Original report from Phnom Penh & Washington
27/04/2007
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In a meeting that ended late Friday, the Cambodian Bar Association voted to drop all fees, save $500 for registration, for foreign lawyers wishing to participate in the Khmer Rouge tribunal, three bar association lawyers said.
Lower fees could pave the way for continued talks over internal rules governing the tribunal, but it was unclear Friday night whether the decision would bring anyone back to the table.
A meeting to discuss those rules was cancelled earlier this month by UN-appointed judges, who said excessive fees for foreign lawyers would taint the tribunal, which has so far failed to indict a single former Khmer Rouge leader.
International judges were not immediately available for comment following the meeting. They canceled an April 30 meeting earlier this month with their Cambodian counterparts, saying they would work around the bar association if it did not relent on its high fees by the end of April.
Cambodian Bar Association President Ky Tech declined to comment on Friday's decision, saying an official statement would be released Saturday.
Observers warn that the much-delayed tribunal could collapse under its own three-year time limit if proceedings do not start soon.
Lower fees could pave the way for continued talks over internal rules governing the tribunal, but it was unclear Friday night whether the decision would bring anyone back to the table.
A meeting to discuss those rules was cancelled earlier this month by UN-appointed judges, who said excessive fees for foreign lawyers would taint the tribunal, which has so far failed to indict a single former Khmer Rouge leader.
International judges were not immediately available for comment following the meeting. They canceled an April 30 meeting earlier this month with their Cambodian counterparts, saying they would work around the bar association if it did not relent on its high fees by the end of April.
Cambodian Bar Association President Ky Tech declined to comment on Friday's decision, saying an official statement would be released Saturday.
Observers warn that the much-delayed tribunal could collapse under its own three-year time limit if proceedings do not start soon.
14 comments:
Dear JP, Sam, Mr. Sacravatoons, Rania, Miss K, Camdiscers friends et al,
Let's do it by asking each and everyone of us, friends and families and relatives to write/email to our scholars, doctors, lawyers, intellectuals and the like to, in turn, write/email to SAM RAINGSY, KEM SOKHA, RANARITH, THOMICO and other political figures to please set their personal interest asides and join in with one another to form one single democratic party to vote HUN SEN and his regime out of power in the general election of 2008.
Let's do it on a grand scale as this is may be our last chance to save our homeland and little of what we have left during this more than a three decade long of HUN SEN pro-viet regime control of CAMBODIA. Let's see that it happens and disseminated it on every Khmer site on the internet. Below is my email to Dr. Lao Mong Hay. Please help by writing yours right now. Thank you so very much for helping save Cambodia and ourselves.
Very sincerely yours,
Crazy Glue
Dear Dr. LAO Mong Hay,
I am writing to implore your understanding to write/email to SAM RAINGSY, KEM SOKHA, RANARITH, THOMICO and other KHMER political figures alike to please set their personal interest asides to join in and form ONE SIGNLE DEMOCRATIC party to vote HUN SEN and his regime out of CAMBODIA in the general elction of 2008 since this may be the only chance Camdodia has for her existence.
Very respectfully yours,
Crazy Glue
Stupid Camdodian court??? International court tries to find the justice for all Cambodian victims. But this Hun Sen gangster tries to do whatever they can to relay this trial. MAY BE THE INTERTIONAL COURT SHOULD BRING HUN SEN REGIME AND HIS COURT TO TRIAL INSTEAD OF KHMER ROUGE.
WHY THIS COURT CHARGES FEE FOR INTERTIONAL LAWYERS? THE ANSWER IS THEY TRIES TO MAKE MONEY FOR THEMSELF. CORRUPT....... MORE THAN 100 MILLION IS NOT ENOUGH FOR THEM TO PUT IN THEIR POCKET. THEY NEED MORE... ASS HOLE, KHMER.
Hey stop being sooo stingy.
Everyone needs to pay their
liscense fee as everyone else. Get
it? There is no free driver
liscense, attorney liscense, ...
Just pay up and get your ass movin.
Dear Mr.Crazy Glue,
I have urged all those politicians you named or their close colleagues not to shut one another out, that is, to open themselves up to others, to start off with if unity or cooperation can every be forged . I have also urged all members of the political elite in all parties not to promote or sustain any culture of enmity, least of all personal enmity. As our recent history has shown time and time again, eventually politicians of different camps have to work together. Look how many times Samdech Huna Sen and Prince Ranariddh had to embrace each other. These old boys do not differ much from children, fighting and cursing one another one day or an hour or so ago and then work together the next day or the next hour. Furthermore at one time they gang up together to fight rival gangs, and then split up again and fight one another again.
I'm advocating change, not change of rulers or ruling parties as this is up to politicians and voters, but change from the rule of men (personality cult) to the rule of law, change of institutions from the ones serving the ruling party to the ones serving the people, with political leaders and elected and unelected officials becoming servants of the people, and the army,the police and courts of law from being instruments of repression to being ones that effectively and efficently serve and protect the people, not the powerful and the rich.
I'm not convinced that the leadership of ruling and non-ruling parties have come up yet with any vision of Cambodia they are actually rule or wish to rule as an alternative, and policy and strategy to materialise this vision.
All human beings have have different degrees of ego, of self- interest, lobbha (greed), dosa (anger) and moha (delusion or ignorance) as Buddha had discovered and tried to restraint more than 2550 years ago. Trying to correct what is human can take much longer time. Buddha has still failed so far. I would refrain myself from doing it. Only necessity can change such an ego and self-interest.
Competition, threats from others and other developments would create such necessity.
However, I strongly believe leaders who have a clear vision of their country can attact support from other leaders and other people, and all can be united around such a vision. Their personalities or virtues that are necessary for democracy, of course, could facilitate their unity.
Without any vision, leaders can galvanise support to maintain power or to rise to power through the use of force, the offering or promises of offering privileges such as public offices or lucrative businesses, at the expeences of the nation as a whole.
Let's continue to point out to politicians in all parties the necessesty of change or the necessity to forge unity according to our respective targets.
LAO Mong Hay, Hong Kong
Guys, it is becoming generally accepted knowledge that this fee imposition is heavily politicized! Do you think Ky Tech, the worst bar leader, cares enough about improving the bar such that he tries to solicitate more money for the bar? Come on! let's get our priority straight!! this time is not about the pecunary issues anymore! it is about getting the trial going!!Actually, if Ky Tech makes decision alone without his council, I really doubt if this fee has been reduced at all!!
There goes another Mr. Stooge who
looks for freebees!
Just paid the damned levy and get
moving, shall we?
U think international judges will agree on that fee easily!! now, if they walk away, whose loss is it? it is OURS!! because no one gives a shit about whether Cambodians will get justice beside ourselves!! so, if don't soften our position, we can't resolve that damn issue!!
Re: Dr. LAO Mong Hay
Thank you so kindly Sir for taking the time to elaborate and educate us about what you have done for our homeland. If only we had more like you...
Crazy Glue
Dear Mr.Crazy Glue :
You have a really good idea. To me, the only way to make a change in Cambodia is to up root the ruling CPP.
And the 2008 general election is the last chance for the change. If those guys you mentioned ealier still emphasize on the individualistic prestige, I`m sure they will not be able to see the change.
Anyway, for the younger generation like myself, I still have the other chance to see the change in Cambodia, when the leadership of CPP pass a way.
Dr.Lao Monghay is very right to the greater extend but the Cambodian decease is so severe that it needs an urgent treatment.
Khemara
Ky Tech and his protectors the former KR leaders must be tried by the KR tribunal for obstructing the Court proceedings. Cambodian history will not forget their bad deeds.
9:51, If they (international) walk
away, what is the lost? It is the
contrary. It keeping us from
sentencing innocent people. The
truth is only Pol Pot is the guilty
one, and he's gone. The rest are
innocent because no one dare to
opposed him. In other words, if
Pol Pot sentenced you to be
tortured. You can't blamed his
right hand or left hand supporters
because they can't do anything
to help you. Get it?
So, if i understand you correctly is that we don't need the trial,right? vow, that is great, then we don't need to spend that USD56 Million? Is that what you are saying? Without the trial, how do you know who are innocent and who are guilty? Do you have a COMPELTE RECORD, without FAIR TRIAL, to prove that only Pol Pot is only guilty? We all agree that his low ranking soliders are not to be tried, but what about those along with his leadership? I DON'T GET IT, and This is my first time to hear that ONLY Pot Pot should be tried!!Hope you Get it!
Noope, that is not what I
suggested. I suggested is if the
international people walk out, it
ain't no big lost. It will be a
blessing. Let us face fact: you
guys has already sentenced these
accused before the trial has even
started. If the trial find them
not guilty, it will be chaos.
Am I wrong? So what type of a Fair
trial is that?
We know the accused are innocent
because we know Pol Pot. What more
do you want? If you were in the
accused shoes, you know that you
wont dare to alter any of Pol Pot's
decision. The best you can do is
to talk sense into him. Sometime
it works and sometime it doesn't.
FYI, your justice is not the same
as mine. Don't be so confident
that yours is so right and mine is
wrong.
As for the money, give it back to
the donors. I know half of it came
from Japan.
BTW, Pol Pot also has been known
to have his relatives and friends
killed because he don't trust them.
This make it very difficult for
anyone to advice him on anything.
If he don't agree with your advices
too many times, you better start
digging your own grave.
Just speculation, but I think from
observing of how SISOWAT Sarimatak
stabing his own first cousin
Norodom Sihanouk in the back that
lead him to execute some of his own
relatives and friends that he don't trust.
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