Original report from Phnom Penh
30 November 2009
With the trial of Duch closing, senior government officials have continued their refusal to appear as witnesses.
Summonses for six senior officials have gone unanswered. And investigating judges sent a second summons to Finance Minister Keat Chhon, who was the personal secretary to Pol Pot, in October, that has also not received a reply.
Case No. 2, where four senior leaders will be tried for atrocity crimes, will be more complicated than the Duch trial, the tribunal’s first, which ended last week after months of proceedings and years of preparation.
The tribunal is holding the regime’s chief ideologue, Nuon Chea, its former head of state, Khieu Samphan, foreign affairs minister Ieng Sary and his wife, Ieng Thirith, social affairs minister.
So far, French investigating judge Marcel Lemonde has been unable to compel six senior government officials to comply with summonses: Senate President Chea Sim, National Assembly President Heng Samrin, Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, Keat Chhon and senators Sim Ka and Ouk Bunchhoeun.
In December 2006, Keat Chhon declared he was ready to testify in the tribunal.
In his October letter, posted on the Khmer Rouge tribunal’s official Web site last Thursday, Lemonde wrote that the tribunal court clerk had undertaken various attempts to reach Keat Chhon, but these have received no reply. Lemonde still expects an audience with Keat Chhon to be organized, he wrote.
Lars Olsen, the UN’s legal officer for the tribunal, declined to speculate on what would happen if the senior leaders did not respond, but he said the UN-backed court is still waiting for an official explanation as to why they have not.
In September, Lemonde wrote the six officials without the support of his Cambodian counterpart, You Bunleng. Following the summonses, Prime Minister Hun Sen said in a public speech they would fail.
Were the figures to give testimony, he said, they would put unfair pressure on the defendants.
Summonses for six senior officials have gone unanswered. And investigating judges sent a second summons to Finance Minister Keat Chhon, who was the personal secretary to Pol Pot, in October, that has also not received a reply.
Case No. 2, where four senior leaders will be tried for atrocity crimes, will be more complicated than the Duch trial, the tribunal’s first, which ended last week after months of proceedings and years of preparation.
The tribunal is holding the regime’s chief ideologue, Nuon Chea, its former head of state, Khieu Samphan, foreign affairs minister Ieng Sary and his wife, Ieng Thirith, social affairs minister.
So far, French investigating judge Marcel Lemonde has been unable to compel six senior government officials to comply with summonses: Senate President Chea Sim, National Assembly President Heng Samrin, Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, Keat Chhon and senators Sim Ka and Ouk Bunchhoeun.
In December 2006, Keat Chhon declared he was ready to testify in the tribunal.
In his October letter, posted on the Khmer Rouge tribunal’s official Web site last Thursday, Lemonde wrote that the tribunal court clerk had undertaken various attempts to reach Keat Chhon, but these have received no reply. Lemonde still expects an audience with Keat Chhon to be organized, he wrote.
Lars Olsen, the UN’s legal officer for the tribunal, declined to speculate on what would happen if the senior leaders did not respond, but he said the UN-backed court is still waiting for an official explanation as to why they have not.
In September, Lemonde wrote the six officials without the support of his Cambodian counterpart, You Bunleng. Following the summonses, Prime Minister Hun Sen said in a public speech they would fail.
Were the figures to give testimony, he said, they would put unfair pressure on the defendants.
11 comments:
What are they afraid off? they are being called as witness not as criminal. Refusing to participate means they are criminal
I think those monkeys still think that they are living in forest and they have their own rules. They don't listen to anyone but themselves.
UN should send in the blue helmets to capture them monkeys...hahaha!
1:12PM you don't need wast money by using UN blue helmets to capture them - throw some bananas then they will come out then.... you know the rest of the story.
If I remember correctly, the NATO forces bombed the city of Belgrade (in former Yugoslavia) until they accepted to surrender president Slobodan Milosevic to the War Crimes Tribunal.
Could the same scenario happen in Cambodia, if the leaders refuse to testify ?
The time has come for the bad kama monkeys hehe.
Remember Meoun Ngoun forcing Tev to marry him even though he knew King had already reward her to Tum. What did he do? Killed Tum to clear out the way for his union in marriage with Tev. It did not work. Sethey Meuon Ngoun forgot or didn't really think that there was the highest court of the land, is yet to come and get him. That is the one rules by King. He for sure though he got it made. Wrong wrong. The same will repeat for those who ignore and violate the rule of law. The law of the land and it calls The law rules by The United Nation. We all call The UN's TRIBUNAL. Please show them what you made of, Your Honors.
Sethey Meuon Ngoun did not get away with the murder he committed in killing Tum for Tev. At the time, he thought he got it made. He had power to do any thing even killing. Wrong. He ignored the fact that King had already rewarded Tev to Tum. His own power was fault power. What happens when King send his army to come looking for the killer? SMN's whole family including Tev's mother Yay Phan were put to death for her great conspiracy of killing her own daughter's husband. The same will repeat for those who ignore or continue to ignore the fact that the UN Tribunal is the most powerful law of the land. Please show them what you made of, Your Honors. They don't deserve anything less.
What kind of example they are setting for the rest of the Cambodian people? They are the leaders and they are not doing their civic duty for the justice system... Cambodians need to know the truth about the atrocity to what happen the Khmer Rouge did what they did. Why can't they just come out and let the truth be known... Why are they still continue to deprive Cambodian people the opportunity to learn about their history???? Are they more important than the rest of the people in the nation?
This is the example they set for the rest of us. Don't comply with the justice system. They put themselves above the nation. They continue deprive Cambodian people to know the truth about the KR era. Cambodians will never learned from it mistakes and the history deems to repeat itself. Are these the kind of leaders you want to represent your country?
Ah Kwack no leader they are motherfuckers thug!
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