2009-06-01
By KELLY OLSEN
Associated Press
Cambodia's genocide tribunal must balance the need for justice with that of ensuring stability in the Southeast Asian country, Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said Monday.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has warned that expanding the tribunal's scope beyond the five senior Khmer Rouge leaders in custody could divide the country. During its rule in the late 1970s, a total of 1.7 million people died and critics say that such a small number of defendants is unrealistic given the scope of the genocide.
Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said "we have to seek justice for our people" while considering the "peace and stability in the country." He said the government is not interfering with the operation of the tribunal.
He was speaking in an interview with The Associated Press on the sidelines of a summit between South Korea and the countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that began Monday.
Hun Sen, who is also attending the summit, said in March that expanding the genocide tribunal could spark a war and cause the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people in his impoverished country. But the comments merely seemed aimed at putting pressure on the tribunal.
Critics of the tribunal, which is jointly run by Cambodia and the United Nations, charge that the government has sought to limit its scope because other suspects are now loyal to Hun Sen, and to arrest them could cause political trouble. There have even been suspicions that the trials may be halted.
Human Rights Watch said in February that the tribunal's credibility was threatened by allowing "political considerations" to get in the way of additional indictments.
International prosecutor Robert Petit has said he wants as many as six more possible defendants charged, but Cambodian prosecutor Chea Leang has resisted that.
Hor Namhong also said that watching the genocide trials, which are televised in Cambodia, is difficult as it dredges up the suffering he and his family endured during the reign, which lasted from 1975-1979. He said that he and his wife lost more than 30 members of their family.
But he added that convictions may also ultimately prove cathartic.
"Maybe that could help people to calm down their moral suffering," he said.
Hor Namhong's own role during the Khmer Rouge regime has been controversial and the subject of several lawsuits. He was among hundreds of Cambodian intellectuals who were living abroad and returned home at the request of the Khmer Rouge.
Upon their return many were held at the Boeng Trabek re-education camp and eventually executed. Hor Namhong sued an opposition leader for suggesting that he held a position of authority at the camp.
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APTN producer Jerry Harmer contributed to this report from Seogwipo and Associated Press Writer Grant Peck from Bangkok.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has warned that expanding the tribunal's scope beyond the five senior Khmer Rouge leaders in custody could divide the country. During its rule in the late 1970s, a total of 1.7 million people died and critics say that such a small number of defendants is unrealistic given the scope of the genocide.
Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said "we have to seek justice for our people" while considering the "peace and stability in the country." He said the government is not interfering with the operation of the tribunal.
He was speaking in an interview with The Associated Press on the sidelines of a summit between South Korea and the countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that began Monday.
Hun Sen, who is also attending the summit, said in March that expanding the genocide tribunal could spark a war and cause the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people in his impoverished country. But the comments merely seemed aimed at putting pressure on the tribunal.
Critics of the tribunal, which is jointly run by Cambodia and the United Nations, charge that the government has sought to limit its scope because other suspects are now loyal to Hun Sen, and to arrest them could cause political trouble. There have even been suspicions that the trials may be halted.
Human Rights Watch said in February that the tribunal's credibility was threatened by allowing "political considerations" to get in the way of additional indictments.
International prosecutor Robert Petit has said he wants as many as six more possible defendants charged, but Cambodian prosecutor Chea Leang has resisted that.
Hor Namhong also said that watching the genocide trials, which are televised in Cambodia, is difficult as it dredges up the suffering he and his family endured during the reign, which lasted from 1975-1979. He said that he and his wife lost more than 30 members of their family.
But he added that convictions may also ultimately prove cathartic.
"Maybe that could help people to calm down their moral suffering," he said.
Hor Namhong's own role during the Khmer Rouge regime has been controversial and the subject of several lawsuits. He was among hundreds of Cambodian intellectuals who were living abroad and returned home at the request of the Khmer Rouge.
Upon their return many were held at the Boeng Trabek re-education camp and eventually executed. Hor Namhong sued an opposition leader for suggesting that he held a position of authority at the camp.
__
APTN producer Jerry Harmer contributed to this report from Seogwipo and Associated Press Writer Grant Peck from Bangkok.
7 comments:
Hahaha
Ah Mé Kouk Boeng Trâbêk said :
Cambodia's genocide tribunal must balance the need for justice with that of ensuring stability in the Southeast Asian country.2 214 412 were massacred as worms,because he is a good killer.
shame on you Ah Mé Kouk!
All debate of communist regime,don't forget to say that people khmer lived safety with Buddha since centuries.Why have communist HO and Mao destroyed our Buddha?
Our Lord Buddha said:
"Offensive acts come back upon the evil doer, like dust that is thrown against the wind."-Buddha
" Three things cannot be long hidden: The Sun, The Moon and The Truth." -Buddha
The killer beg the court for peace.
The killers play the part of angles?
The khmer rouge leaders tell the court to stop digging the roots of more khmer rouge or he(HUn Sen) Bring Cambodia to war again.
Think twice what is in mind of HUn Sen?
Who pay him to fight? Viet.
Who get kill? Poor dirt Cambodian.
Sad saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad
We must bring Hor Nam Hong, Heng Samrin, Chea Sim and HUN SEN to trial as well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The scope of the Tribunal should be extended in order to find the Root Cause of how these Genocide started. Those that involved individual & state should be prosecuted.The people INVOLVED like Hun Sen & Hor 5 Hong plus many others.COLLECTTIVELY they kill millions. These are the reason they should also be brough to Justice and face the tribunal.
In Cambodia only the CPP, Hun Sen & his other former KR families have the power to spark civil war & unress BECAUSE THEY KNOW themself they are GUILTY & would try a scare the Khmer people about another WAR....
Stop the Tribunal, and dump Ah Scum Rainsy.
Pi Anh: PPU
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