 |
| Sam Rainsy said last week the complaints were not part of political brokering for his return to Cambodia, where he faces years of imprisonment. |
Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer | Washington, DC
“Hundreds of thousands of victims, even though they died 20 years ago, we must not forget the mistreatment and killing of Cambodian people, which are crimes against humanity.”
Opposition leader Sam Rainsy recently visited New York, where he is trying to bring Prime Minsiter Hun Sen to court for atrocity crimes.
“My trip to America this time is for a short period, to meet my lawyer in filing complaints against Mr. Hun Sen before the US courts, in New York, and independent courts in some democratic countries,” he said in a recent interview in Washington.
Sam Rainsy is alleging that Hun Sen was involved in the deaths of many people along the Thai border who were sent there to clear forest during the civil war. Many died of sickness or by stepping on land mines, which Sam Rainsy called a crime against humanity.
He is also implicating Hun Sen in killings of demonstrations against the 1998 national elections that put him firmly in power and in the 1997 grenade attack on a Sam Rainsy-led rally, where at least 16 people died.
Sam Rainsy said last week the complaints were not part of political brokering for his return to Cambodia, where he faces years of imprisonment on criminal charges he says are politically motivated. Local elections are set for next year and national elections for the year after.
“These complaints are to seek justice for victims,” he said. “Hundreds of thousands of victims, even though they died 20 years ago, we must not forget the mistreatment and killing of Cambodian people, which are crimes against humanity.”
“If we don’t end the impunity, there will be consistent violence, nonstop killings of each other,” he said. “So I think if we manage to stop the impunity, and even bring to account perpetrators, criminals, even if they are in power or of higher rank, then we will Cambodia stop violence, especially political violence.”
Foreign courts have potential jurisdiction in such matters, he said, citing as an example the case against Chile’s former dictator, Augusto Pinochet, who was charged with myriad atrocity crimes after he left power there.
“Such courts, they have competency to investigate criminals, particularly in the killing of people, no matter the nationalities,” he said. Neither the number of years nor the position of the alleged perpetrators matter, he said.
Sam Rainsy said that Cambodia was moving toward the global trend of freedom and uprisings for the toppling of dictators.
“Tyrannical power, even though has been used to mistreat people for many years, in the end are toppled by people,” he said. “I believe that in Cambodia, it is going to happen.”
24 comments:
we do not have to hate Hun sen personally , but do not have to love him personally either. but we have to love the people of Cambodia as a whole. but Hen sen do not love Cambodian people as a whole but his small group on the expense of Khmer land and Khmer being. Khmer will lose almost everything because of him, for example, Angkor Wat of Khmer ancestor now belong to Sok Kong, the Viet, and more.
Please all Khmer not be short sighted- Hun Sen is just one person- Out of 14 million Khmer, we can find more than one leader. Do not love a leader personally, but patritically even nationalist, Rainsy.
Sam Rainsy defends our Khmer territory against Yuon invader is a truly HERO.
May GOD Destroy Yuon savage from our beautiful planet earth. Amen
i think only time will tell; people will lose interest and support for sam rainsy if he fails to reform his political party and himself. his case is going nowhere but in circle; same old same old! i think the era of struggle in cambodia is over, that's why! cambodia today is not like say 10 or 20 or 30 years ago, you know! of course, cambodia changed a lot since, anyone can see that, and there are more to come for cambodia, i'm sure. god bless cambodia and all our beautiful khmer people and citizens.
Cambodian political fields and the use of power to suppress opposition at all cost has never changed.
It bends under pressure, but will revert back to its former state when the pressure is lessened.
The only way for change is the change in the thinking, which is not seen at all in PM Hun Sen.
I will believe that Cambodian leaders change when all of the old folks in various ministries starting from Hun Sen to Chea Sim, to Hor, to Keat, to Tea and so on begin to think of retirement for the interests of the country and let other Cambodians with better education, new mind and thought to take the steering wheel and steer Cambodia slowly out of the culture of violence, repression, corruption, cronyism and nepotism into a new culture of jobs based on ability and dedication to the nation and her people rather than political party.
Time for a change is now. So to young people of Cambodia, here is the message:
Your future rests in your hands and you can choose to continue the status quo or demand a serious change if you ever want a better life for yourselves or your children.
Pissed off
Pathetic
Who dare come out?
Mr. MP Sam Rainsy do not give up like last time to put Hun Sen on trial for crimes against humanity.
In effect, ever sice Pinochet was arrested in London 1n 1998 to face charges of having ordered and cordoned torture and killing during his regime; ever since the British house of lords (equivalent to the U.S supreme court) judged that was valid to indict a head of state for human rights abuses in a country, this specter of that decision, that fate has haunted rulers everywhere, even one day with Hun Sen and his cronies who have committed crimes against the less fortunate Khmers like the police brutalities in Beung Kak now, thet can not escaped justice one way or another, time will be coming soon or later...
Khmer Love
Khmer people must sacrifice their life to defend justice, otherwise keep crying...
It is so irritated when I saw some people hold Ah Kwack and Mi Kanchrook's pictures and beg for help. Why do they ask help from the head of the thieves?
If you are so dumb, your life is not worth of living.
Wake up !! Stop unnecessary crying!! Fight for your survival !!
Suong Sophorn is a role model for Khmer people to follow.
We can use his courage and bravery as the foundation for our moral force to stop Yiekcong from swallowing Cambodia.
We cannot allow this current puppet government to keep executing its mater's orders. Khmer people will become a minority in Cambodia soon. Then the Yiekcongs are the one who control our country's fate.
The peaceful mass demonstration is almost the only option that we have left to stop this puppet government from further damaging and destroying Cambodia
I'm not a member to any party, but would like to be one. CPP is impossible because I was Lon Nol army. Samransy is to personal and he see him self is the perfect one not willing to compromi or merge with any party, his way or highway. This is not politic, is a dictator. Human Right Party is a family party the name is not relate Khmer Nation. I'm still looking.
without terms limit law in cambodia, blinded and greedy leaders will always fight for power like in during the dark ages era, you know! i think to help cambodia to have a good future, we all must demand political reforms in cambodia, period! do not do a disservice to khmer people again, ok! i think terms limit for prime ministership position is one key to settle this so-called, old way of fighting for power! with terms limit law, everyone qualified candidate will have equal opportunity and fair and just to run for prime minister job in their own rights, not so much inherited rights, like the monarchy, that's different! what i don't understand is why some people keep blaming khmer gov't this or that when they don't even try to help by debating and introducing the american concept of terms limit law, etc! why some people continue to stay stupid forever is beyond my knowledge, you know! maybe they all think hypocritically and all about themselves only. that's why they are what they are, i believe!
srp people should focus their energy on social and political reforms, instead of attackiing their oponent which they preached and whined about, really!
i hope the US will turn down sam rainsy because he is unpopular and a sore loser in cambodia. he always run away from cambodia, how can people trust him, imagine, he'll run away like lon nol again, see what happened to cambodia then! we cannot allowed destructive people to ruin cambodia again, you know!
No body talked about the term limit when Cambodian constitution was drafted !!!
Sam Rainsy also supported the constitution !!
Why do we talk about it now ???
Hey Mr. 12:01AM,
You sounds like a smart ass, but dumb ass. Tell me and Mr. Rainsy, you (smart ass) that Mr. Rainsy needs to reform his political party. What should he reform???? Did Hun Sen reform his political party? Nope.
Hun Sen didn't do any shit in term of giving Khmer land to Youn,
grabbing Khmer people's land,
destroying forestry,
Killing opposition and Khmer people,
Letting Youn come and go to live in Cambodia freely, Help Youn to promote their culture and language in Cambodia.
Destroy environment such as taking sand from the river.
Don't tell me Hun Sen made a lot of progress in Cambodia. The only progress is a lot of villas, but no job for the poor.
What kind of industries did he produce for 30 years in power? Only garment factories run and owned by Chinese.
How many Khmer owned big companies, only the crooks like Kith Meng and Mong Rithy. The rest of croanies are from Hanoi like Sok Kong, Yeay Sopheap, etc...
How many million of Youn people live in Cambodia?
Does Khmer have the right than Youn people in Cambodia? Nope. YOun has more right and protection than Khmer people. Ah Hun Sen won't hurt Youn people in Cambodia; otherwise, he will be in trouble and big shit by his master.
He of course can kill or hurt Khmer people like nowaday.
So get lost asshole. Don't tell me the stupid thing like that.
My parents joined CPP to keep business running but I joined with SRP. I hate Hun Sen, he is so dumb and so stupid.
Sam Rainsy has been doing the right things for Cambodia, its independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, true democracy and freedom and common development for all in Cambodia. He deserves the support of all Khmers who care about our beloved Cambodia.
Sam Rainsy's lawyer should be so happy to have a customer like Sam Rainxy. It is a long case that will go nowhere, and that Sam will never win!
That is how Sam Rainsy Party would spend your tax if they are elected.
12:26pm (A Handsome Khmer Boy), it is not because you are against CPP that you must join SRP. Sam Rainsy is as idiotic as Hun Sen. A lot of good leaders in Sam Rainsy Party (Mu Sochua, Son Chhay, etc.), but the leader itself (Sam Rainsy) is a 100% idiot.
Short life Rainsy, Long life Mu Sochua!
9:02 PM & 9:16 PM
You get to be real darn wise to convince me.
I hate Hun Sen and the opposition is my team. For you to renounce Rainsy and/or split Rainsy from Mu Sochu I have to say thia" You are in a business to divide Khmers", you are not going to make it with me.
"Smart i snot enough to convince me, you get to be very wise to do so."
9:02 PM & 9:16 PM
You get to be real darn wise to convince me.
I hate Hun Sen and the opposition is my team. For you to renounce Rainsy and/or split Rainsy from Mu Sochu I have to say this" You are in a business to divide Khmers", you are not going to make it with me.
"Smart is not enough to convince me, you get to be very wise to do so."
9:16 PM
That is one of your ways to break Khmers apart, by putting one down, elevating another. That trick is too old.
Next time, try a new trick.
Sam Rainsy is the best and capable leader of Sam Rainsy Party and Cambodia and the best Khmer leader to deal with Hanoi on Vietnam's infrigement on Khmer sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.
Hanoi fears Sam Rainsy most, because he is a fearless defender of our Khmer people and Khmer land.
And Long Live to Sam Rainsy!
Post a Comment