National Museum Library Gets US Funding

By Kong Soth, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
27 August 2008

Click here to listen to the Khmer audio program

Between the narrow spaces of the archives of the National Museum, not far from the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, lie documents of Cambodia's heritage that are more than 100 years old.

On a recent morning, a concerned Ly Ye, director of the National Museum's archive, looked over a wooden cabinet full of books turning red with age. Even changes in the weather could further damage the books.

"It can be damaged by itself, because it is very old, and nature can destroy the paper," she said.

Threatened with deterioration from age, documents like these will get preservation with help from the US, through an ambassador's fund. The US Embassy pledged $45,000 earlier this month to help the National Museum preserve its book collection and to rebuild part of the library.

Some of the books in the library document archeological research of Khmer artists, the history of ancient temples, and other texts written by the French at least 120 years ago.

Som Aol, a former student of the Royal University and an archeologist, said the documents can be a source of research for students.

"It is very difficult, because these documents are in a foreign language, especially in French," he said. "I am not good at it, but now I have started to learn French bit by bit [but] I think it is very useful and easy for Khmer youths to do more research."

US Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli said during a signing ceremony for the funds on Aug. 18 that even a small amount of money could make a significant contribution to the museum's library.

National Museum Director Hab Touch said the funds would be used to renovate the library with equipment needed to repair books, as well as undertake translations of some of the texts.

Documentation Center to Build Genocide Institute

By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh
24 April 2008

The Documentation Center of Cambodia, which for more than a decade has worked to catalogue crimes committed by the Khmer Rouge regime, plans to build a genocide research facility beginning next year.

The institute will include a museum, library, research center and classes for national and international genocide experts to study, Youk Chhang, director for the Documentation Center said.

“This institute will be built across 5,600 square meters on the former Khmer Rouge detention camp of Boeung Trabek,” he said.

The Cambodian government provided the land, and the US government has contributed $2 million for the construction of the institute, he said.

“We will particularly focus on the study of the genocide in Cambodia between 1975 and 1979, genocide in Africa, in Europe, and in the other places in the world,” he said.

The institute will be a center of study for all facets of the Khmer Rouge: its build-up, armed struggle and take-over, evacuation of cities, administrative power and control, internal power struggles and purges and its collapse, Youk Chhang said. It will also be a place to study the movement’s continued battles with government forces through the 1991 peace accords.

“This institute is for the participation of genocide prevention and to reduce violations of human rights in Cambodia,” he said. “This institute is very important for one individual, one human, one country, and for victims’ children to fulfill their duty to build up the rule of law and human rights promotion.”

Chum Mey, a survivor of the regime’s infamous Tuol Sleng prison, said the institute would be of “historical importance.”

“I feel very happy for the construction of the genocide institute, because it’s a very valuable thing for the Cambodian young generation and to prevent the loss of concrete history of the Khmer Rouge regime,” he said.

U.S. gives Cambodia $2 mln for genocide museum

Mon Apr 21, 2008

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodia is to build a Khmer Rouge genocide museum and library, funded by the United States, as a permanent reminder of the "Killing Fields" atrocities of Pol Pot's guerrilla movement, its director-to-be said on Monday.

Documentation Centre of Cambodia head Youk Chhang, who has been cataloguing the ultra-Maoist regime's crimes for more than a decade, said the museum would be on the site of an old re-education camp in the capital.

"Genocide does not discriminate. It kept happening in the last century and one way is to use education as a tool help to prevent genocide," he told Reuters.

Prime Minister Hun Sen, himself a former Khmer Rouge soldier who defected to Vietnam in the late 1970s, handed over the land on April 17, the 33rd anniversary of the 1975 downfall of Phnom Penh to Pol Pot's peasant army.

In the next four years, an estimated 1.7 million people were to die of starvation, execution, disease or forced labour.

A $56 million United Nations-backed court has charged five top cadres with war crimes and crimes against humanity. Cambodia has appealed to its donors for another $114 million in funding to see the trials through to a conclusion.

US Has Yet to Decide on Funding for ECCC

14-03-2008
By Koh Keo
Kampuchea Thmey
Unofficial Translation from Khmer by KRtrial.info

Phnom Penh: Concerning funding the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), the US Embassy claimed that there has been no policy to fund the tribunal yet.

ECCC Spokesman Reach Sambath could not be contacted for comment on March 13, 2008 but had once told Kampuchea Thmey that the tribunal needed $170 million to finish the complete its process till 2011. He also said that the funds for Cambodian side would run out in April 2008 while those for the international side were also running dry. This has made people and international community so worried about process of the trial of former Khmer Rouge leaders. However, the ECCC is still optimistic that it could receive more funds to continue its work until the end, as there have been many recent positive developments in the court’s process.

According to an ECCC’s press release, on March 11, 2008 Sean Visoth, head of the ECCC’s Office of Administration, called a meeting with all Cambodian staff of the ECCC to give a progress report on the judicial and administrative activities, and on the current funding situation. However, since the ECCC spokesman could not be contacted to clarify the issue, Kampuchea Thmey cannot say about the funding situation.

The press release also claimed that the donors are currently considering the budget projections presented to them both in New York and in Phnom Penh, and that the ECCC is in the final stages of responding to a number of their requests for clarification.

The US Embassy in Phnom Penh asserted through its interpreter that the US has not made any decision to fund the tribunal yet due to no clarification from the tribunal. The US ambassador had previously claimed that the US did not want to waste the money from its people on uncertain things.

No Tribunal Adviser Could Hurt US Fund Bid, Experts Warn

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Washington
22 February 2008

The government's within the Khmer Rouge tribunal decision not to create a foreign advisory rolecould hurt the case for US funding, experts said Thursday.

"It affects the funding," said Hisham Mousar, a tribunal monitor for the rights group Adhoc. "If the government does not agree to allow a US citizen to open his office in Phnom Penh, the US will additionally consider whether to give funds or not."

Cambodia has declined to create a UN-proposed advisory position at a time when the tribunal needs another $114 million to prosecute jailed leaders of the Khmer Rouge.

An independent advisor could help promote the tribunal's transparency and make it more credible in the eyes of donors, experts said.

"The UN Saide wants a US citizen and the government side does not want other Americans to investigate on Cambodian soil, as it's enough to have the FBI," Hisham Mousar said. "There's no need for stronger domination from the US."

Coordinating the position through New York would be difficult, though an offer to coordinate through Phnom Penh has been made, he said.

The US has not yet agreed to directly aid in funding for the tribunal.

Tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath said the tribunal had "opened the door" for corruption investigation "many times."

UN officials were not immediately available for comment.

US Still Reviewing Tribunal for Fairness

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

The US is carefully observing the Khmer Rouge tribunal but has not yet decided to fund it, an official said Thursday, following calls from a leading genocide expert for reform in the special courts.

Meanwhile, low funds and poor administration have caused less victim participation than observers had hoped.

Youk Chhang, director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia, said in a statement Thursday the tribunal needed "robust anti-corruption commitments, … a clear operating timeline" and greater participation from civil society before it should be considered eligible for funding.

"I think the US, who initiated the trial, should definitely consider to help directly, with some conditions attached, so as to strengthen and reform the current tribunal to make it run perfectly and effectively for the victims," Youk Chhang said Thursday. "I think the reservation in approving funding occurred because the tribunal has not shown an international standard and transparency."

US Embassy spokesman Jeff Daigle said Thursday the State Department was currently conducting a review of the tribunal's capabilities.

"There won't be any consideration on funding until that review is finished," he said. "And a big concern is that the UN and the Cambodian government will need to agree on some mechanism to address the administration problems that have come to light."

Human rights officials said Thursday poor administration and a lack of funds were contributing to low victim participation, one of the key mandates of the tribunal.

The courts have received more than 1,000 complaints, tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath said Thursday.

Observers say this number could be much higher.

"If there had been wide outreach and people understand their rights, they would have participated. Then the problem is the administration," said Hisham Mousar, who monitors the tribunal for the rights group Adhoc. "And also the donors have not donated money for the tribunal. That's why there are likely precautions and hesitation to move forward."

America Says It Did Not Propose Creating Special Advisory Post at Khmer Rouge Tribunal

19 January 2008
Rasmei Kampuchea newspaper
Translated from Khmer and posted online

Top US leader for the East Asian and Pacific affairs has denied news reports that the United States proposes creating a special advisory post at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal [KRT], which is currently facing funding shortage.

Scot Marciel, deputy assistant secretary for the East Asian and Pacific affairs, made the denial at a news conference held at the US Embassy on 18 January, during his visit three-day visit to Cambodia, from 16 to 18 January.

The denial was issued after Kao Kim Hourn, Cambodian state secretary of foreign affairs, told reporters at the Foreign Ministry on 17 January that the United States had raised a proposal that the Cambodian side create a position of special advisory post in the KRT, and that Cambodia was considering it.

At the 15-minute press conference, Marcel emphatically said, "We support the KRT because it is important to the Cambodian people," adding, "To my understanding, this affair about strengthening the KRT has been discussed by the United States and Cambodia.

"We just say it is an idea that it is better to have standardization. It makes us easy to offer funding, but it is not a requirement and a proposal by the United States." He also asserted that the United States was still considering whether funds should be given to the KRT. He added, "It is not an issue that concerns the government, but it depends on the Senate's decision, and we are holding discussion with the Senate." He also said, "We are determined to supply funds, but within the framework of that funding, the Senate is the comptroller."

The United States has witnessed the progress made by the KRT over last year and greeted the tribunal process. By the end of 2007, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia [ECCC], called KRT, detained five suspects who are former leaders of the KR regime. They include Nuon Chea, former national assembly chairman; Ieng Sary, former deputy prime minister and foreign minister, and his wife, Ieng Thirith, former minister of social and women's affairs minister; Koh Santepheap, former head of state, and Kaing Guek-iev, former head of Tuol Sleng prison.

The KRT announced recently that while the Cambodian side would run out of funds for the planned three-year KRT operations in March 2008, the UN side in December. Anyway, despite the three years projected, it is estimated that the KRT might need additional time for the process of seeking justice for the Cambodian people.

Trial Of Khmer Rogue Officials Got Strong Support From The U.S.

January 18, 2008
Annie Simoy - AHN News Writer

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - The trial of Cambodia's Khmer Rogue regime leaders responsible for the atrocities committed got strong support from the United States Thursday, said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack.

"The U.S. strongly supports bringing to justice senior leaders responsible for the atrocities committed under the Khmer Rouge regime," McCormack said.

"The department is currently reviewing all the facts about the tribunal and its operations, including whether or not it is capable of meeting international standards of justice prior to making a decision regarding funding," he said.

According to reports, five top officials of Cambodia's Khmer Rogue regime were so far arrested. The first trials are expected to start in mid-2008.

Cambodia's Khmer Rogue rule in 1975-79 resulted to death of millions of people due to starvation, disease and overwork, or being executed.

An argument is currently under fire as to whether the death was genocide or not.

"There is a very strong legal argument to say that genocide is when you kill people because of their ethnicity, whereas the vast majority of the [Khmer Rouge] purges were not for ethnic reasons, but were for political reasons. So genocide may not be possible," U.N. Principal Defender Rupert Skilbeck said.

Political Cartoon: US Funding

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

U.S. strongly supports bringing to justice senior leaders responsible for the atrocities committed under the Khmer Rouge regime

Daily Press Briefing
US Department of State
Sean McCormack, Spokesman
Washington, DC
January 17, 2008
(Excerpt on Cambodia issue only)

QUESTION: Cambodia. Do you have any confirmation that U.S. is ready to play a role in the tribunal?

MR. MCCORMACK: Some information here for you. The U.S. strongly supports bringing to justice senior leaders responsible for the atrocities committed under the Kmer Rouge regime. The Department is currently reviewing all the facts about the tribunal and its operations, including whether or not it is capable of meeting international standards of justice prior to making a decision regarding funding. As the Department is currently examining these issues, we have not yet requested specific funding for the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. And the acronym is ECCC. My understanding is that most of the funding for the tribunal comes through the UN via the UNDP. And I think France and Japan are two of the bigger funders. So we have not yet made a funding decision. We’re looking at it.

QUESTION: But you are considering it.

MR. MCCORMACK: We’re taking a look at it. Taking a look.

Don't pave Cambodia's flawed path to justice

The tribunal to try ex-Khmer Rouge leaders needs reform, then funds.

January 15, 2008
By John A. Hall (Orange, Calif.)
The Christian Science Monitor (USA)

Five high-profile members of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge government are finally in detention awaiting trial. It's historic progress toward long-awaited justice for the brutal regime that caused the deaths of 1.7 million Cambodians in the late-1970s.

The United Nations-backed tribunal set up in Cambodia to try these men is running out of money and is seeking additional funds from donor nations. The United States indicated last month that it may reverse policy and begin funding the court.

There remain, however, legitimate concerns about the potential for corruption and the lack of judicial independence in Cambodia. A shift in US policy would be premature.

The tribunal – established to bring to trial "senior leaders" and "those most responsible" for the country's massive death toll – has undoubtedly made significant progress. The symbolism of having five ex-leaders of the notorious Khmer Rouge under arrest is enormous in a country where impunity is the norm. Clint Williamson, US ambassador for war crimes, has noted that the tribunal "is making progress and moving in a very positive direction."

Not all the news from Phnom Penh is so good. In recent months the tribunal has been shaken by a series of scandals. Open Society Justice Initiative, a legal group, raised allegations last February of chronic mismanagement and indicated that the Cambodian staff – including the judges – have to kick back part of their salaries in exchange for their appointments.

An internal audit, made public in October only after portions of it were leaked, uncovered a raft of problems at the tribunal. These included: an inadequate oversight mechanism, Cambodian staff hired without meeting the minimum job requirements, artificially high pay scales, and hiring practices so flawed that the auditors recommended that every Cambodian hired at the tribunal be fired.

An expert report, also leaked from the tribunal, paints a similarly bleak picture. The split Cambodia/international tribunal structure is "divisive and unhelpful," claimed Robin Vincent, former registrar for the Special Court for Sierra Leone, and Kevin St. Louis, chief of administration for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. They recommended that managerial responsibilities for the tribunal be transferred to the UN, and that crucial areas such as translation and witness protection be immediately assumed by the international staff.

Some positive but limited changes have taken place: There is now a written personnel manual that formalizes future recruitment procedures, a code of ethics, and an "anticorruption" pledge. International managers are now allowed to participate in evaluations of their Cambodian staff.

While these may be promising signs, they fail to address the heart of the matter. The auditors' suggestion that the Cambodian staff be fired and new employees hired under careful UN supervision was simply dismissed. The artificially high pay scales remain. The flawed split-tribunal structure is unchanged.

As for the kickback allegations, which go to the crux of the court's credibility, there appears to be no political will at the tribunal or the UN to launch any genuine and thorough investigation. The UN may be reluctant to press this matter, fearing Prime Minister Hun Sen would pull the plug on the tribunal rather than permit an independent and thorough investigation that might implicate individuals within his government.

With the taint of political influence, corruption, and mismanagement continuing to surround the tribunal, why is the US now considering providing direct funding? The answer may be oil. Vast deposits have been discovered off the coast of Cambodia in recent years – perhaps as many as 2 billion barrels and a further 10 trillion cubic feet of gas.

Firms from China, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Kuwait, Australia, and France are seeking permits to explore and develop Cambodia's energy riches. Beijing has recently provided Cambodia with hundreds of millions of dollars of aid. Washington does not want to be left out, and it is looking to improve diplomatic relations with Cambodia.

Ambassador Williamson has stated that the court must address allegations of mismanagement and corruption before the US will consider funding it. Washington should uphold that promise.

Meanwhile, it should also work aggressively with the UN to pressure the tribunal and the Cambodian government to agree to the reforms the auditors and experts deemed necessary. Only this will ensure that the tribunal can function honestly and efficiently.

• John A. Hall is a professor at Chapman University School of Law and director of the Center for Global Trade & Development.

Justice for Cambodia

January 4, 2008
By LESLIE HOOK
The Wall Street Journal

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The news from the Khmer Rouge war-crimes tribunal is good: Five former leaders are in custody and the first hearings began in November. The news is so good, according to the U.S. State Department, that Washington is mulling injecting a chunk of money into the tribunal. Supporters say this will help the impoverished nation come to grips with Pol Pot's 1975-1979 genocide, which left a quarter of the population dead.

Not so fast. Although it's finally getting off the ground, the tribunal is flawed, and has yet to prove it's capable of delivering justice. Before any taxpayers' dollars are put on the line, there are several issues to consider.

For starters, the tribunal will likely try fewer than a dozen defendants. During negotiations between the Cambodian government and the United Nations in the 1990s, the definition of whom the tribunal could try -- "senior leaders" and "those most responsible" for the genocide -- was carefully crafted to limit the court's scope. In the eyes of Cambodian government officials, many of whom had some involvement with the Khmer Rouge, the sooner this dark period can be laid to rest, the better.

Phnom Penh also insisted the trials be held in Cambodia -- the first time a U.N. genocide tribunal has been held where the crimes were committed. After years of negotiations, the U.N. and Phnom Penh agreed that a majority of judges would be Cambodian, but that foreign judges would hold a supermajority power. This meant that no decision could be passed unless at least one foreign judge agreed.

A few sponsoring nations, including the U.S., balked at this arrangement, on the grounds that the notoriously corrupt Cambodian judicial system would still play a leading role. Yet the U.N. had no trouble persuading more than 20 other countries to ante up, and nearly $50 million in donations have poured in since fund raising began in 2004.

The cash has not been enough. The official courtroom is still under construction. The translation team is already backed up, unable to handle the 300,000 pages of Cambodian-language documents through which the judges are sifting. The witness protection team has a skeleton staff and no director. On the day I attended the court last month, a throng mobbed the entrance and the security check took nearly an hour.

Then there are the corruption allegations. A U.N. audit last spring found, among other irregularities, that the Cambodian side of the court had hired underqualified staff and was paying inflated salaries. The United Nations Development Program, which oversees that part of the program, tried to bury the news, limiting circulation of the audit and refusing media inquiries. The report was finally released in October, but only after these pages exposed the scandal. In an interview last month, Deputy Prime Minister Sok An promised, "We are deeply engaged in the fight against corruption." Sounds good, but where are the actions to back up these words?

Now the tribunal has its hands out for more cash. The U.N. is planning a major fund-raising drive this month that will likely double the court's original budget estimate to more than $120 million. For the first time, there's a real chance that Washington may chip in.

In October, the U.S. embassy in Phnom Penh cabled Washington that it was time to start investigating whether the tribunal met the standards that would qualify it for congressional funding. This prompted exploratory visits by representatives of several members of Congress and the ambassador-at-large for war crimes, Clint Williamson. Last month, after a trip to Cambodia, Mr. Williamson said the tribunal is "moving in a very positive direction." In an interview, U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia Joseph Mussomeli acknowledges there have been "bumps in the road," but puts his faith in the international judges, who would "walk out" if the court didn't meet international standards.

That's not good enough: At the very least, the U.S. should use any offer of money as a lever to enforce new and better practices -- such as a full investigation into the allegations of kickbacks that have dogged the court's administrative offices.

The real measure of the war-crimes tribunal's success, however, will be whether it can bring a sense of closure to Cambodia's people. On the day I was in court, a man sitting nearby told me, "My father was killed at S-21." Sothea Sambath was referring to the torture and detention center run by the defendant, Duch. "This man signed on top of my father's confession," he said. "I really wanted to see his face, to look him in the eyes, and to see the beginning of justice." He smiled politely, as if this tragic part of his family history is an ordinary matter.

In some sense, it is: Practically every Cambodian has a relative who died during the Khmer Rouge genocide. Which is all the more reason to ensure that these trials turn out not to be a sham.

Ms. Hook is an editorial page writer at The Wall Street Journal Asia.

Schanly Kuch: "The US should not support a tribunal that does not meet international standards"

In US, Questions Linger Over Tribunal Legitimacy

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
18 December 2007

As US officials consider funding for the cash-strapped Khmer Rouge tribunal, some observers in the US say the courts may not have done enough to guarantee a international standards. Others say US participation and funding can help the courts reach those standards. So far, there is no guarantee the US will contribute direct funding.

The US was a main supporter of early tribunal negotiations between the UN and Cambodia, in a process mediated seven years ago by US Senator John Kerry. But the US has yet to provide any direct funding to the courts, which have been up and running for more than a year.

The US has supported the tribunal through non-governmental organizations, but officials have warned that a lack of transparency and charges of corruption and politicization in the courts have precluded direct funding.

Direct funding for the courts remains a contentious issue. For legal experts, rights groups and government officials, the question is one of justice, and whether US funding can help provide it or not.

For Sophie Richardson, deputy director of the Asia program for Human Rights Watch, this should not mean "second-rate justice."

A lot of donors already feel "burned" by contributing to the tribunal, only to witness revelations of "corruption, kickbacks and political manipulation of the court," Richardson said.

For that reason, it is important the US remain outside the process, seeking other avenues for participation, such as support of the Victim's Unit, she said.

The courts had shown bias toward the ruling Cambodian People's Party, which continues to rule with "oppression and manipulation and abuses," Richardson said, "and that's not something that US taxpayers should be supporting."

However, a struggling court could benefit from US participation, said Kelly Askin, a senior legal officer for international justice at the Open Society Justice Initiative.

"It is critically important that the United States get involved with the court, fund the court, and help improve the court," she said.

"But the United States, like any country thinking about supporting the ECCC, will want to be sure the court is operating as effectively and efficiently as possible," she said, referring to the tribunal by its official name, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. "That means fully investigating allegations of corruption and mismanagement and establishing certain financial controls to ensure funds are being well spent."

The government and the courts have denied as "groundless" allegations put forward last year by OSJI that judges were paying kickbacks to high-ranking officials in order to sit on the tribunal. A subsequent UNDP audit found mismanagement and other questionable practices within the courts, but in public documents the audit did not find evidence of kickbacks. The full audit results have not been released.

Askin said the courts have made "great progress" following the allegations, "but there are some concerns."

OSJI was encouraging donors to put benchmarks in place for funding, to ensure concerns are addressed, he said. The tribunal will cost at least $56 million, most of it coming from the UN and other donors. The government is seeking more funds, claiming the tribunal could last into 2010. So far five former Khmer Rouge leaders have been arrested and charged with atrocity crimes. The arrests led to some optimism in the court proceedings and a visit to Cambodia in December by the US ambassador at large for war crimes, Clint Williamson, who said a US funding decision should be made in January, following his tour of the courts.

Charles Twining, who was the US ambassador to Cambodia from 1991 to 1995, said Cambodia had shown a willingness to fight corruption.

Now was the time for US support and funding, he said, adding that "an imperfect tribunal is better than no tribunal."

Schanly Kuch, an analyst of Khmer Rouge issues who is based in the US state of Maryland, said in order for the US to help the tribunal, there must be "clear conditions," but the US should not support a tribunal that does not meet international standards.

Kuch's assessment echoes concerns for most parties involved in the tribunal. So far, the biggest question is one of credibility.

For Tung Yap, vice president of the Cambodian American National Council , US participation in the tribunal was crucial, because the US could demand political independence in the courts.

"The US should demand the court to function properly in order to find, to dig up the root, for people to be satisfied and find out why the Khmer Rouge committed the atrocities when they were in power in Cambodia," Yap said.

US to Consider Tribunal Financing Next Month, Envoy Says

By Mean Veasna, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
07 December 2007

US officials will deliberate on funding for the Khmer Rouge tribunal in January, a government envoy said Friday, following a three-day visit.

The US ambassador at large for war crimes, Clint Williamson, said he was impressed by the progress of the tribunal, especially with the arrests of five former leaders of the regime, but that no decision had been made in the US on funding.

"The arrest of the five suspects, I think, was a very, very positive move," he said. "The adoption of the rules of the court, all these things are good indicators that [the tribunal] is headed in the right direction."

US officials have said in the past they were looking at allegations of mismanagement and corruption and their impact on the international credibility of a tribunal.

"There is a budget proposal that is going forward. This will probably be assessed in New York in January," Williamson said.

Tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath said he hoped Williamson would take with him the positive developments of the tribunal as US officials make their decision.

US to consider funding Cambodian genocide tribunal after problems cleared up

Friday, December 7, 2007
The Associated Press

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: The United States will consider giving money to fund Cambodia's U.N.-backed genocide tribunal only after the court properly addresses allegations of corruption and mismanagement against it, a U.S. diplomat said Friday.

Clint Williamson, the U.S. ambassador for war crimes issues, said the arrests of five Khmer Rouge suspects have shown that the tribunal, after repeated delays, "is making progress and moving in a very positive direction."

"How that plays out in terms of direct funding to the court, we'll have to see," he said at a press conference at the end of a three-day visit assessing the tribunal's work to help decide whether or not Washington should provide funds for it.

The communist Khmer Rouge, who held power in 1975-79, are blamed for the death of estimated 1.7 million people from hunger, diseases, overwork and execution. None of its leaders have been tried.

The tribunal plans to begin its first trial in mid-2008 but it has not yet set a date.

Williamson said any decisions about U.S. funding "are going to be contingent" on how the U.N. and the Cambodian government deal with its internal problems and on the court's ability "to deliver justice at international standards."

Early this year, the tribunal, staffed by Cambodian and international officials, was shaken by allegations of kickbacks from Cambodian job applicants and an internal audit alleging that Cambodian staff members without proper qualifications had been hired.

"Obviously, we're troubled when we hear reports of mismanagement or improprieties in the institution," Williamson said. "We feel very strongly that such allegations have to be investigated, explored and dealt with."

The tribunal has been appealing for more funding on top of its already budgeted US$56.3 million (€38.7 million), saying its original planned three years of operation through 2009 will likely be extended for one more year.

The U.S. has so far not donated any funds to the tribunal, though it has spent more than US$7 million (€4.8 million) over the past decade to support the work of the Documentation Center of Cambodia, in independent group that collects evidence of the Khmer Rouge crimes.

The group has given many documents to the tribunal to assist it in investigating cases against the Khmer Rouge suspects.

Cambodia's KRouge tribunal on right track: US official

PHNOM PENH (AFP) — Cambodia's UN-backed Khmer Rouge court is on the "right track" and the United States may eventually decide to help fund the proceedings, a top US diplomat said Friday.

"Everything that I've seen reinforces my idea that (the tribunal) is making progress and is moving in a very positive direction," said Clint Williamson, the State Department's top official for war crimes issues.

Williamson was in Cambodia to assess the tribunal's progress, and spoke to reporters after meeting with officials from the court, the government and the United Nations.

Five top Khmer Rouge leaders have been detained to face charges for crimes committed by the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s.

"The arrest of the five suspects is a very, very positive move... and within the court itself there is a very positive outlook," Williamson said.

The joint Cambodian-UN tribunal was intended to last for three years, but officials have indicated that its operations could run another two years.

The United States has not directly funded any of the 56.3 million dollars allocated to the court, mainly by other foreign donors.

Williamson said the US government was reconsidering whether to help fund the tribunal.

"The court is on the right track. A decision about funding is something that ultimately has to be taken," he said.

"There is an ongoing process, ongoing analysis and continuous assessment" on whether to fund the court, he said.

Established in July 2006 after nearly a decade of negotiations between Cambodia and the UN, the long-stalled tribunal seeks to prosecute crimes committed 30 years ago by senior regime leaders.

Up to two million people were executed or died of starvation and overwork as the communist regime emptied Cambodia's cities, exiling millions to vast collective farms in a bid to forge an agrarian utopia during its rule.

The Khmer Rouge also abolished money, religion and schools.

U.S. to fund two cultural preservation projects in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- The United States government will donate 74,000 U.S. dollars for two cultural preservation projects in Cambodia, said a statement from the U.S. Embassy here on Tuesday.

Some 44,000 U.S. dollars will go for heritage restoration work and the rest assist the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts to secure collections of archaeological artifacts, it said.

Both sides will sign the agreement on Thursday at the Takeo Provincial Museum.

The grant is from the Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation, which was created by the U.S. Congress in 2001 in order to assist less developed countries in preserving museum collections, ancient and historic sites, and traditional forms of expression.

In 2007 the Ambassador's Fund will support 57 cultural preservation projects in 54 countries.

Tribunal Confident US Will Find Funds [-Will the US fund a tribunal that lacks transparency?]

Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
29 October 2007

A tribunal spokesman said Wednesday the courts were confident Washington would find a way to add money to an increasingly cash-strapped process, even as critics maintain the tribunal's administration lacks transparency.

US Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli said Monday the US was "seriously" considering direct funding. It currently does not support the tribunal.

Tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath told VOA that the US administration was changing its position.

"We hope that the US will change its heart, because at all times the US took part in the formation of the tribunal," he said. "But up to now, the US has not given any direct aid to the tribunal. Therefore, we understand that the US will change its heart to help the KRT directly. If the US will not help, the US will be late in finding justice for the Cambodian people directly."

The tribunal is seeking more than $8 million more to supplement its UN-supported $56.3 million budget. The UN side has so far come in about $3 million short on the budget, with the Cambodian side failing to post $5 million.

Foreign Minister Hor Nam Hong recently made a public appeal to foreign donors to help the budget, in a process that now could take as long as 2010.

Mussomeli said the US needed to make an assessment of the tribunal's administration before it would give direct assistance, to ensure the tribunal "is capable of meeting international standards."

Human Rights Party Vice President Keo Remy said the tribunal would have to show donors it is not corrupt if it expects to get more money.

The tribunal came under fire last year from allegations Cambodian judges had to pay kickbacks to government officials in order to sit in the courts.

Foreign Minister Seeks More Tribunal Money

Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
25 October 2007

Foreign Minister Hor Namhong made an appeal to donor countries Thursday for more money to run the Khmer Rouge tribunal, saying the process was running "smoothly" but more funds were needed to keep things that way.

More arrests are imminent, Hor Namhong told reporters outside the Foreign Ministry, adding that the process could go through 2010, an extended time period for which no budget currently exists.

"The lack of funds is not so much, it is somewhat small, and I hope that the international community will contribute to the funds," he said.

Tribunal observers said earlier this week they expect a third Khmer Rouge leader to be brought before the tribunal courts in coming days, though the identity of the defendant has not been released.

Those widely suspected of being under tribunal investigation include Ieng Sary, the former foreign minister of Democratic Kampuchea, and Khieu Samphan, the former nominal head of the regime.

The tribunal struggled through its first year, failing to indict a single Khmer Rouge leader, as Cambodian jurists and their UN-appointed counterparts debated internal rules for the process. Critics have since warned the tribunal could exceed its own time-limit and budget. The tribunal has also come under fire from critics for a lack of transparency in its administration and staff hiring practices.

US Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli said Thursday the US would be reluctant to contribute to the tribunal if it is not made more transparent.

"We are now, in Washington and here, seriously assessing whether the United States should directly fund the Khmer [Rouge] tribunal," he said.

Hor Namhong said the tribunal was now moving forward, and he anticipated no further problems.

"I believe that in the future, there will be summons or the arrests of other top Khmer Rouge leaders, like Nuon Chea recently, so the procedure is going smoothly, and there will be no other problems," he said.

"The lack of funds is not important," Youk Chhang, director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia, said. "The important thing is the court's implementation."

Donors were not happy with the misuse of funds and allegations around the administration of the courts, he said.

"All of this leads to delay, not the budget," he said.

If the tribunal carries forward more than its mandated years, international standards could be comprised, Hisham Mousar, a legal expert for the rights group Adhoc said. "It is a loss to the Khmer Rouge tribunal."