Aug 13 2009By Michael Wood
The Journal (UK)
THE man being tried for the murder of a North East teacher in Cambodia yesterday asked to be given "the harshest punishment".
The chief of the Khmer Rouge’s main torture centre, is being tried by a UN-backed tribunal on genocide charges.
Kaing Guek Eav, known as Comrade Duch, has already confessed to murdering John Dewhirst (pictured) in 1978 while the Newcastle teacher was backpacking.
Mr Dewhirst, 26, was captured, tortured and killed at the now infamous prison Tuol Sleng, known as S21. He was the only Briton among 17,000 people to die at the jail.
He was captured during a career break from a teaching job in Japan. He had been sailing through the Gulf of Thailand with friends Stuart Glass, a Canadian, and New Zealander Kerry Hamil.
Their motorised boat the Foxy Lady drifted into Cambodian waters, raising suspicions among the Khmer Rouge, which swooped.
Mr Glass was killed instantly but the other two were taken to S21 where they were forced to sign bogus confessions that they were CIA agents. Mr Dewhirst’s note, written in Cambodian and English even said his father was a CIA agent whose cover was as headmaster of Benton Road Secondary School.
It added that he had been recruited as a spy by his father and, between 1972 and 1976, he was trained in espionage techniques, including weapons handling.
Yesterday, Comrade Duch, who headed S21, said: “I accept the regret, the sorrow and the suffering of the million Cambodian people who lost their husbands and wives. I would like the Cambodian people to condemn me to the harshest punishment.”
Mr Dewhirst’s sister Hilary Holland, 53, who lives in Cumbria, has spoken about how she is still haunted by his death.
Duch is the first of five senior Khmer Rouge figures scheduled to face trials and the only one to acknowledge responsibility for his actions. His trial, which started in March, is expected to finish by the end of the year.
The chief of the Khmer Rouge’s main torture centre, is being tried by a UN-backed tribunal on genocide charges.
Kaing Guek Eav, known as Comrade Duch, has already confessed to murdering John Dewhirst (pictured) in 1978 while the Newcastle teacher was backpacking.
Mr Dewhirst, 26, was captured, tortured and killed at the now infamous prison Tuol Sleng, known as S21. He was the only Briton among 17,000 people to die at the jail.
He was captured during a career break from a teaching job in Japan. He had been sailing through the Gulf of Thailand with friends Stuart Glass, a Canadian, and New Zealander Kerry Hamil.
Their motorised boat the Foxy Lady drifted into Cambodian waters, raising suspicions among the Khmer Rouge, which swooped.
Mr Glass was killed instantly but the other two were taken to S21 where they were forced to sign bogus confessions that they were CIA agents. Mr Dewhirst’s note, written in Cambodian and English even said his father was a CIA agent whose cover was as headmaster of Benton Road Secondary School.
It added that he had been recruited as a spy by his father and, between 1972 and 1976, he was trained in espionage techniques, including weapons handling.
Yesterday, Comrade Duch, who headed S21, said: “I accept the regret, the sorrow and the suffering of the million Cambodian people who lost their husbands and wives. I would like the Cambodian people to condemn me to the harshest punishment.”
Mr Dewhirst’s sister Hilary Holland, 53, who lives in Cumbria, has spoken about how she is still haunted by his death.
Duch is the first of five senior Khmer Rouge figures scheduled to face trials and the only one to acknowledge responsibility for his actions. His trial, which started in March, is expected to finish by the end of the year.
9 comments:
This man has been death for thirty years. What do you want from Duch? There’s nothing Duch can do…sorry BABY!
AngkorianKrama Man
AngkorianKrama Man,
what this man and his relative wanted is real justice, egal how many was gone. What do you think when your family was from such killer? Hopefully, you are one of man like Duch. Duch hmself accept what he did wrong and want the victim convict.
I understand your point of view. But justice of what? He's gone, if found justice, what does relative want? Million of dollars? My family was killed during the regime and I never ever bring it up, it's over. We all have families got killed. We all should look for the future. I was a Khmer Rouge soldier, I did good thing that's why I am still alive, most the people know me that I was a good soldier. I loved people.
AngkorianKrama Man
Do you believe in Buddha? Do you go to the temple (Wat) on any occasion? When you are at the temple you usually bring foods provide to monks and listen to monk chatting, meditation etc. praying respect to monks and to souls of your families who have died, kneeling down praying your wish for good luck and get a good bless from Monks. How about if you happen to encounter a person who killed your father and mother, while you are praying, wishing for good luck at the temple, what would you do? You get a knife chap his head off immediate in front the temple. How would you feel as a good person if you believe in Buddha or any God? You get to respect to that person! Why is that? Everybody wants to have happiness and joyful life. How about if you commit by killing a person because he killed your families, do you think that the right thing to do? Just think it’s it over and try to reunite and look for the next life. Forget the past.
AngkorianKrama Man
FUCK MAN STOP STALLING AND FUCKING JUST KILL DUCH............THIS MOTHERFUCKER DUCH FUCK HIM AND THAILAND .............THROW HIM OFF THE BUILDING WITH THE REST OF THE THAIS
AYE ANGKORIAN MAN....................YOU ASK A REATARDED QUESTION..........IF I SEEN\ SOMEONE AT THE WAT THAT KILLED MY PARENTS I WOULD KILL HIM PERIOD NO QUESTION ABOUT THAT...............HE DESERVES IT.........AND SO FOR DUCH IF HE KILLED YOUR PARENTS YOUR GONNA FOGET ABOUT IT AND MOVE ON, FUCK THAT.............IMA KILL THAT MOTHERFUCKER FIRST AND THEN MOVE ON......................KEEP THOSE MENTO QUESTION TO YOURSELF.....................CAUSE IF SOME 1 FUCKS WITH ME OR MY FAMILY FAMILY, IAM GONNA GET GET JUSTICE,OR PUT JUSTICE IN MY OWN HAND.....................................................WHO THE FUCK IN THE RIGHT MIND IS GONNA SAY FORGET ABOUT IT IF SOME 1 KILLED YOUR FAMILY...?
YOU FUCK WITH ME 30 YEARS AGO OR LAST WEEK IAM GONNA FIND YOU AND ASS KILL YOU..............?
12:54am
How dare you call yourself Angkorian man? Khmers Angkor never kills their own people, never destroy their own country. I am sure that both of your hands full of Khmer blood. All we want is justice for the victims.
God wills punish for what you did to the innocent people during the Khmer Rouge era and all the victims will burn you again and again in hell.
1:40am
Fuck you!!! Angkorian man, you sound like one bitter old hag loll. You are the animal, dogs, cats, leeches, worms, hyenas!! I want all the KR soldiers to suffer the same way that they did to Khmer people.
I hate the cursing an the swearing, but cursing you make me feel better, lessen pain
Again fuck you and go to hell your mother fucker!!!
Concerning Khmer Rouge killed million of people, let me calm you down, I know Cambodian people very mad and continue to stay mad until vanishing of the Khmer territory (Cambodia) be gone to hell, and you and I wouldn’t have no home (Cambodia) to live on. I feel that this is because most of you want your motherland (Cambodia) to be destroyed. Now back talking about Vietnam, you always mention that there’s lot of Vietnamese in Cambodia and they may be taking over Cambodia, think about it? Why can you start to reunite with Khmer and Khmer, forget about Khmer Rouge business, in this way we would win to any enemy who try to take over Cambodia. Do you understand my point? How about you keep getting mad and mad with Khmer Rouge, Khmer Rouge killed my family….What’s is the deal? It’s over now, its past thirty years now Okay!....
I know most of you believe in God, Buddha and other religion, if so whoever commit bad thing that person will receive bad thing what that person did. For those who had died at S-21 or other place in Cambodia, think about it if you are a very religious and believe in God ‘Buddha’. They might have had a very bad ‘SIN’ from their past lives. And why some Khmer Rouge…Khmer Rouge killers and Khmer Rouge soldier still alive (me of course), thus they might be from their past lives they could had committed a good thing. What do you think? You are very smart and brilliant Cambodian people. I would refer you to read my comment was on 2:04 AM.
Someone said Angkorian people never did kill and destroyed their people, you didn’t know, what had happened at that era. I’m sure we had war with the neighbor, like Champa and Siamese, why the Kingdom of Khmer Empire became so smaller and smaller? This was because Khmer and Khmer did not get unite and could had been always fought with each other. Let’s take a look at present day in regard to Lady Mu Sochua and Samdech Deychu Hen Sen, priminister of Cambodia and Khmer Rouge case which is never going to be ended, I think. This is Khmer and Khmer keep fighting. Do you see my point of view now ?
Brother and Sister, I think this might be too long for you, you take care and stop using offensive language here, and it’s not professional.
AngkorianMan Krama Man
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