12 Sep 07Koh Santepheap newspaper
Translated from Khmer and posted online
Koh Santepheap carried in its online edition on 12 September 2007 a report saying that a small Cambodian political party -- Hang Dara Cholana Pracheathippatey [Hang Dara Democratic Movement] -- has requested the United Nations [UN] not to prosecute Khieu Samphan, one of the top leaders of the Democratic Kampuchea/Khmer Rouge regime.
The Koh Santepheap report said:
"The Hang Dara Democratic Movement [HDDM] on 4 September issued a statement saying that the HDDM hopes and firmly believes that the UN will be successful in getting justice for the nearly 2 million Cambodians killed during the Khmer Rouge regime but asked the UN not to prosecute Khieu Samphan in the Khmer Rouge tribunal."
Continuing the Koh Santepheap report said: "This is a strange statement at a time when it is not yet known whether the Khmer Rouge tribunal would accuse Khieu Samphan but a request was made to acquit Khieu Samphan."
Still according to the Koh Santepheap report in Cambodian:
"Kong Bunthoeun, HDDM acting leader, said in the same statement that if Khieu Samphan was accused in the Khmer Rouge tribunal, then the HDDM will also request that countries such as China, the United States, Russia, Vietnam, and Thailand, also be accused."
The Koh Santepheap report also said: "This party [HDDM] further said that Khieu Samphan is a Cambodian hero and that there is no reason for him to be involved in the killing. The [HDDM] party always welcome, support, and protect Cambodian political personalities who are nationalists, not lackeys of foreign aggressors, and not stained by blood such as Khieu Samphan."
Concluding the report in Cambodian in the widely-read pro-government Koh Santepheap paper said:
"Reach Sambat, spokesman of the Khmer Rouge tribunal, could not be contacted for explanation on 11 September. Even though his telephone rang several times, there was no answer".
The Koh Santepheap report said:
"The Hang Dara Democratic Movement [HDDM] on 4 September issued a statement saying that the HDDM hopes and firmly believes that the UN will be successful in getting justice for the nearly 2 million Cambodians killed during the Khmer Rouge regime but asked the UN not to prosecute Khieu Samphan in the Khmer Rouge tribunal."
Continuing the Koh Santepheap report said: "This is a strange statement at a time when it is not yet known whether the Khmer Rouge tribunal would accuse Khieu Samphan but a request was made to acquit Khieu Samphan."
Still according to the Koh Santepheap report in Cambodian:
"Kong Bunthoeun, HDDM acting leader, said in the same statement that if Khieu Samphan was accused in the Khmer Rouge tribunal, then the HDDM will also request that countries such as China, the United States, Russia, Vietnam, and Thailand, also be accused."
The Koh Santepheap report also said: "This party [HDDM] further said that Khieu Samphan is a Cambodian hero and that there is no reason for him to be involved in the killing. The [HDDM] party always welcome, support, and protect Cambodian political personalities who are nationalists, not lackeys of foreign aggressors, and not stained by blood such as Khieu Samphan."
Concluding the report in Cambodian in the widely-read pro-government Koh Santepheap paper said:
"Reach Sambat, spokesman of the Khmer Rouge tribunal, could not be contacted for explanation on 11 September. Even though his telephone rang several times, there was no answer".
