Deadline Approaching for Tribunal Budget, Groups Worry

By Mean Veasna, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
22 January 2008

The Khmer Rouge tribunal is facing a time and money crunch that could make trials difficult, two rights groups warned Tuesday.

"There is enough budget for the salaries of the international members for the whole year in 2008. But the Cambodian personnel who are working at the Khmer Rouge tribunal will run out of money in the next few months," said Seng Theary, executive director of the Center for Social Development. "If the Khmer Rouge tribunal has no budget, the tribunal will not be able to dispense salaries for the personnel. When the personnel have no salary, we are concerned that the court might stall."

Observers worry the tribunal will run out of funds before all five jailed Khmer Rouge leaders are tried, in proceedings the Cambodian foreign minister has said could run into 2012.

A budget shortfall has made the trial of five jailed former Khmer Rouge leaders more difficult, said Hisham Moussar, a legal expert monitoring the tribunal for the rights group Adhoc.

The tribunal's mandate only has a year and a half remaining, he said, "a short time."

"And if the time is short and the money is not there on time, it will be more difficult for the trial of the five people," he said.

Budget Crunch Looms for Tribunal, Group Warns

Poch Reasey, VOA Khmer
Washington
09 August 2007

The Khmer Rouge tribunal is facing a number of immediate challenges, including a looming budget crisis, Long Panhavuth, program officer for the Open Society Justice Initiative, said Thursday.

When the UN and Cambodia negotiated over funds in 2004, they did not take into account a number of expenses, such as translations and interpretation, he said, as a guest on "Hello VOA."

"For some areas such as translation and interpretation services, they have a budget, but a very small one," he said. "You know how important these two services are. They help preserve the history of Cambodia."

Long Panhavuth said court officials have acknowledged that additional funds need to be raised to pay for these services. The tribunal plans to raise extra money in September from donor countries, he added.