chief.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is good.Let's bring the idiot to court.His name is Sihanouk,because without him,khmer rouge had no chance to annihilate his people.

Anonymous said...

BRAVO IL FAUT METTRE A KBAT CHHEAT SIHANOUK ET SA FAMILLE ROYALE AU TRIBUNAL INTERNATIONAL ...
ce ne sont que des sangsus de la société khmère ..
tous les son of the bitch....

Anonymous said...

Sihanouk should be before the 1st FIVE criminals.

Anonymous said...

This monster with a smiling face aka ah sdach moha kbot cheat / the king of condom xihanouk,is blaming every body for his disastrous association with the kr.This scum bag should be first in front of the firing squad.
I HATE this ass hole mother fucker...

Anonymous said...

This Khmer traitor xihanuk will die in Peking,buries in Pyongyang and goes to HELL in Hanoi.......
Your masters Mao,Ho,and Kim Il Sung are waiting for you scum bag !!!!!!

Anonymous said...

With decades if not centuries of culture of terror and fear, Cambodian should be educated and encouraged to volunteer themself to be a witness in Khmer Rouge trials and not to make them feel as criminals yet until proved to be otherwise. Tribunal should also help people understand that they are not guilty untill the tribunal judgment is done.
Lawyers on both sides, judges! prosecutors! you should be smart enough to run the tribunal. You still not above all error in hanling the cases.
Why the word " Witness" is seldom used in order to encourge the participation in this historic tribunal.
Most of Cambodians if not all are already wictims of the KR terrors and mistakes. DON'T wictimize them even more.

Anonymous said...

7:53 they are not talking about POU CYCLO! which who you have to treat them nicely of their loweducated and inocent!

BUT we are talking a bout:

Hor Nam Hong, the monister of foreigne affair!

ShiHanouk! King and head of the country for all time exept when it was a free country!

And mony more who can make decision to destroy our stupid lives!

Anonymous said...

Don't waste your time to pursue additional suspects. They are right there standing under your very nose. Just drag them in. If you don't khow I'll you. Just catch the big one which is Hun Sen; the other samll ones follow in que, will ya, ECCC?