Thursday, December 15, 2011

Film’s use at trial questioned

Thursday, 15 December 2011
Mary Kozlovski
The Phnom Penh Post

Nuon Chea was speaking “truthfully” during a series of interviews with Post journalist Thet Sambath, the 85-year-old testified at the Khmer Rouge tribunal yesterday, but claimed that he believed the interviews would be turned into an archive for his family.

International deputy prosecutor Dale Lysak questioned former Khmer Rouge Brother Number Two Nuon Chea about the interviews, which were used for Thet Sambath’s award-winning documentary Enemies of the People and were also the basis of the book Behind the Killing Fields – co-written by Thet Sambath and Gina Chon.

The prosecution argued that in parts of the interviews, Nuon Chea discusses details of the pre-1975 period that are relevant to the first trial of Case 002, which focuses on the forced movement of the population in the early months of Khmer Rouge rule.


Nuon Chea said initially that he was did not think he was being taped during the interviews before stating that he “was not paying attention”.

“[Thet Sambath] told me it will be used as archive for my family, and so I told him truthfully,” Nuon Chea said.

Dale Lysak then inquired whether Nuon Chea had listed Thet Sambath as a relative to allow him to visit at the court’s detention facility, to which the defendant replied that he could not remember.

Thet Sambath said yesterday that Nuon Chea had the right to say anything at the tribunal, but he thought that it was “not right” that the court was using the book “without approval from us”.

Thet Sambath, a survivor of the Khmer Rouge regime, spent nearly a decade conducting interviews with Nuon Chea.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

This ECCC is Hanoi-US ECCC in Cambodia.

Anonymous said...

In April 1975, the Khmer Rouge did not have enough manpower to administer the whole country. The Khmer Vietminh, who were created and brainwashed by Vietnam, seized the opportunity to execute Ho Chi Minh's plan. The Khmer Rouge Pol Pot and the Khmer Vietminh were both inside Cambodia during that Killing fields’ time.

In short, the killings during the Pol Pot's era were committed by the Khmer rouge, the Khmer Vietminh, etc.

If the Khmer Rouge created problems, the Khmer Vietminh and Vietnam exacerbated the problems. That is the fact.

That's why millions of Khmer perished during the Pol Pot's era.

The K5 project in the 80’s, which Pol Pot and Nuon Chea did not involve at all, why so many Khmer people especially men were killed???

They should examine the Khmer Vietminh’s hands and Vietnam’s hands too. They might be stained with full of Khmer's blood.

Why the puppet government is so apprehensive about case 003, 004, etc... if they are cleaned.

Anonymous said...

I support your ideas. Bravo!

Anonymous said...

The caused of the killing field or yuon recent racial crimes against Khmer people is yuons planed and sihanouk involved

yuons and sihanouk are the first degree criminals to be judged and held for responsible for the genocide against Khmer well before polpot, noun chea, tamok or kieu samphan

Anonymous said...

It's time that victims of the killing field learn the truth and the real criminals judge for the genocide against Khmmer

Anonymous said...

Judging Khmer rouge without judging yuon hanoi is just a CRIME because youn hanoi are mastermind of Khmer rouge and the killing field. Yuon hanoi are the real murderers. Letting yuon hanoi get out of the crimes committed against Khmer is another crime against humanity and the DENY of justice for the victims of yuons’s atrocity and crimes. Internal community must STOP TO BE ACCOMPLICE of hanoi crimes by deny yuon Hanoi crimes and atrocities against Khmer and other weak and innocent people in SEA.

Anonymous said...

ECCC in Cambodia has been fully controlled by Hanoi by using former Khmer Viet Minh, former Khmer Rouge like Heng Samrin , Chea Sim and many more now known as ruling party CPP.

Anonymous said...

KI-Media, don't suppress freedom of speech: deleting my comments won't help you from getting to be the Viet's slave!

Ms. Soap

Anonymous said...

Kiss my ass yuon punk/bitch!

Why are you here? May be you do like kissing/licking Khmer ass!

Anonymous said...

ME OR AH SOAP, JUST GET LOST, YOU STUPID, DUMB, DOG EATER, EVIL, DEVIL, KHMERS KILLER.

WE KHMERS,WE WILL NOT BE YOUR DUMB STUPID SLAVE COMMUNIST VIETS.

YOUR DUMB EVIL,DEVIL COMMUNIST VIETS, WILL BE IN HELL SOON!


HELL IS WAITING FOR YOUR EVIL COMMUNIST VIETS.

Anonymous said...

Ms. Soap, when you have freedom, but you are a Communist Vietcong bitch. Don't complain too much when you are just out of the loop here, why complain that you was suppressed by Ki-Media. Go back to where you belong in Hanoi. You are so stupid and talk like a little kid. Are your parents illegal Vietgook living in Cambodia and robbed Khmer people money and land to stay?