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01 Dec 2011
 | |
| Brad Adams |
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Oss Srok
Click here to read the original article in Khmer
During the preliminary hearing of the KR Tribunal (KRT) on 22 Nov 2011, Khieu Samphan, one of the accused in Case 002, told the court that his trial as the nominal president of the Democratic Kampuchea (DK) is not fair.
Khieu Samphan indicated that the president of the DK before him was Norodom Sihanouk and he should be brought to trial as well.
Khieu Samphan: “Why didn’t you summon Samdech [Sihanouk] to sit in the dock with us also?”
Do you have any comment on the issue raised by Khieu Samphan?
Brad Adams: Regarding Norodom Sihanouk, by what I heard, he used to say on several occasions that he will testify at the KRT. I really admire him very much that he volunteered to clarify the tribunal because he is the most respectful VIP in Cambodia. Therefore, when he testifies to the court, others who will be summoned by the tribunal will have a tough time refusing to do so.
However, I don’t understand why he changed his mind and refused to clarify the court. I believe that he has nothing to fear because documents show that the KR used him before they came to power. At that time, Sihanouk was responsible for encouraging the people to join the KR movement. When he returned to Cambodia after the KR came to power, he became a prisoner of the KR and he was jailed in his palace. He was able to leave Cambodia because China told the KR not to kill him.
Several members of his family were killed by the KR. Under the KR regime, he did not have any power at all. Certainly, he cannot be charged with anything because he had no power. At that time, he had no power to order anybody to commit any crime. It is true that during that time, he was a hostage of the KR. Therefore, I don’t understand why he refused to testify to the court.
At the same time, I am suspicious of the Cambodian government which attempts to prevent him from clarifying to the tribunal. This issue makes me think that they have something to hide when several of the high-ranking government officials were former KR cadres.
Chivita: I want to ask about the goal of arresting KR leaders for their responsibility in the crimes committed by their subordinates, for example, when the KR took over Phnom Penh on 17 April 195, the KR movement was officially hosted by the “GRUNK” (Gouvernement Royal d’Union National du Kampuchea or Royal Government of National Union of Kampuchea) in which King Sihanouk was its president. At that time, there was no change to the Democratic Kampuchea regime yet, and the KR gathered and killed several hundreds of former officials in the Lon Nol regime and King Sihanouk, president of the GRUNK in which the KR were members of, was still living in Beijing. Regarding this issue, I want to ask about the role of the leaders and their subordinates, the actions taken by the king’s subordinates in the killing of officials in the Lon Nol regime, shouldn’t the king bear responsibility for this?
Brad Adams: It’s a matter of proof, but, by what I understand and it is also true that Sihanouk had no power even during that time. He has a position that is powerless. It’s a position for the KR to use him only, such as in making declarations.
I think that at that time, Sihanouk did not have the ability to issue order or have the power as a high-ranking leader. In other words, Sihanouk cannot order anybody in the KR rank to take any action. Only Pol Pot, Nuon Chea, Son Sen and other leaders can issue orders for actions. Therefore, even if his name is mentioned in connection with the KR, I believe that to be fair, he will not legally responsible, but, if there is any proof to the contrary, the situation can be changed.
Chivita: But, if he leaned and knew about the killings at that time, and he did not prevent them, will he be guilty for his involvement or not?
Brad Adams: For involvement guilt, they have to show that (1) he had the rights to order, (2) he knew or should have known about the severe crimes that took place, (3) after he leaned about them, he did not take reasonable action to end the severe crimes. Regarding Sihanouk, the problem is that, even for the first point above, he did not have the power to issue orders.
15 comments:
Thank you KI for sharing this information.
Bullshit!
Sihanouk wanted to kill the members of the Lon Nol administration including Sirik Matak:
"“Phnom Penh,” he continued, “wallowed itself up in collaboration. It is an infected wound on the innocent face of Cambodia. Queen-Mother who abandonedme when I had my back turned, I will humiliate her. The middle-class of Phnom Penh who had betrayed their leader
and their homeland, I will humiliate them; to punish them, I will not enter the capital with the troop, I will have them
chased out first. I do not want to re-establish there after the Liberation. Instead, I will have a wooden hut built for
me in the forest of Angkor, and it will be there that people will come to visit me. Phnom Penh is Vichy. Lon Nol is
Laval. I will have him shot, of course. But, since he is Khmer, and that all Khmer people are my children, I will have
him shot with tenderness.”
We have to recognize that the prophecy is realized in large part. Lon Nol escaped the firing squad but not his
brother, it was said: Phnom Penh will be indeed humiliated, emptied of its inhabitants. And Sihanouk will put his
legitimacy and his asset to the service of communism, maybe without too much illusions on the duration and the
nature of his role.
1971 Sihanouk said like this, and it was published in 1975
French magazine PARIS MATCH - Issue # 1353 (May 3, 1975)
BRING SIHANOUK TO COURT!!!!
First of all Mr. Chivita asked the wrong person. Second, Mr. Adam does not know very much in detail and he never lived up to the past at that time.
third and final, King Sihanouk is part of crime, because he is the founder of that regime. This trail should condemn all KR leaders even the current Govt.. They are part of it too.
Brad Adams is a NGO director of HRW, and he will never dare to critisize Sihanouk or even the ruling Khmer rouge in Cambodia today.
Of course Sihanouk is guilty for making a deal with Ho Chi Minh 1965 for bringing the Vietminh into Cambodia and also guilty for fighting together with the Khmer rouge after 1970 coup.
Khieu Samphan is 100% right:
Sihanouk on the dock!!!
They are the top educated group of
Khmer Rouge but why they went to help Vietcong and turned against their own people. I don't never
understand them.
AH SIHANOUK IS A CRAZIEST MAN TO MAKE LOVE WITH MONIQUE.
MONIQUE IS THE CORE ONE.BRING HER
TO COURT ALONG WITH AH SIHANOUK.
KHMER MUST WAKE UP AGAINST MONARCHY,
AH HUN SEN AH VIETNAMESE IN CAMBODIA.
DR. Khieu Samphan has no power what so ever as same as Prince Sihanouk..............Yuon killed Khmers and a professor from UK. Elizabeth from USA escaped.
10:44 AM, Khmer Rouge lead by Samlot during the Pol Pot regime purpose was to remove the old
government Lon Nol. In order to remove Lon Nol, Samlot work behind the scene with the Vietnamese
close to the East border. Then later on, realized that the Vietnamese had its own purpose and goal and wanted control over
Samlot. Realizing that it was to late, paranoid of those close to him, he had his comrades and comrades families tortured to
death. His paranoia consumed him, as a result, millions had died from tortured.
Who betrayed him? why was he paranoid? Why are the CPP full of Pol Pot comrades? Why are the CPP
still trying to obstruct justice? Why will Sihanouk not testify if the court is inside Cambodia?
Answer: Hun Sen. 32 years of ruling. Comrades of Pol Pot. installed by the Vietnamese.
KR leaders must be held responsible for the crime!
Also, VietNam/Vietcong grossly violated the Paris Peace Agreement and one of the evil actors in Khmer genocide; all the proofs are in front of us right now...tonle sap and mekong river in Cambodia.
VietNam/Vietcong has NO legitimacy in acting on the international stage.
Siding with the Communist Vietnam/Vietcong will undermine and jeopardize true democracy in South East Asia.
International laws MUST apply to VietNam/Vietcong too. Must not let the communist vietcong evil's force goes unchecked.
A lot of fantasies on this KI.
CPP only tells the truth. Where does NGO, Human Right Activists and Global Witness sits?
Recent research shows that Cambodia is still one of the most corrupted nation in Asia. But CPP say that is lies made up by KI and oppositions.
Dumb people still believe in CPP?
Sihanouk, you are the father of all Khmers. Please come out and tell your people the truth. You still have the chance to make the history before you die. We wanted to know "What When Wrong to Cambodia?" during Pol Pot regime. Please come out as the world waiting to hear what you have to say.
Sihanouk is the biggest and the worst traitor in Khmer history.
Hun Sen is the second worst traitor.
Both Sihanouk and Hun Sen will live in the same hell room. They will become lover for each other.
New Ambassador to Viet-Cambodia from the U.S.?
Let me tell you something:
Even with the Ambassador from Heaven to Cambodia, dumb Khmer is helpless. We, Viet, are already controlling Viet-Cambodia from top to bottom, from the Sanate to the farm land...
Hun Sen will be irrelevant in the very near future and there will be more and brighter Viet-Khmer/Khmer-Viet smarter ones to lead Viet-Cambodia...
Viet is everywhere in Viet-Cambodia from farmer to technician, from nurse to doctor, from firefighter to engineer, from rubber plantation owner/worker to Hun Sen's political advisor and bodyguards including Angkor Wat's owner...You all name it and Viet is there...Khmer doesn't do squat besides getting addicted to Viet's ass in Viet-Cambodia, even foreigners are enjoying it nicely...
Once again, whether or not all you dumb Khmer surrender yourselves to Viet, Khmer is now deep-rooted Viet, and irreversibly so already.
Hun Sen is just a dumb Viet-Khmer that can be disposed of at anytime at just a blink of an eye!
Challenge me if all of you dumb Khmer can. We have millions of us (legally the majority thanks to that dumb Hun Sen) that will vote for Viet-Khmer candidate legally and democratically forever, even the outside world would support and agree...
How Sam Raingsy and/or any of your worthless so-called dumb heroe(s) including the stupid dumb king Sihanouk of yours that just wants to reign plan to win Cambodia back? The Federation of Indochina under Viet's rule and control is here to stay on this planet earth for real. How do all of you dumb Khmer think or plan to de-veitnamize it???
KRT is just a show to entertain the world. We, Viet, are that good and smart.
Can Khmer put up the second Killing fields to get rid of millions of legal Viet-Khmer citizen now like we, Viet, did?
Okay you dumb Khmer - put it up or shut up while we, Viet, are domesticating you for the bright future of the Federation of Indochina!
It's all too late for you dumb Khmer already!!!
Ms. Soap
P.s Think about how all of our Viet-Khmer/Khmer-Viet offsprings/Half-breeds would look beautifully and be smart like in our Federation of Indochina???
តើខ្មែរអាចសំឡាប់ប្រជាជន យួន ខ្មែរ រាប់លាន
អ្នកបានដូចដែល វៀត ធ្វើនោះទេ?
ស្ដាប់ឮទេខ្មែរ ល្ងង់ខ្លៅ???
Once again, can Khmer put up the second Killing Field to get rid of millions of legal Viet-Khmer citizen now like we, Viet, did?
Eest-ce que vous m'entendez les ignorants Khmers?
Juste Pour me répéter:
Peut Khmer créer un deuxième «Killing Field» pour se débarasser des millions de Viet-Khmer qui sont maintenant les habitants légaux du Viet-Cambodge comme nous, les Viets, avions fait?
KI-Media is yesterday news and ought to shut down for good or better yet, come kiss our Viet's ass now!!!
DUMB, VIETCONGS/VIETNAMS, YOUR SMART IN THE BAD WAYS BY KILLING KHMERS PEOPLE AND TAKE OVER THEIR LANDS AND COUNTY ETC. EVEN IN AMERICA, WHEN YOU (DUMB VIETCONGS), DO SOMETHING WRONGS.
1. YOU TELLING AMERICANS PEOPLE, YOU ARE KHMER/CAMBODIAN.
2 WHEN YOU (DUMB VIETCONGS) DO SOMETHING GOOD, YOU TELLING AMERICANS
PEOPLE, YOU ARE VIETNAMESE OR CHINESE.
DON'T LOOKS DOWN ON KHMERS PEOPLE AS YOU ARE SO DUMB TOO.
AND THE WORLD IS HAPPENING EVERYWHERE NOW, MAYBE YOUR (DUMB EVILS VIETCONGS) GO TO HELL SOON.
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