Victims of KRouge torture prison seek justice in appeal

PHNOM PENH, March 30, 2011 (AFP) - Survivors and relatives of some of the 15,000 people who died in a Khmer Rouge prison run by torture chief Duch made a final call for more reparations as his appeal case drew to a close Wednesday.

Cambodia's UN-backed court sentenced Duch, 68, in July to 30 years in jail for war crimes and crimes against humanity for overseeing mass murder at the notorious prison Tuol Sleng -- or S-21 -- in the late 1970s.

The only reparations the court awarded the victims, known as the civil parties, was to include their names in the judgment and agree to publish Duch's apologies.

Financial compensation for victims is not an option but their lawyers on Wednesday called for other forms of collective and moral redress, such as memorials or free psychological support.

Families of victims would receive 5 million riels ($US1, 230) in compensation: Hun Xen

A soldier carries discarded sandals after a stampede that killed hundreds on the northen Koh Pich bridge late last night during the water festival. (Photo by: Rick Valenzuela)

Phnom Penh struggles to cope with tragic stampede

Tuesday, 23 November 2010
The Phnom Penh Post STAFF

Cambodian officials today were struggling to cope with the aftermath of last night’s tragic stampede on Koh Pich bridge in Phnom Penh that left more than 300 people dead and several hundreds more injured.

Prime Minister Hun Sen announced early this morning via video conference that 339 were confirmed dead.

Nhim Vanda, deputy director of the Department of Disaster Management put the figure today at 349, while unconfirmed reports from police officials said 375 had been killed.

The Prime Minister also pledged that the families of victims would receive 5 million riels ($US1, 230) in compensation.

City hospitals have begun posting photographs to help identify the dead, while government trucks have been tasked with returning identified victims to their home provinces.

A press conference has been scheduled for later this afternoon, during which officials are expected to announce details of their investigation into the cause of the stampede and ongoing efforts to care for survivors and the families of those who lost relatives in the stampede.

“Reconciliation for me is easy, I want all the leaders to answer for the deeds they committed”: Sum Rithy

From left to right: Mr. Sum Rithy, civil party complainant for case #002, and Mr. Lat Ky, tribunal monitor chief of ADHOC, on 'Hello VOA". (Photo: by Heng Reaksmey)

Government Can Help in Tribunal Reconciliation: Monitor

Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Washington, DC Friday, 06 August 2010

Compensation for victims of the Khmer Rouge is in part a responsibility of the government, a tribunal monitor said Thursday.

“Because the state has an obligation to take responsibility for all kinds of people's suffering,” said Lat Ky, a court monitor for the rights group Adhoc, as a guest on “Hello VOA.”

Many victims were disappointed with the UN-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal's sentencing of prison chief Duch last week. He received a commuted sentence of 19 years for supervising the torture and execution of more than 12,000 people.

Victims who lost family in the infamous prison say they want a stupa erected with the names of the dead. Lat Ky said a stupa would help.

“Even if the verdict is a [court] order, how do we make the victims mentally reconcile, fix their suffering, and find justice for them?” he said. “That's more important than the complexities that the judges are thinking.”

Sum Rithy, a 57-year-old who has filed grievances in both the Duch case and the upcoming Case No. 002, said he was disappointed he saw no compensation in the Duch verdict.

“Reconciliation for me is easy,” he said. “I want all the leaders to answer for the deeds they committed.”

Duch Victims Want Stupa in Remembrance of the Dead

Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Washington, DC Wednesday, 28 July 2010

“That means we recall those who died, especially family members of the victims, who want to see the names of the deceased, because there might be a place to commemorate the souls of the victims.”

Victims of the Khmer Rouge say they should be granted more compensation than was handed over by the Khmer Rouge tribunal on Monday.

The court sentenced Khmer Rouge torture chief Duch, whose real name is Kaing Kek Iev, to a further 19 years in prison, and it read the names of some victims as part of its judgement.

Now, a number of victims say a stupa should be erected to commemorate the more than 12,000 people who died within Tuol Sleng prison under Duch's supervision.

The tribunal is meant to include the needs of victims, as part of national reconciliation under a scheme called “collective compensation.” As part of the compensation, tribunal judges ordered the names of victims be listed on the tribunal website.

But Chum Sirath, a civil party complainant in the Duch trial, said few people will be able to see the website, and that a stupa erected in a public place would be better compensation.

Chum Sarith lost four members of his family, including a baby, at Tuol Sleng. He said the 35-year sentence, commuted to a remaining 19 years, sent the wrong message to the public. The murderer of a single person can receive a similar sentence, he said.

Chum Mey, who survived the torture center, said even perpetrators of crimes at Tuol Sleng lost family members, making a stupa an important part of reconciliation. “So when we all together commemorate a ceremony at a temple again and again, then we know each other and become mutual friends,” he said. “Then reconciliation will be done.”

Long Panhavuth, a tribunal monitor for the Cambodian Justice Initiative, said he agreed with the stupa proposal.

“That means we recall those who died, especially family members of the victims, who want to see the names of the deceased, because there might be a place to commemorate the souls of the victims,” he said.

The Duch verdict was a landmark for the UN-backed court, as it seeks to try those most responsible for the mass atrocities of the Khmer Rouge.

In a press briefing in Washington Tuesday, US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley applauded “the commitment of the national and international judges for their comprehensive and independent work to uphold an international standard of justice and due process in this case.”

The verdict provided relief for some victims. Van Nath, who also survived Tuol Sleng, told VOA Khmer he felt better after Monday's announcement.

The tribunal will now move forward with its second case, against senior leaders of the regime now in detention, including Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary and Ieng Thirith.

Victimized foreigners may get [S.Korean] state compensation

07-20-2010
By Park Si-soo
Staff reporter
The Korea Times

The government is considering providing state compensation to foreign victims of crimes here, the Ministry of Justice said Tuesday.

This is the latest in a series of moves by the administration designed to protect immigrant wives following the tragic death of Thach Thi Hoang Ngoc, a Vietnamese bride who was murdered on July 7 by her mentally-ill Korean husband, just eight days after her arrival here.

At present, Korean nationals, who are severely injured by penniless criminals, are entitled to compensation of up to 30 million won ($24,800) — the family of people who are killed are also eligible to receive the money

“Regardless of the latest incident, we had discussed the extension of compensation to foreign residents from early this year as the number of foreign crime victims has rapidly increased,” Chung Yoo-mi, an in-house prosecutor of the ministry, told The Korea Times. “Our move is likely to gain momentum with the recent homicide case that has pushed the government to come up with comprehensive measures to prevent a recurrence.”

Chung said the idea of adding immigrant wives and documented foreign workers to the beneficiaries is “most likely to be adopted.“

However, the official said it’s undecided when the new rule will go into effect.

According to the ministry, all documented foreigners are entitled to compensation in Japan, while in Germany those who stay there with legal residence status for more than three years benefit from a similar program.

Separately, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family also unveiled a package of measures to crack down on unauthorized international matchmaking agencies, that also mandates Koreans looking for a foreign spouse to complete pre-marriage education about the legal system and culture of the countries that their wives come from.

In line with the measures, Koreans looking for a spouse in China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Cambodia and Mongolia will have to complete the course starting next month.

“Those who fail to complete the education will see the government’s processing of a visa for their foreign spouse (F-2) suspended,” the ministry said in a release.

The measures were co-designed by eight government bodies, including the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Justice and the National Police Agency, it said.

They also intensify the government’s crackdown on undocumented international matchmaking agencies, and propose the establishment of non-profit state-controlled firms as a fundamental solution.

An emergency call center for immigrant wives (1577-1366) and websites will have their available languages become more diversified.

“The Prime Minister’s Office and the ministry will take a leading role in monitoring the measures,” the gender equality ministry said.

For its part, the National Police Agency (NPA) has launched a nationwide crackdown on illegal practices at matchmaking companies such as unlicensed operations and the provision of false information on a partner’s personal profile. The operation will last for one month.

Please cough up the money for Comrade Duch, his detention was illegal ... should we thank him for the killings also?

Duch Deserves Release, Compensation for Illegal Detention, Lawyers Argue

Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
28 September 2007

Lawyers for the detained Khmer Rouge torture chief Duch argue he should be released and compensated for his detention, according to a legal brief released on the Khmer Rouge tribunal Web site Friday.

The lawyers, Cambodian Kar Savuth and Frenchman Francois Roux, officially filed for Duch's release from court detention in July. But the published appeal brief published offers a closer look at a tribunal process.

The lawyers for Duch, whose real name is Kaing Khek Iev, argue that their client has been held illegally since 1999, a human rights abuse.

Tribunal judges did not take his "lengthy" detention into consideration when they remanded him to tribunal court detention.

Duch—under whose watch up to 16,000 people were tortured, executed and dumped into mass graves on the outskirts of Phnom Penh—should be compensated "for the harm he has suffered as a result of the time he has spent in provisional detention," the lawyers argue in the brief.

Tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath encouraged people to submit by the first week of October relevant "friends of the court" briefs on whether Duch should be released ahead of his trial.

"I have not seen any briefs to the court on whether they support or don't support Duch's release or not," he said.