Ven Dara, niece to Ta Mok, ailing ex-Khmer Rouge army chief, poses for a photograph during her lunch with her relatives at Ang Rokar village, Ta Mok's homeland, Takoe province, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Saturday, July 15, 2006. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)Thursday, July 20, 2006
By Yun Samean
THE CAMBODIA DAILY
The niece of ailing Khmer Rouge army commander Ta Mok claimed Wednesday that his lawyer told her to stop speaking to the media about her uncle's condition.
Ta Mok, 81, has reportedly slipped in and out of consciousness since he was admitted to Preah Ket Melea military hospital in Phnom Penh earlier this month.
The lawyer, Benson Samay "blamed me for telling the media about Ta Mok's health," Van Ra said. "But if I didn't tell the media nobody would take care of his health...they abandoned him," she said.
Benson Samay claimed on Wednesday that his client's health has again deteriorated, and he also denied Ven Ra's allegation that he was trying to suppress information about Ta Mok’s well-being.
"Before he could open his eyes but now his eyes are closed again. I am running around to find more doctors," Benson Samay said.
Accusing Ven Ra of making unfounded allegations, Benson Samay warned that if such comments continued he would ban all hospital visits by Ta Mok's relatives. "I have such a headache when [Ven Ra] says something like this," he said.
On Tuesday, family and friends of Ta Mok gathered at a pagoda in Phnom Penh to hold a Buddhist ceremony in preparation for his death, Ven Ra said. She added that the military court has not responded to her request to have her uncle, a likely suspect for prosecution at the Khmer Rouge tribunal, flown to Thailand for treatment.
"The Military Court is not interested in my request," she said.
Government spokesman and Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said that Ta Mok was not as sick as some believed and that, based on Benson Samay's predictions last week, the former Khmer Rouge leader should have passed away already. "Ta Mok has cheated the reporters," he added.
Ta Mok, 81, has reportedly slipped in and out of consciousness since he was admitted to Preah Ket Melea military hospital in Phnom Penh earlier this month.
The lawyer, Benson Samay "blamed me for telling the media about Ta Mok's health," Van Ra said. "But if I didn't tell the media nobody would take care of his health...they abandoned him," she said.
Benson Samay claimed on Wednesday that his client's health has again deteriorated, and he also denied Ven Ra's allegation that he was trying to suppress information about Ta Mok’s well-being.
"Before he could open his eyes but now his eyes are closed again. I am running around to find more doctors," Benson Samay said.
Accusing Ven Ra of making unfounded allegations, Benson Samay warned that if such comments continued he would ban all hospital visits by Ta Mok's relatives. "I have such a headache when [Ven Ra] says something like this," he said.
On Tuesday, family and friends of Ta Mok gathered at a pagoda in Phnom Penh to hold a Buddhist ceremony in preparation for his death, Ven Ra said. She added that the military court has not responded to her request to have her uncle, a likely suspect for prosecution at the Khmer Rouge tribunal, flown to Thailand for treatment.
"The Military Court is not interested in my request," she said.
Government spokesman and Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said that Ta Mok was not as sick as some believed and that, based on Benson Samay's predictions last week, the former Khmer Rouge leader should have passed away already. "Ta Mok has cheated the reporters," he added.
3 comments:
Pol Pot died lonely on a bamboo bed. He is lucky being cared in the hospital. What more do you need, someone burn his bed?
This is ridicuolous. They spend millions of dollar to set up a tribunal and set it for the judges and prosecution salary but they can't intervene to save the person that they will put to accuse? This is stupid, raw fishy. It has smells for fake everywhere. If they had care, they could provided Ta Mok better health service and he would be alive now and we would know the truth or at least Ta Mok's version of it. Now that is lost forever!!!!! Dam fakers. Both the Khmer Govt. and The U.N are Fakers!
You would think for someone that that important in the trial they would send specialist or send him to a good hospital. Instead they want to silent him! I don't trust this tribunal one bit until they prove themselve otherwises, they are bunch of fakers right now. Just burning money. For nothing. Nothing will be accomplish. No one will stand to be accuse. Know why! Cause all the accusers will be silence soon except a few small dogs who knows nothing except to take orders from the Angkar higher organizations.
I do agree with previous commenters who condem the carelessness of the government and international community who are exploting from the contributing money for the Khmer Rouge tribunal. As I have dialogued so far with so-called Khmer Rouge experts, both Khmer and foreigner. I have never trust that the government has the true will in finding the truth and facts of genocide crime in Cambodia during 1975-9 yet. The KR tribunal just the play game of the government in order to share the benefit for their honest agents. The tribunal that sentencing a few top leaders and a few servants of the Angkar is not enough to find the justice for mass victims. According to my observation and analysis, the government will never prosecute the top leaders alive yet. They will prolong the date of the prosecution until those alive top killers die naturally or tricky. If the international community urges the government to bring those free old killers to the court, there will be an unrest event appearing to be the blackmail. Then, the government will proclam that the judgment of the KR top-leaders would push Cambodia into civil war again. Hence, the best way of the trick, those real killers will be outside the tribunal forever. And the fact of killing is still in the mistery until Cambodia disappearing from the world map. What I am concerning and basing is that the government now is keeping silent and ignore with the situation and activities of the former Khmer Rouge military officers at the northwest of Cambodia. by Khmer Boran
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