Sep 20 2009By Coreena Ford
Sunday Sun (UK)
KHMER Rouge murder victim John Dewhirst’s sister has revealed how she hopes good can come from his killer’s trial.
John was the only Briton among 17,000 to die after being captured during the communist Khmer Rouge’s rule over Cambodia in the 1970s.
Now, 31 years after his death, his murderer, Kaing Guek Eav, known as Comrade Duch, is being tried by a UN-backed tribunal on genocide charges.
He has already confessed to John’s murder and invited victims of the regime to visit him.
But John’s sister Hilary Holland, 53, a solicitor from Brampton, Cumbria, has refused to attend and says she has not even been able to bring herself to utter John’s name in more than 30 years.
An aspiring novelist, John left home after finishing his A-levels to explore and bought a one-way ticket to Tokyo, where he got a teaching post and a part-time job on a newspaper.
He quit in 1978, aged 26, after deciding to join pals on travels around the Gulf of Thailand in their boat The Foxy Lady.
But when they drifted into Cambodian waters, a Khmer Rouge military launch swooped.
Stuart Glass was shot dead instantly and the other two were taken to the S21 torture centre – a former school – where, after enduring a catalogue of horrors, they were forced to sign confessions they were CIA agents.
John was the only Briton among 17,000 to die after being captured during the communist Khmer Rouge’s rule over Cambodia in the 1970s.
Now, 31 years after his death, his murderer, Kaing Guek Eav, known as Comrade Duch, is being tried by a UN-backed tribunal on genocide charges.
He has already confessed to John’s murder and invited victims of the regime to visit him.
But John’s sister Hilary Holland, 53, a solicitor from Brampton, Cumbria, has refused to attend and says she has not even been able to bring herself to utter John’s name in more than 30 years.
An aspiring novelist, John left home after finishing his A-levels to explore and bought a one-way ticket to Tokyo, where he got a teaching post and a part-time job on a newspaper.
He quit in 1978, aged 26, after deciding to join pals on travels around the Gulf of Thailand in their boat The Foxy Lady.
But when they drifted into Cambodian waters, a Khmer Rouge military launch swooped.
Stuart Glass was shot dead instantly and the other two were taken to the S21 torture centre – a former school – where, after enduring a catalogue of horrors, they were forced to sign confessions they were CIA agents.
10 comments:
WISDOM OF BUDDHA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTsb-woP3jI
Idon't think that UN is our Buddha,because they go with Helen Jawist.
From 1970 until 1980,Iwas victim of khmer rouge.My friends were killed since 1970 by communist Sihanouk and Vietcong and Mao, and my 2 brothers(sodiers of Ta Lon Nol)were killed in 1975,1976 by communist Sihanouk.
L` Ignorance est la source de la souffrance.
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=sVLTFmWX4VE
"Mneal Avisor euy ri neak bam-phlangh Sasna Toathakut,kmean neak na leuy kraov pi kaun chao Toathakut."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p63xt5AlahY&feature=related
We wish the world to liberate Khmer Empire from Communist Ho Chi Minh and some parts of ThaiLand.
2:38 PM
Anonymous Anonymous said...
"Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned."
Our Lord Buddha!
When people preach of their God or their Lord Buddha, then accused others of being this or that, those accusers are no more than the absolute evils themselves.
1:35 Am
Is it all like youtube, you got to show us readers?
What a stupid jerk?
As long as we are still humans living on this planet, the killing will not end until the universe will be burned. How others built their own empire and freedom killing other humans being seemed to be happened since the begining of humans were created. How many million of the native of Americans called the Indians were killed? Their wives and daughter were raped by the White people, and today the native Americans are prisoners in their own native land.
I don't think this UN trial will help anything. Duch will be punished on earth by men, and then what?
Khmer ordinary said...
Three/fourth of Hun Sen's plan has been accomplished. And here is what Hun Sen needs to fulfil the rest: To make Cambodia become a military-ruled country, Hun Sen will promote Hun Maneth to be the military commander-in-chief. If in the near future the opposition party completely lose its voice, and if Hun Maneth fully succeeds as commander-in-chief with the help of Yuons, then the Hun Sen's offsprings will be solely the owner of Cambodia.
To stop Hun Sen from fulfilling his plan, the freedom-loving Khmers, excluding Hun Sen's some dandruffed dogs, must be resolute in their endeavour to pursue social justice, democracy, and freedom for their beloved defenseless compatriots.
4:56AM,
This is the time we are living in the cirle of the modern Constutional laws made by modern men. The time that modern technology has been in great demand and used. Your philosophy was perhaps practical in the genesis.
The fight for freedom, social justice, and democracy for defenseless Khmer people must go on. It must go on ceaselessly.
This despotic government must be stopped, otherwise Cambodia will become a second Laos soon. We as decent Khmers must stand up strong to challenge to Hun Sen's and his criminal clique's despicable game of turning Cambodia upside down.
If there are no Khmers living overseas strongly express their opinions or objection against Hun Sen and his criminal clique's evil acts, the defenseless Khmer poeple living inside the country must have been more severely maltreated. But, unfortuantely, some Khmer living overseas turn to be Khmer Rouge in disguise as Khmers not Rouge; until they bark so strongly to defend Hun Sen that we can tell they are actually Khmer Rouge, like Krama Man Krohorm Kor, New Phally, and Khmer Austarlia, etc. These Khmer Rouge won't change their absolute Khmer Rougeism, even until they face trial like ah Duch. Ah Duch won't change his doctrine too. If given a second chance, he will boublekill the innocent Khmers, because, to most Khmer Rouge, killing is fun.
Anyway I strongly hope that most Khmer not Rouge living overseas will continue their pursuit for social justice for their beloved defenseless compatriots.
please help to demand reforms and changes in cambodia for all to enjoy. thank you and god bless cambodia.
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