Saturday, July 24, 2010

Justice for Cambodia victims about to be served

Around 1.7 million died at the hands of Pol Pot's regime

Sat, 24 Jul 2010
By Janika ter Ellen
3 News (New Zealand)


Former Olympic rower Rob Hamill is in Cambodia, but not to bask in the sun or to attempt another transatlantic record.

He's there for the verdict of a war crimes trial involving the man he blames for his brother's killing over 30 years ago.

Mr Hamill surveys the killing fields in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, where the skulls of Khmer Rouge's murdered victims lie - exhumed from mass graves after the regime's defeat.

They represent the 1.7 million men, women and children who died during Pol Pot's reign.

"I can't quite reconcile how justice can ever be served with the nature and the way these people's lives were taken," he says.

Pol Pot's long dead, but Mr Hamill is here for the sentencing of his trusted commander Kaing Guek Eav, known as Duch, for his part in the genocide.

During the trial, Mr Hamill had the chance to speak directly to the frail maths teacher-turned killing commander, and wished upon him the punishments he had dished out to his victims.

"I have imagined your scrotum electrified, being forced to eat your own faeces, being nearly drowned, and having your throat cut."

Duch ran the S21 prison where at least 14,000 were detained - including Mr Hamill's brother.

Kerry Hamill had been sailing to Bangkok in 1978 when his yacht veered into Cambodian waters - he was captured, tortured then killed.

Family found out about Kerry's fate 16 months later, after the regime fell in 1979. It was too much for Mr Hamill's younger brother john, who jumped from a cliff soon afterwards.

Mr Hamill says he's more accepting now, and the verdict brings closure for the family.

"After 30 years of our own family kind of suppressing it - and kind of not talking about it - and the effect it had on our family, I think this is a very special time and I'd like to think he's looking down on us thinking, yeah, it's about bloody time."

Duch's verdict and sentence will be handed down in two days.

4 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:54 PM

    Duch must stone to death in public oney by one from khmer people..

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous3:26 AM

    Democratic Kampuchea Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime

    Members:
    Pol Pot
    Nuon Chea
    Ieng Sary
    Ta Mok
    Khieu Samphan
    Son Sen
    Ieng Thearith
    Kaing Kek Iev
    Hun Sen
    Chea Sim
    Heng Samrin
    Hor Namhong
    Keat Chhon
    Ouk Bunchhoeun
    Sim Ka...

    Committed:
    Tortures
    Brutality
    Executions
    Massacres
    Mass Murder
    Genocide
    Atrocities
    Crimes Against Humanity
    Starvations
    Slavery
    Force Labour
    Overwork to Death
    Human Abuses
    Persecution
    Unlawful Detention


    Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime

    Members:
    Hun Sen
    Chea Sim
    Heng Samrin
    Hor Namhong
    Keat Chhon
    Ouk Bunchhoeun
    Sim Ka...

    Committed:
    Attempted Murders
    Attempted Murder on Chea Vichea
    Attempted Assassinations
    Attempted Assassination on Sam Rainsy
    Assassinations
    Assassinated Journalists
    Assassinated Political Opponents
    Assassinated Leaders of the Free Trade Union
    Assassinated over 80 members of Sam Rainsy Party.

    Sam Rainsy LIC 31 October 2009 - Cairo, Egypt
    "As of today, over eighty members of my party have been assassinated. Countless others have been injured, arrested, jailed, or forced to go into hiding or into exile."
      
    Executions
    Executed over 100 members of FUNCINPEC Party
    Murders
    Murdered 3 Leaders of the Free Trade Union 
    Murdered Chea Vichea
    Murdered Ros Sovannareth
    Murdered Hy Vuthy
    Murdered 10 Journalists
    Murdered Khim Sambo
    Murdered Khim Sambo's son 
    Murdered members of Sam Rainsy Party.
    Murdered activists of Sam Rainsy Party
    Murdered Innocent Men
    Murdered Innocent Women
    Murdered Innocent Children
    Killed Innocent Khmer Peoples.
    Extrajudicial Execution
    Grenade Attack
    Terrorism
    Drive by Shooting
    Brutalities
    Police Brutality Against Monks
    Police Brutality Against Evictees
    Tortures
    Intimidations
    Death Threats
    Threatening
    Human Abductions
    Human Abuses
    Human Rights Abuses
    Human Trafficking
    Drugs Trafficking
    Under Age Child Sex
    Corruptions
    Bribery
    Embezzlement
    Treason
    Border Encroachment, allow Vietnam to encroaching into Cambodia.
    Signed away our territories to Vietnam; Koh Tral, almost half of our ocean territory oil field and others.  
    Illegal Arrest
    Illegal Mass Evictions
    Illegal Land Grabbing
    Illegal Firearms
    Illegal Logging
    Illegal Deforestation

    Illegally use of remote detonate bomb on Sokha Helicopter, while Hok Lundy and other military officials were on board.

    Lightning strike many airplanes, but did not fall from the sky.  Lightning strike out side of airplane and discharge electricity to ground. 
    Source:  Lightning, Discovery Channel

    Illegally Sold State Properties
    Illegally Removed Parliamentary Immunity of Parliament Members
    Plunder National Resources
    Acid Attacks
    Turn Cambodia into a Lawless Country.
    Oppression
    Injustice
    Steal Votes
    Bring Foreigners from Vietnam to vote in Cambodia for Cambodian People's Party.
    Use Dead people's names to vote for Cambodian People's Party.
    Disqualified potential Sam Rainsy Party's voters. 
    Abuse the Court as a tools for CPP to send political opponents and journalists to jail.
    Abuse of Power
    Abuse the Laws
    Abuse the National Election Committee
    Abuse the National Assembly
    Violate the Laws
    Violate the Constitution
    Violate the Paris Accords
    Impunity
    Persecution
    Unlawful Detention
    Death in custody.

    Under the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime, no criminals that has been committed crimes against journalists, political opponents, leaders of the Free Trade Union, innocent men, women and children have ever been brought to justice. 

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous3:28 AM

    Who killed 1.7 million innocent Khmer peoples?

    a) Pol Pot
    b) Nuon Chea
    c) Ta Mok 
    d) Khieu Samphan 
    e) Son Sen 
    f) Kaing Kek Iev  
    g) Ieng Sary 
    h) Ieng Thearith
    i) Hun Sen
    j) Chea Sim
    k) Heng Samrin
    l) Hor Namhong
    m) Keat Chhon 
    n) Ouk Bunchhoeun
    o) Sim Ka 
    p) all of above

    Source:
    DC-CAM

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous3:29 AM

    Which one of these people(s) list below is a terrorist leader during a Grenades Attack on March 30, 1997 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia?

    a) HUN SEN
    b) Hok Lundy
    c) Huy Piseth 
    d) Phan Sary
    e) Oum Chamnane
    f) Chun Yasith
    g) Osama Bin Landen

    Source:
    STATEMENT OF HENG PEOV
    Heng Peov hold position as the chief of Bureau of Anti Narcotic in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
    http://ia311543.us.archive.org/1/items/HengPoevStatementofHengPoev/Statement_of_Heng_Peov.pdf

    ReplyDelete