Friday, July 30, 2010

Scarred, not healed

The first war-crimes conviction in Cambodia was long overdue

Jul 29th 2010 | Phnom Penh
The Economist

SLIGHT, well-kempt in grey trousers and a powder-blue shirt, the man in the dock cut the image of an ageing schoolteacher. In fact he had taught maths in the years before the Khmers Rouges seized power in Cambodia. Then he assumed a far more terrifying role: as commandant of the S-21 detention centre, overseeing the torture of some 14,000 adults and children, before they were carted off to the “killing fields”. On July 26th the ex-teacher, Kaing Guek Eav, became the first Khmer Rouge official to pay for his part in the genocide of 1975-79, when some 2m people died: a UN-backed tribunal convicted him of war crimes and crimes against humanity, and jailed him for 35 years.

Comrade Duch, as he is better known, will serve only another 19 years because of time he has already spent behind bars and as compensation for a spell of illegal detention before he got to the tribunal. One of the five judges called his offences “shocking and heinous”, but also noted how the defendant had followed orders in a coercive climate, and had since co-operated with the tribunal and shown remorse.

Most Cambodians at the trial thought the sentence unconscionably lenient. Speaking outside of the tribunal, Chum Mey, one of only a handful of survivors of S-21, which was also known as Tuol Sleng, said: “I cannot accept the court’s decision”. Nor could Duch, who will appeal. He had been contrite and compliant for much of the trial, but during closing arguments in November he changed tack, rejecting the court and demanding to be let go.

Jul 29th 2010For his victims, some of whom had watched his testimony from the public gallery, the 67-year-old had in any case failed to take responsibility for his actions. They had desperately hoped to hear why their families or their friends had been tortured and killed, but had to settle for a mix of limited remorse, claimed ignorance and, at times, condescension.

Human-rights groups say that Duch’s sentence represents a measure of hope: he is the first, but hopefully not the last, to be punished for the genocide. The ultra-Maoists, seeking an agrarian Utopia, forced almost all Cambodians onto collective farms and banned money, schools and religion. Their mass killings stopped only when Vietnamese-led invaders toppled the regime. “My father was also killed at that time and I was personally disappointed with the sentence,” says Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights. Still, he believes the court may help to tackle impunity and act as a “good influence” on the flawed national legal system.

Yet the hybrid tribunal itself has not been perfect. Since its inception in 2006, it has suffered from delays, weary donors and claims of grave corruption and political meddling. The underlying difficulty is holding together the coalition of local and foreign judges, lawyers and administrators who staff the court.

Foreign staff want to expand the docket from five to ten suspects and to order testimony from six high-ranking members of the current government. Local staff have resisted, warning that a more assertive tribunal risks sowing unrest among the many former cadres in the country. They echo the prime minister, Hun Sen, who last year said he “would prefer to see this tribunal fail instead of seeing war return to my country.” In any case, officials say, they lack the authority to call on prominent politicians to testify. Outsiders say that the government is trying to limit the tribunal, which it sees as an imposition.

That row is a far cry from an oft-stated hope that the tribunal would help Cambodians to discuss their history, and so promote reconciliation. Ordinary people are only slowly becoming aware of the court, helped by broadcasts of synopses of proceedings, which often draw some 2m viewers, of a population of 14m.

Interest may grow. Four of the Khmers Rouges’ highest-ranking leaders await trial (see article), but they are old and infirm. Their proceedings are scheduled for next year and will be more complicated. Duch, a relatively lowly official, left a meticulous paper trial at S-21 and acknowledged many of his crimes. By contrast, the leaders have mostly refused to co-operate. Pol Pot, the overall leader, went on to command a rebel army that inflicted civil war on the country until the mid 1990s. He died, perhaps by suicide, perhaps murdered, in 1998, after hearing that he might be handed over for trial. Other leaders have made no admissions or apologies and may also not survive to face trial. “The strange thing,” says Youk Chhang, director of the Documentation Centre of Cambodia, which has unearthed much evidence, “is that we have to hope they stay alive.”

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Democratic Kampuchea Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime's leaders and members:
Pol Pot
Nuon Chea
Ieng Sary
Ta Mok
Khieu Samphan
Son Sen
Ieng Thearith
Kaing Guek Eav
Chea Sim
Heng Samrin
Hor Namhong
Keat Chhon
Ouk Bunchhoeun
Sim Ka
Hun Sen...

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's leaders and 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.

Anonymous said...

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 Guek Eav
g) Ieng Sary 
h) Ieng Thearith
i) Chea Sim
j) Heng Samrin
k) Hor Namhong
l) Keat Chhon
m) Ouk Bunchhoeun
n) Sim Ka
o) Hun Sen...
p) all of above

Source:
DC-CAM

Anonymous said...

Which one of these Khmer Rouge(s) list below is the current Khmer Rouge Regime's leader?

a) Pol Pot
b) Nuon Chea
c) Ta Mok 
d) Khieu Samphan 
e) Son Sen 
f) Kaing Guek Eav
g) Ieng Sary 
h) Ieng Thearith
i) Chea Sim
j) Heng Samrin
k) Hor Namhong
l) Keat Chhon
m) Ouk Bunchhoeun
n) Sim Ka
o) HUN SEN

Fact:
Pol Pot is a Khmer Rouge leader of the Democratic Kampuchea Khmer Rouge Regime.

Hun Sen was a Khmer Rouge commander of the Democratic Kampuchea Khmer Rouge Regime and now, a Khmer Rouge leader of the Cambodian People's Party Khmer Rouge Regime.

Chea Sim, Heng Samrin, Hor Namhong, Keat Chhon, Ouk Bunchhoeun and Sim Ka has been summoned by the UN back Khmer Rouge Tribunal court (EEEC).

Anonymous said...

Which one of these Khmer Rouge(s) list below is a prison chief of Boeung Trabek prison?

a) Pol Pot
b) Nuon Chea
c) Ta Mok 
d) Khieu Samphan 
e) Son Sen 
f) Kaing Guek Eav
g) Ieng Sary 
h) Ieng Thearith
i) Chea Sim
j) Heng Samrin
k) HOR NAMHONG
l) Keat Chhon
m) Ouk Bunchhoeun
n) Sim Ka
o) Hun Sen

Source:
DC-CAM

Fact:
During the Democratic Kampuchea Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime;
There are 196 prisons.
There are 196 prison chiefs.
There are 1.7 million innocent Khmer peoples killed by the Democratic Kampuchea Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime.

Democratic Kampuchea Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime's leaders and members:
Pol Pot
Nuon Chea
Ieng Sary
Ta Mok
Khieu Samphan
Son Sen
Ieng Thearith
Kang Guek Eav
Chea Sim
Heng Samrin
Hor Namhong
Keat Chhon
Ouk Bunchhoeun
Sim Ka
Hun Sen...

Kaing Guek Eav is a prison chief of Toul Sleng prison.

The UN back Khmer Rouge Tribunal court (EEEC) must indict 195 other prison chiefs.

"I will not allow the UN back Khmer Rouge Tribunal court (EEEC) to indict more Khmer Rouge Regime leaders, I rather let the court fail."
"Indict more Khmer Rouge Regime's leaders will lead the country into a civil war."
Sammaak Mirt Hun Sen
Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime's leaders

Sammaak Mirt Hun Sen will no allow the UN back Khmer Rouge Tribunal court (EEEC) to indict more Khmer Rouge Regime leaders who is responsible for killing 1.7 million innocent Khmer peoples.

Sammaak Mirt Hun Sen threaten to turn Cambodia into the Killing Fields all over again.

War with whom?
War with innocent Khmer peoples without weapon?

Once a Khmer Rouge, always a Khmer Rouge.

Khmer Rouge(s) continue to kill innocent Khmer peoples.

Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime's leaders and members:
Hun Sen
Chea Sim
Heng Samrin
Hor Namhong
Keat Chhon
Ouk Bunchhoeun
Sim Ka...

"Duch (Kaing Guek Eav) 19 years sentence is too short and not fit his crimes."
Sammaak Mirt Hor Namhong
Prison Chief of Boeung Trabek prison

What's Hor Namhong trying to do is, he want the whole world to know that he is not a Khmer Rouge and a prison chief of Boeung Trabek prison.

Hor Namhong is a prison chief of Boeung Trabek prison.
Source: Phnom Penh Post

Hor Namhong said to the French judge that he is not a prison chief of Boeung Trabek prison, in fact members of his family was killed by Khmer Rouge(s).

Hor Namhong can lies all he want, at the end, he got summoned and will get indict, prosecute, convict and sentence.

Criminals likes to lies.

The place where criminals lies the most is inside the court room in front of the judge(s).