Court Mulls Bringing ‘King Father’ to Court
By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
04 May 2009
"Pure gold fears no fire" - Khmer sayingRepresentatives for former king Norodom Sihanouk have warned that any bid to call him to the Khmer Rogue tribunal would be counter to the laws of the country.
No investigators have yet decided on a proposal by defense lawyers for jailed leader Nuon Chea that the former king, who offered support to the Khmer Rouge following his ouster in a 1970 coup, be summoned.
But in an April 27 Khmer-language letter to VOA Khmer in response to questions, the former king’s cabinet chief, Ke Kim Se, asserted that calling the “king father of the nation” to the court would be “violating the constitution and law of preparation of the royal title and royal privilege of His Majesty.”
Defense attorneys for Nuon Chea, Pol Pot’s chief lieutenant, say Norodom Sihanouk could provide important historical information about the regime, having entered a coalition with the guerrillas until March 1976.
The attorneys, in a request to investigating judges at the UN-backed court, also recommended calling top Cambodian officials like Prime Minister Hun Sen, Senate President Chea Sim and National Assembly President Heng Samrin to testify.
The three leaders of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party were once members of the Khmer Rouge and could provide additional information, the attorneys say. None have so far commented on the request.
Norodom Sihanouk is currently in Beijing, seeking medical treatment, and Ke Kim Se said he had postponed a trip to Cambodia in April for more check-ups.
“We never asked them to be investigated,” Andrew Ianuzzi, a member of Nuon Chea’s defense team, told VOA Khmer in a phone interview. “We simply asked for them to be called as witnesses, because we understand those individuals, mainly Hun Sen, Chea Sim, Heng Samrin and former king Sihanouk, were in Cambodia during the period of the Khmer Rouge regime.”
Testimony of Norodom Sihanouk could be especially important, he said, because the former king had frequent interaction with top leaders of the regime.
Son Arun, a Cambodian defense lawyer for Nuon Chea, confirmed by phone that the team had made the request but said they had not yet received a response from the investigating judges.
Legal monitors note that it is, in fact, not against the constitution to call the former king and senior leaders to the court, though it may be a sensitive risk.
One observer said the question could lead to another stalemate, such as the ongoing debate between tribunal prosecutors over whether to indict more senior leaders of the regime.
28 comments:
I don't think that these King father entourage knew the law at all. Cambodian constitution has only protect the crown king and not the retired king at all.
In another scenaro, this second kingdom is also illegal because of lacking of referendum to approve Cambodia to become a second kingdom. Cambodia has one referendum in 1971 to abolish this monarchy, therefore that referendum is still stood firm if there is no second referendum to allow Cambodia to go back to accept a new monarchy. Lacking of this knowledge has hauted back for the new king for his legality as the real king of Cambodia or a king made up by Hun Sen. Hun Sen has always said that he is the king maker !!!!
Despite of all this(his involvement with khmer rouge),this idiot king still said that ;" he has nothing to do with the khmer rouge".No wonder, during the trial of DUCH,he opted to stay in BEIJING.
I agree, They have enough evidences to summon Norodom Sihanouk to the court.
And he was the master plans of this genocide. He knew all well and which of which, what of what and who is who.
He needs to face the tribunal as well.
We need to know what was behind this mass murder.
Khmer await justice for so long.
First we should invite Mr. Henry Kissinger or the former US President. They supported the Khmer Rouge since 1968.
The countries relate to the former regime are:
USA
China
Russia
Vietnam
HUN SEN
CHEA SIM
Pen Sovann
Heng Samrin
etc.
This will be called "Som lor Ka pous" Shrimp soup.
They are all have link!
Do mai may cong choar!
During the time from 1975-78, some Khmer students in Europe struggled had not much choice. They were homeless like the Khmer-American kids. Some countries in Europe tried to send us back to Cambodia. The problem, Cambodia did not have any connection to the outside world.
All Cambodians who were linked to Khmer Rouge regime have the previlege if not obligation to witness the atrocities of the KR to bring justice to the victims and/or families. Refusing to do so is accepting and/or encourgaging the injustice upon and the killings of their own fellow Cambodians.
King Sihanouk, Samdech Hun sen, S. Heng Samrin, S. Chea Sim, Mr. Pen Sovann... who are key witnesses should take any opprtunities offered to them to collaborate with the KR tribunal. They should view this is an act of honnor to give justice to the victims and/or families.
These Khmer politicians in the picture are Hanoi baits. Ho Chi Minh
used them to gain his territory for Vietnamese people,but these Khmer politicians had no clue about their father Ho. Now is too late to remove Vietcongs out of Cambodia.
Denying denying and living in denial Once Sihaknuk is the King of khmer rouge,King of vietcong king of killing field king of shit who destroy our country now time to speak up king!
Sihaknuk Hun Sen Heng Samrin and Chea Sim must go to court to clarify their involvement with the khmer rouge,or Cambodia must be just a zoo where the wild animal live.
No one special all of those must go to court
Nothing's new here. sihanouk once said he made a mistake in an interview but he never admitted to being a part of the KR. with this evidence he can not deny his involvment with the kr regime. this king has been evading justice for so long. let's bring him to court.
I thinks justice could punishing
only the weapon .
"An unjust law is no law at all" (Lex injusta non est lex). said St Augustine.
It is very doubtful, to say the least, whether the law conferring the reigning King's privileges upon the August relired King is just and constitutional.
Besides, a person's morals is very questionable when he or she knows some facts relating to a crime and refuses to appear in court as a witness. If such facts can exonerate an accused person but the witness refuses to appear in court to present them, would the Cambodian people allow the court to convict and sentence that person on their behalf when judges judge in their name? Does the nation have any conscience and morals at all?
Under Art. 153 of the Cambodian code of criminal procedure, the investigating judge has power to summon any person to appear in court as a witness. "In the case of refusal to appear, the investigating judge can ask the public police force to force the witness to appear."
LAO Mong Hay, Hong Kong
By the picture, the King father can't say anything or deny.
To enforce the law in Cambodia, the king (tinhmong) has to go to the court.
What's a joke! Son requested for a establishment of a court. The court summon the father. What's a long term reflection the son has.
What's a joke! Son requested for a establishment of a court. The court summon the father. What's a long term reflection the son has.
Sihanouk is HEAD OF KHMER ROUGE, I think he should be Jail and questioning too.
On many occasions Sihanouk said he wanted to testify to show his innocence but HunXen did not want this testemony to happen.
I suggest you guys do some reading at first before making some ridiculous comments about King father http://khmer-heroes.blogspot.com
Tell us two things, please King. What happen when you were supposed to show up the day Khmer Rouge won their victory on April 17th of 1975?. You do know that many were tricks to receive you. Don't you? and you do know that most of those people were ending up dead with bullets running thru their heads, right? Yes, please tell us, why you didn't do a damm thing to stop the killing???!!! and then went on defending Khmer Rouge's existence, yet, at the United Nation. You also allowed Mr. Ing Sary and Chamm Prasith to recruit even more of our best people from France and United States back to Cambodia, only to be slaughtered by those monsters. What was that all about? Millions of our people aren't to settle thru your superficial defending by your personal internet. In fact, you have never mentioned a word about it. As much as we care and respect your highness, it is always trouble some and having great suspision hanging over our head. You must clear that out and tell us in court, why did you do what you did?
HAIL TO KING FATHER.
BARACHEY AH CHAKRAPORT 'N COMMIE.
LONG LIVE KING FATHER.
Communist was already spreading all over Indochina sometime in 1920or 1930 I forgot. King was not born yet.
What can the King do when most his poor people in countryside already brainwashed by Ho Chi Minh?
That's the only way, joined them then fight to free later.
Good for the King spymaster. Of course there're lives needed to be sacrificed. At least Cambodia is still on the map.
This is the picture that show Mr:Sihanuk was too Khmer Rouge leader!!!
it looked like back then everyone was fighting for a cause, a blinded, short-sighted cause, i guess. and look what happened under the KR regime, cambodia was nearly destroyed, people were killed, freedom was non-existent, market was abolished, people were starving to death, emergency medical care or healthcare was non-existent; and what did these crooks achieve? nothing, except the destruction and death of cambodia and khmer people. and they still call themselves "heroes"! you've gotten to be kidding me! is this some kind of a joke or something? don't sweat, god will see to it. god may forgive but god won't reconcile them evil forces like these ones! and how old are they now? we'll say they are close to sunset years. thank god. god bless cambodia and all our khmer people of the new cambodia.
King sihanouk, hun sen, and other khmer rouge cadres need to be arrested and put on trial in cambodian court for the atrocities commited during the KR regime.
12:21AM.
King Father was born after Youn Rouge. Youn Rouge were also Khmer citizen and lived in Srok Khmer.
You didn't see Youn Rouge because you fucked up on the same page.
I meant to reply to 12:11 AM not (12:21AM)
King Father was born after Youn Rouge. Youn Rouge were also Khmer citizen and lived in Srok Khmer.
You didn't see Youn Rouge because you fucked up on the same page.
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