Monday, July 26, 2010

Sentence of Khmer Rouge jailer not enough – Hamill

Rob Hamill (Reuters)

Mon, 26 Jul 2010
By Melissa Davies
3News.co.nz (New Zealand)


One of Pol Pot's right hand men in the Khmer Rouge has been sentenced to 35 years in a landmark case brought by the War Crimes Tribunal.

Around 1.7 million people were brutally tortured and killed under the communist regime in the late 1970s.

A New Zealander, Kerry Hamill, was among the victims and his brother, former Olympian Rob Hamill, was in Cambodia for the sentencing.

Kang Guek Eav, known as comrade Duch, leaned in as the judge described his murderous crimes in graphic detail - stories of how he tortured people by pulling out their toenails.

Duch confessed to being personally responsible for the deaths of more than 12,000 people.

That includes 28-year-old Kerry Hamill - a New Zealand sailor captured in Cambodian waters in 1978. His brother Rob Hamill was among the hundreds at court in Pnomh Penh.

“[I’m] very hopeful for a good outcome. Our family obviously have (sic) a stake in it but for Cambodia this is obviously a huge deal for the millions that suffered,” he said before the verdict.

Inside the Hamill’s got a special mention from the judge who read out some of the names of Duch's victims.

Duch was impassive as he stood to learn his fate.

Former New Zealand Governor General dame Silvia Cartwright is one of five judges who found him guilty of grave crimes against humanity and sentenced him to 35 years jail.

Duch will, however, only serve 30 because the court ruled he had already been held illegally for five years.

Rob Hamill says the sentence is not long enough.

“It will never be closure, you can't bring back the past but it is the end of the chapter I think, obviously for our family having this man brought to justice.”

Rob Hamill has requested a face-to-face meeting with Duch to question him about the last days of Kerry Hamill’s life and to find out where his brother is buried.

Having spoken to Duch's lawyers after sentencing, Rob Hamill says he is reasonably optimistic that meeting may happen.

11 comments:

  1. Anonymous3:28 PM

    Welcome to Cambodia!

    It only happens in Cambodia.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous3:31 PM

    With all an overwhelming evidence for war crimes and the crime against humanity, he will serve a mere 35 years behind bars, and how many years will Mr. Hun Sen serve for his hidden crimes when the day comes for his trial?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous6:20 PM

    Next time, send your children to Iraq or Alganestan, it may be less bad than Cambodia..

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous7:48 PM

    This is just to start with.
    There are more criminals in the CPP who we must never forget who are khmer rouge.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous10:41 PM

    Wow I thought all would be sentence to life after all these killings. But no???? That's like killing just one person.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous11:36 PM

    Please,
    people in the world,
    specifically in the free countries, democratic countries,
    you have no idea what wars are,
    stop looking for trouble,
    don't go to where troubles are,
    keep far from wars,
    if you don't want to have trouble..

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous11:51 PM

    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
  8. Anonymous1:20 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) Kang 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

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous1:25 AM

    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) Kang 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 summon by the UN back Khmer Rouge Tribunal court (EEEC).

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous3:07 AM

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

    a) Pol Pot
    b) Nuon Chea
    c) Ta Mok 
    d) Khieu Samphan 
    e) Son Sen 
    f) Kang 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

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous6:46 AM

    even in the US, if two people are charged with murdered, etc, and one of them, lesser associate, confess or collaborate with authority on the case, that one will always get a lesser sentence for the cooperation, etc... i think they are doing the same, given this is an international court of law trying the former KR leadership, etc... see, we have to understand the fairness in the court of law, that's all!

    ReplyDelete