AKRVC Open Letter to Victims (of Meas Mut, Sou Met, Im Chaem, Ta Tith, Ta An) and Civil Party Lawyers - Crime Sites of Case 004

20 June 2011, Phnom Penh

Open Letter to Victims

(of Meas Mut, Sou Met, Im Chaem, Ta Tith, Ta An) and Civil Party Lawyers

Crime Sites of Case 004 for Civil Party Applications

Dear Concerned KR Victims and Civil Party Lawyers:

We need to hear your voices and testimonies in Case 003 against Khmer Rouge Military Commanders Meas Mut and Sou Met and Case 004 against KR district chief Im Chaem, KR Zone Deputy Secretaries Ta An and Ta Tith.

My Application against Im Chaem, Ta Tith, Ta An

As I am awaiting the appeal decision of the Pre-Trial Chamber regarding my application against Meas Mut and Sou Met, I am submitting another application against Im Chaem, Ta Tith and Ta An later today or tomorrow to the Co-Investigating Judges of the Extraordinary Chambers (ECCC) for the mass crimes during the capture and exodus of Phnom Penh in 1975, and of the East Zone purges in 1977-78 and during their forays into Vietnam across the East Zone.

In particular, I am requesting that the Co-Investigating Judges investigate these Charged Persons’ (especially Ta Tith and Ta An) culpability in relation to the crime sites of Wat Tlork Security Center (a crime site of Case 002) and Boeung Rai Security Center (where 20,000-30,000 were believed to be killed but only cursorily mentioned with a sentence or two in the Closing Order of Case 002). 

The East Zone because of its proximity to Vietnam is notorious for the internal wholesale purges of villages as well as for the war crimes waged against Khmer Kampuchea Krom in southern Vietnam.  These purges and war crimes were conducted by Ta Mok and his military clan, e.g. Ta An, Ta Tith, Meas Mut etc.  The fact that many senior officials of the current Cambodian People’s Party were former KR cadres of the East Zone (particularly Svay Rieng and Prey Veng) should not keep the ECCC from investigating the countless execution sites and security centers located there. One ECCC official confirmed my suspicion that one reason for the very few crime sites in Svay Rieng and Prey Veng (only 2-3!) within the scope of investigations for all four Cases is because the ECCC did not want to venture into areas which are politically sensitive with the current ruling party.  The fact that Boeung Rai Security Center, where 20,000-30,000 people were killed, including my mother, was overlooked in the investigation and only mentioned marginally as a result of my public request substantiates this view.

Additionally, as close associates and family members with high military ranking of the butcher Ta Mok, these Charged Persons in Case 004 most likely played an active role and bear highest responsibility in the capture and exodus of Phnom Penh in 1975.

Genocide and Crimes against Humanity Offend the Moral Intuition of EVERYONE

Overall, they are charged with “Crimes against Humanity” – crimes not only against tens of thousands perished within their physical environs and family members like myself, crimes not only against Cambodians generally, but crimes against HUMANITY!  In this sense, every human being (an American, a French, an Indian, a Filipino, etc.) who is deeply offended by the assault on their humanity and dignity arguable is a direct legal victim and should retain a very proactive lawyer also to file on his/her behalf.

Opportune Time to File Cases 003/004 Applications on the Advent of Case 002

As you are and will be already congregating in Phnom Penh in the coming days for the opening hearings of Case 002, I request that you take this opportunity also to complete the application for Cases 003 and 004.  In light of the information provided by the International Co-Prosecutor, by KI-Media and other press coverage, by my own inquiries (in particular the below list of crime sites implicating Im Chaem, Ta Tith, Ta An), the conditions are prime and favorable for the filing of applications for both Cases 003 and 004. 

Case 003 Filing

The conditions are more restrictive now to file in Case 003 but the window of opportunity is still there, even if narrow.  The Pre-Trial Chamber has yet to decide on the appeals of my and Rob Hamill’s applications; the Co-Investigating Judges have yet to reject the other hundred-plus civil party applications; the CIJs have been discredited and publicly marginalized whereby with your growing voice and advocacy, the space and time for filing could be greatly expanded, etc. 

The list of crime sites are found in the International Co-Prosecutor public announcement supplemented more completely by excerpts of the actual Case 003 Introductory Submission posted by KI-Media.

Case 004 Filing

Through my own research and conversations, I have come into this very trusted information which should assist you greatly in filing against Im Chaem, Ta Tith and Ta An:

Central Zone (Ta An)

- Purge of the Central Zone                               - Wat O Trau Kuon Security Center

- Wat Batheay Security Center                         - Met Kor (Sop) Security Center

- Wat Phnom Pros Security Center                   - Kok Pring Execution Site

- Chamkar Svay Chanty Security Center     - Anglong Chrey Dam Forced Labor Site

- Genocide in Kampong Cham Province           - Wat Srange Security Center

- Tuol Ta Phlong Prison and Execution Site     - Wat Kandal Security Center

- Wat Baray Chan Dek Security Center                                                           

Northwest Zone (Ta Tith, Im Chaem)

- Purge of the Northwest Zone                         - Wat Kirirum

- Banteay O Ta Krey Execution Site               - Banteay Treng Security Center

- Wat Thoamayutt Security Center                   - Wat Kandal Security Center

- Wat Samdech Security Center                          - Wat Po Laingka Security Center

- Wat Banteay Neang Security Center     -  La-Ang Phnom Kuoy Yum Execution Site

- Wat Chamka Khnol Security Center                - Prison No. 8

- Tuol Purchrey Execution Site                     - Phnom Trayoung Security Center

- Phum Chakrey Security Center                  - Wat Preah Neth Preah & Chamkar T Ling

- Trapeang Thma Dam                                - Spean Spreng & Prey Roneam Dam

Southwest Zone (all three came out of Ta Mok’s clan of the SW, but mainly Ta Tith)

Wat Pratheat Security Center                                      - Tram Kak

East Zone Purges and War with Vietnam

- Purge of Svay Rieng                                                     - Purge of Prey Veng

- Genocide of Kampuchea Krom and of April 17 New People  

- War with Vietnam

Time is of the essence.  So, FILE NOW! Fight the “Crimes of Idiocy” of political interference, impunity, and UN complicity with our collective, strong voices as victims and civil party applicants.

With peace and my highest regards,

Theary C. SENG

Representative of Civil Parties of Orphans Class

Association of Khmer Rouge Victims in Cambodia

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The Association of Khmer Rouge Victims in Cambodia—the first association based in Cambodia to be registered with the Ministry of Interior and the first to be recognized by the ECCC Victims Support Section and independent of any political or religious affiliation—is a network of survivors of the 1975-79 killing fields who are joined in the fellowship of suffering, in the demand for justice, and in the work for a just peace. The members of the Victims Association are from overseas and spread across the provinces and capital of Cambodia, coming together as a result of the public forums conducted by its Founder, and now its president Ms. Theary C. SENG and Victims Outreach Manager Mr. SOK Leang since 2007. They include widows and orphans; former child soldiers and former prisoners; hard-working farmers and middle-class city-dwellers; well-known actresses playwrights, authors and journalists; as well as teachers, translators, security guards, taxi drivers, inter alia. Among the other members of the Victims Association is the Civil Parties of Orphans Class, a special grouping pre-dating the AKRVC founding when introduced officially in the Pre-Trial Chamber hearing of Nuon Chea in Feb. 2008, and since officially recognized by the ECCC Victims Support Section and a party to the Extraordinary Chambers Case File No. 002 against the senior Khmer Rouge leaders.   

www.akrvictims.org