Celebs.gather.com
This is the kind of press that Angelina Jolie doesn't want. Jolie, a long-time advocate of environmental conservation efforts, better education, infrastructure and health care in the Southeast Asian country of Cambodia may now be linked to the purchase of property from the 'wrong' person. That person in question was a high-ranking official under Pol Pot, leader of the notorious Khmer Rouge.
The Communist Khmer Rouge's reign of terror for four years in Cambodia led to the genocide of more than two million people. According to reports, Angelina Jolie purchased land from Ta Tith, a high-ranking leader of the Khmer Rouge, for her charity. The land was reportedly purchased for $25,000.
The problem is that Ta Tith is sought after by the United Nations to face 'crimes against humanity' charges stemming from the genocide that occurred in the late 1970s.
Jolie had been granted citizenship by the current Cambodian government in 2005, and had purchased the land back in December 2002. The land was purchased as for the Maddox Jolie-Pitt foundation and she had been informed that the person she was buying land from was a former higher-up in the Khmer Rouge.
One major issues is that, until recently, there has been no real pressure within Cambodia, though there has been international pressure, to seek justice for the crimes against humanity that were performed by the Khmer Rouge. Still now, more than 30 years after the fact, former Khmer leaders live among the population with little to no fear.
Did Angelina Jolie really know who she was dealing with? One person close to Jolie in dealing with the land deal says yes:
She knows that Yim Tith (Ta Tith) and everybody are the Khmer Rouge. We talked like we have to, like Mr. Yim Tith is a big man there and he's very important person.
How big? The people currently prosecuting the war crimes who seek Ta Tith say that he controlled execution and prisons sites where "71,000 and 83,000 people, if not more, were murdered." Estimates of total death toll in land he controlled...an unimaginable 600,000 people.
Still, the issue here is so much larger than Angelina Jolie. The current fragile Cambodian government is actually afraid of prosecuting too many of the Khmer Rouge suspects for fear of reprisals. Still the actress seems to have a high tolerance for risk, knowing exactly who she was dealing with and still saying yes. She is obviously not the first Hollywood star to have dealings with unsavory people.
While all the specifics may not have been known to Jolie, she must have known or should have known that doing business...meant working with former ranking Khmer Rouge who were necessarily involved in the regime's crimes against humanity and war crimes.
The question is this: Should Angelina Jolie, who was trying to do the right thing to help people in a third world country, be held accountable for dealing with someone who should be held accountable for war crimes? Talk about a complete mess!
14 comments:
Angelina Jolie. Why are you dealing with the murderer? Come clean and tell the world the truth about the Pol Pot behind the Hun Sen government. Are you robbing the Khmer people by buying 250 hectare of land for $100 per hectare! Do you care about the poor people with no land?
8:06 AM, why are you inhaling oxygen that once was breath in by Hitler ?
8:06! should you let all Khmere in samlot live as monky because the just to end up with Khmerouge once?
Stop be stupid use your brain!
Angelina didn't do anything wrong.
She was trying to save forest and wild life in Cambodia. Her first adopted son was from Cambodia. She is an Angel to Khmer ! Please don't get her wrong.
It is sad to see some people make comment without putting any thought into it. They just jump in on the blame truck.
This is why Khmer society cant progress. Foreigners are holding onto lands and dealing the khmer lands under the table.
Angelina Jolie, please explain tot he Cambodians around the world. Have you used those 250 hectares for the cambodian people or for your business?
12:19 PM
you better explain other, how long you have been get in touch with the Cambodian problem. Did you help our people more than Mrs. Angelina Jolie or you just spent your time to complain or blame other people.
Remembered, Mrs. Jolie did not make any profits by doing the business in Cambodia, because she spent a lot of her own money to help our people and of course she always supports our country during the difficulty period.
10:43 AM,
FYI! She's not a foreigner. She is a Cambodian, therefore, she can buy what ever she want.
12:19 PM,
What business.....moron?
It's her house! As filthy rich as she is, do you actually think she need to invest in Cambodia? Give me a f**king break!
Do you know how much money she poured into Cambodia? More than you can count....buddy.
My suggestion is; before you start bitching, do a research about on her profile.
Know the truth before you post.
5:55 AM
She is Cambodian, because she has money. In CAmbodia you can be anything you want, you can be above the law, you can even be another person, in this case, so the question is did she buy her citizen?
Just because she is Cambodian it doesnt give her the right to buy half the province at the price of a car. So what has she done with the 250 hectares of land?
6:04 AM
Does that mean, CPP families are as legitimate as Angelina Jolie? CPP are known for dealing under the table and owning hundreds and thousands of hectares, in fact most lands in Cambodia are now owned by foreigners and CPP officials, so ask yourself, should we just mind our own business, because she its their money, and its their house?
Are you worried at all that foreigners and CPP are holding on to the lands because they can, while the nation are being forced evicted? Use your brain
6:12 & 6:17,
Did she inconvenience anyone by buying hectares of land in the middle of a jungle? No, she didn't. Did she force evict anyone for her land? No, she didn't! She paid for her shit! The fucking land is occupied by a Khmer Rouge. There were no ordinary citizens live there. It's a fucking waste land waiting for Thailand to steal it. Don't compare Ms. Jolie with your land-grabbing government. She's nothing like that. Stop heckling Ms. Jolie and turn your frustrations toward the CPP.
6:12,
You of all people should know that money is above all, especially in Asia. Now, I don't know how Ms. Jolie got her citizenship, but I can point you in a direction where who might know.
Did she inconvenience anyone
-If she was honest before buying the land, how do you explain that she knew the dealer was a high ranking Khmer Rouge officer?
-If she was honest, how do you explain that when she bought the land, it was under the adopted son's name before it was transferred to her name the year after?
Did she force evict anyone for her land?
-Do you know? How would you know, if she doesnt clarify herself, reports suggested that she knew the seller was a senior khmer rouge.
-the question isnt, did she force anyone, its did she follow the law before puchasing the land. No, because she used tricks to buy the plot of land, 250 hectares of land at the price of car.
-So, should we Khmer allow foreigns, CPP and others to used tricks to purchase our land because they can?
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