Cash-strapped Khmer Rouge court gets new funds

Cambodia's UN-backed war crimes court (pictured in Phnom Penh)

Friday, March 02, 2012
AFP News

Cambodia's UN-backed war crimes court said that it had secured much-needed new funding from Japan, allowing it to pay hundreds of workers who have not received a salary since October.

The tribunal has been frequently cash-strapped since it was set up in 2006 to find justice for the deaths of up to two million people under the hardline communist Khmer Rouge regime in the late 1970s.

The tribunal's more than 300 Cambodian employees are expected to get their wages within three weeks thanks to a Japanese pledge of $6 million, court spokesman Neth Pheaktra said on Friday.

Other countries such as Australia and Britain were expected to also announce funding pledges soon, he said, following talks between court officials and donor nations in New York last month about the 2012-2013 budget.

Less Money Pledged Means the Court Needs to Work, not Fight: Observers

Thursday, 01 March 2012
Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer | Washington

“This means donors really care about the tribunal process… particularly issues regarding to the progress and cooperation over case files 003 and 004.”

Donors endorsed a budget proposal last week to fund the UN-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal for two more years. The court needs $89.6 million for 2012 and 2013 to cover its operation cost. However, there were only a few countries made monetary pledge during the meeting in New York.

Observers see that the amount pledged, which is far less than what the court has asked for, is an indication that donors still pay attention to the tribunal, but it would have to settle its internal disputes and show more cooperation. This includes moving forwards the controversial cases 003 and 004.

“This means donors really care about the tribunal process… particularly issues regarding the progress and cooperation over case files 003 and 004,” said Long Panhavuth, a court monitor at the Cambodian Justice Initiative.

Khmer Rouge Tribunal Seeks More Money for Controversial Cases

Donors are meeting in New York on Friday to review the budget proposal. The Cambodian government’s resistance to expand indictments beyond the second case has raised some concerns within the donor community. (Cartoon by Sacrava)

Friday, 24 February 2012
Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer | Washington

“The realistic timelines for cases 003 and 004 can be estimated only after the decision of the PTC (Pre-Trial Chamber) on the disagreement of OCIJ (Office of Co-Investigating Judges) which is expected sometime in the first quarter of 2012.”

The UN-backed tribunal in Cambodia has requested additional funds for cases 003 and 004 despite government objection to see further indictments.

The court, with case 001 complete and case 002 underway, is seeking up to $92 million to cover its operation costs in 2012 and 2013, some of which is allocated to cover costs for the currently stalled third and fourth cases, according to documents obtained by VOA Khmer.

“The realistic timelines for cases 003 and 004 can be estimated only after the decision of the PTC (Pre-Trial Chamber) on the disagreement of OCIJ (Office of Co-Investigating Judges) which is expected sometime in the first quarter of 2012,” reads a proposed budget document submitted to international donors.

Donors are meeting in New York on Friday to review the budget proposal.

Khmer Rouge Tribunal Seeks $92 million

Wednesday, 22 February 2012
Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer | Washington, DC

“Donors may demand that the Cambodian government recognize the new Swiss judge before providing additional disbursements”

The UN-backed tribunal in Cambodia is seeking $92 million from donor countries to cover operational costs for the next two years.

According to a budget proposal for 2012-2013 submitted to donor group, a copy of which was obtained by VOA Khmer, the Cambodian side of the court needs $20 million for the two-year period.

“Based on the anticipated needs of the court for the coming two years, the ECCC is requesting approval of the proposed total budget in the amount of $92 million, of which $47.5 million is for 2012 and $44.5 million is for 2013 inclusive of contingency,” the document reads.

Martin Nesirky, a spokesman for the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, told VOA Khmer by phone that donor nations are reviewing the proposal.

A diplomat following the issue told VOA Khmer that representatives for 15 donor countries are scheduled to meet Feb 24 in a meeting to be chaired by Ban Ki-moon.

Talks Set Over Cash-Strapped Tribunal

The courtroom at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia in Phnom Penh, June 27, 2011. (AFP PHOTO / HO / MARK PETERS / ECCC)

2012-02-15
Radio Free Asia

Donor countries and Khmer Rouge Tribunal officials to discuss urgent funding needs.

Officials from Cambodia's Khmer Rouge tribunal, which has run out of money to pay salaries of workers, will meet with donor countries at the United Nations in New York next week on urgent funding needs, a spokesman for the U.N.-backed war crime court said Wednesday.

“We hope that after the meeting, there will be promises, with funding to the court from donors,” spokesman Neth Pheaktra told RFA. “They will have a meeting to request for the court’s funding for the national [Cambodian] and international side,” he said.

More than 300 Cambodians working at the tribunal have not received their salaries since October 2011, with a handful of staff having left temporarily in search for jobs, he said.

Khmer Rouge Tribunal in crisis

Feb 3, 2012
By Ellie Dyer
DPA

Phnom Penh - With unpaid salaries, demoralized staff and a catalogue of high-profile controversies, observers say Cambodia's Khmer Rouge Tribunal is in crisis.

A total of 317 Cambodians working at the war crimes court, including judges, prosecutors and legal officers, have not been paid since October due to a lack of international funding. The shortfall has 'demoralized' staff and is a 'serious concern,' according to the tribunal's administrative office.

The funding crunch is just the latest difficulty to dog the tribunal, which aims to bring to justice those most responsible for crimes under the Khmer Rouge. Between 1.7 million and 2.2 million people are estimated to have died during the regime's 1975-79 rule.

The past year has seen several allegations of judicial misconduct and political interference.

Khmer Rouge court unable to pay Cambodian salaries

Tuesday, January 31, 2012
AFP

PHNOM PENH — Cambodia's UN-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal has run out of money to pay the wages of hundreds of workers as contributions from donor countries have dried up, a court spokesman said on Tuesday.

None of the more than 300 Cambodians working at the tribunal, from judges to drivers, will be paid this month and may not receive their salaries in February and March either, said Neth Pheaktra.

"We have no money," he told AFP, adding that some judges and prosecutors had not been paid since October.

The funding shortfall does not affect the more than 130 international employees at the war crimes court, whose wages are paid by the United Nations.

CLOWNING at the ECCC: No money to pay Khmer staff at the KR Tribunal ... but, there's money to advertise Duch's verdict announcement

Begging mission planned for ECCC’s Tony Kranh

Tony Kranh

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

30 Jan 2012
By Soy Sophea
DAP-news
Translated from Khmer by Soch

Phnom Penh – The spokesman for the KR Tribunal claimed on Monday that Tony Kranh, the ECCC’s acting director of administration, planned to travel to New York to seek financial support for the ECCC which is undergoing severe fund shortage to pay its staff.

Netr Pheaktra told reporters that Tony Kranh’s trip will take place soon. Nevertheless, Netr Pheaktra claimed that during his trip, Tony Kranh will boast the numerous achievements by this bastard tribunal that is supported by the UN, for example the completion of Case 001 (KI-Media note: Duch’s final verdict still has to be decided), and the continuation of Case 002 which involved four three KR leaders.

Netr Pheaktra added that KR Tribunal has strong confidence that donor countries will continue their support even though not a single country has stepped up to announce their support yet.

KRT pay freeze will linger [-ដាំចេកទៅ!!!]

Monday, 30 January 2012
Bridget Di Certo with additional reporting by David Boyle
The Phnom Penh Post

Under the Law on the Establishment of the ECCC, expenses and salaries of Cambodian staff “shall be borne by the Cambodian national budget”; however, Huy Vannack said this has not been the practice of the court.

Cambodian staff at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal will not be paid any salary until April at the earliest, administration directors told staff in a “town hall” meeting on Friday.

Nearly all of the roughly 300 Cambodian staff employed by the tribunal gathered in the public gallery of the courtroom yesterday and were told that in addition to not receiving their January salaries, they will not be paid for another three months, tribunal public affairs officer Huy Vannak told the Post yesterday.

“The Cambodian side of the court continues to face a financial crisis, and staff will not be paid starting this month,” Huy Vannack said, adding that Cambodian judges have not been paid since October 2011.

Khmer Rouge tribunal too broke to pay Cambodian staff

Courts set up to punish horrific war crimes won't pay staff until April

January 30, 2012
Patrick Winn
Global Post

It's bad enough that the trial against Cambodia's former Khmer Rouge cabal has been delayed so long that many of its aggressors -- and victims -- are now senile.

Now it appears that the special courts aren't paying Cambodian staff. According to the Phnom Penh Post, some employees won't be paid until April.

The courts, set up to prosecute the murderous Khmer Rouge regime, are scraping by with unpaid help.

According to the AP, this doesn't apply to international staff paid by the United Nations. But about 300 employees paid by Cambodia -- some of which haven't been paid since October -- are affected as "donor funds" from outside countries have wilted away, according to a tribunal spokesman.

Khmer Rouge tribunal halts salaries for Cambodians

Thursday, January 26, 2012
By SOPHENG CHEANG, Associated Press

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) -- About 300 Cambodians working at the U.N.-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal will not be paid this month — and some haven't been paid since October — due to budget problems, a spokesman said Thursday.

The tribunal is seeking justice for an estimated 1.7 million people who died of starvation, exhaustion, lack of medical care or torture during the communist Khmer Rouge's 1970s rule. It employs 480 people, of which about two-thirds are Cambodian.

International staff are paid by the United Nations and will continue to receive salaries, unlike local staff who are paid by the Cambodian government.

Tribunal Fund Drive Falls Short in New York

Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Washington, D.C Wednesday, 26 May 2010

“There was not a big, successful pledge, but a reasonable pledge.”

UN and Cambodian representatives for the Khmer Rouge tribunal failed to convince donors to pledge enough money to support the court for another two years, but instead received a modest amount following meetings in New York, a diplomat said Wednesday.

A tribunal delegation had gone to New York seeking some of the $87 million it says is needed for operations this year and next. Donors have approved the amount, but so far have not given over the money.

“There was not a big, successful pledge, but a reasonable pledge” this week, said the diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Another tribunal observer told VOA Khmer the international side received $13.5 million and the Cambodian side received $3.4 million.

The Cambodian side of the hybrid court is facing dire economic circumstances, with staff salaries halved in April.

Both pledges include an already announced $5 million from the US for the international side and Japanese funding of $2.9 million for the international side and $2.26 million for the national side.

The EU pledge $2 million for the national side, according to the sources. Other countries making pledges include France, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Luxembourg and Germany.

In the pledging conference on Tuesday in UN Head Quarter, The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon expressed his gratitude to Member States for their generous contributions to date, and appealed to them to maintain and increase their support, even in the midst of the current economic environment.

“Without such support, the chambers cannot function,” he stressed. “It is as simple and stark as that,” Ban said in his opening remark.

Donors urged to contribute to UN-backed genocide court in Cambodia

UN News Centre

25 May 2010 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today appealed to donors to provide urgent funding to the United Nations-backed court tasked with bringing justice to the people of Cambodia for the heinous crimes committed by the Khmer Rouge regime in the late 1970s.

The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), composed of both national and international judges and staff, were set up in 2003 under an agreement between the UN and the Royal Government.

The court is facing a shortfall of more than $21 million for 2010, including $14.6 million for the international component and at least $6.5 million for the national component. Neither of these figures includes future commitments for staff salaries and entitlements.

For 2011, the total budget of $46.8 million is unfunded, except for $1.1 million pledged by the Cambodian Government for the national component.

“Both components urgently need further funds,” Mr. Ban said in his remarks to the pledging conference held at UN Headquarters for the court, which is entirely dependent on voluntary contributions.

He emphasized that the court was established to bring justice to the people of Cambodia, and to prevent impunity for the most heinous of crimes. “They are vital part of efforts to secure Cambodia’s long-term well-being, and a crucial element in the world’s quest to strengthen international criminal justice,” he stated.

At least 1.7 million people are believed to have died during the period of Democratic Kampuchea, which lasted from April 1975 to January 1979. The ECCC is tasked with trying senior Khmer Rouge figures and others responsible for the worst atrocities committed during that period.

Mr. Ban noted that since it began its work in 2006, the court has made “impressive progress.”

Hearings in “case one,” against Kaing Guek Eav, alias “Duch,” the secretary of the notorious S-21 security centre, concluded last November and the trial chamber will issue its verdict in July.

“The hearings in this case demonstrated that the Extraordinary Chambers can conduct complex international criminal trials to international standards,” said the Secretary-General.

“Most importantly, they also demonstrated the deep interest of the people of Cambodia in the proceedings,” he stated, noting that more than 31,000 people visited the chambers to witness the hearings, most of them Cambodians who journeyed in from outside the capital.

In “case two,” the co-investigating judges may issue a closing order, or indictment, against four leaders of the Khmer Rouge regime – Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Ieng Thirith and Khieu Samphan – later this year.

As in the ongoing trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor in the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL), one person charged in case two, Khieu Samphan, is a former head of State, showing that no one is above the law.

“This is a fundamental principle in the world’s fight against impunity, and it is encouraging indeed to see it in action today in Cambodia,” remarked Mr. Ban.

The Secretary-General expressed his gratitude to Member States for their generous contributions to date, and appealed to them to maintain and increase their support, even in the midst of the current economic environment.

“Without such support, the chambers cannot function,” he stressed. “It is as simple and stark as that.”

UN Legal Counsel Patricia O’Brien and Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Sok An, made a similar appeal to the international community for urgent funding for the court in a joint statement issued after their meeting in the capital, Phnom Penh, last month.

Robert Petit to ship out ... Surya Subedi lands in

Canadian prosecutor quits tribunal

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, June 26 (UPI) -- As one international legal expert packs his bags to leave Cambodia, another unpacks his on a first trip to a country coming to grips with its tragic and ongoing human-rights issues.

Canadian Robert Petit has announced he will step down as co-prosecutor of the tribunal charged with bringing to justice members of the feared former rulers Khmer Rouge who killed more than 1.6 million people during their brutal rule between 1975 and 1979.

At a news conference in the capital Phnom Penh, Petit cited personal reasons back in Canada for his decision to leave on Sept. 1. He will likely return to the capital Ottawa to take up a government job, he said.

Meanwhile, Surya Subedi, the new U.N. special envoy for human rights to Cambodia and law professor from Nepal, held a news conference at the end of a two-week trip. He met many government officials, he said, including Hun Sen, the one-eyed controversial political -- and also former Khmer Rouge -- leader.

As prime minister since taking control in a bloody coup in 1997, the reputed chess player and chain-smoking Sen has been dogged by claims of corruption in his administration. The last U.N. special envoy for human rights, Yash Ghai, a lawyer from Kenya, quit in September 2008 after falling out with 56-year-old Sen, claiming the prime minister would not meet him.

Subedi, who until recently was a professor of international and human rights law at Leeds University in the United Kingdom, said he would adopt a "constructive approach" in helping the country improve its human rights.

Subedi said that the independence of the judiciary and unlawful evictions of people from their homes would be a focus of his work.

Relief agencies and anti human-trafficking groups have repeatedly pointed out that one of the country's biggest human-rights issues is prostitution and alleged government connivance that enslaves tens of thousands of women, many underage girls.

Subedi will report to the U.N. Human Rights Council.

Petit, who will continue to work on the tribunal, has denied rumors that he was leaving over allegations of corruption and mismanagement of the tribunal, set up in 2006. But Petit, who has served on genocide tribunals in Sierra Leone and Rwanda, did tell local media that the government should put to rest the corruption issue as soon as possible. The tribunal court is also underfunded, he said.

The court, consisting of five Cambodian judges plus four international experts such as Petit, started hearing its first case this year. Kaing Guek Eav, now 66, was known as Duch when he was running the torture and execution camp Tuol Sleng prison in Phnom Penh. Around 15,000 prisoners are said to have died.

Eav is one of five prisoners being held under the tribunal's remit. But arguments have arisen between the Cambodian and international judges over just how far down into Cambodian society the tribunal should drill seeking evidence on former Khmer Rouge cadres and leaders.

The issue is sensitive, not least because Sen himself was a former Khmer Rouge member during the terrible years of Pol Pot's regime, whose mass murders became infamous as the "killing fields."

But Sen eventually fled Cambodia for Vietnam, where he joined troops opposed to the Khmer Rouge and who also had the backing of Vietnam's fledgling communist government. When Vietnam invaded and installed a new government in Cambodia in 1979, Sen was made minister of foreign affairs.

Earlier this month Sen was reported to have hit out at non-government organizations, warning them against spreading "nonsense" about the government and its policies.

Tribunal Judges Refuse To Investigate Corruption

By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
08 May 2009

The two investigating judges for the Khmer Rouge tribunal have denied a request from defense lawyers to investigate corruption allegations in the court’s administration office.

The allegations have already cost the court donor support, and defense attorneys for the regime’s jailed ideologue, Nuon Chea, and former foreign minister, Ieng Sary, have begun to use the court’s inability to tackle the allegations as evidence their clients will not receive fair trials.

In a statement dated April 3, investigating judges You Bunleng and Marcel Lemonde said they had “no authority” to investigate the allegations.

The Open Society Justice Initiative, an organization monitoring the court, publicized the allegations in February 2007, claiming that, “Cambodian personnel, including judges, must kick back a significant percentage of their wages to Cambodian government officials in exchange for their positions on the court.”

Four months later, according to a complaint by defense attorneys, “the United Nations Development Program released a similarly damning report.”

UNDP has since held back around $750,000 in funding, while the UN and Cambodian negotiators have failed to reach an agreement on how allegations should be handled.

“Corruption has been widespread through my client’s upcoming official hearing,” said Son Arun, Cambodian counsel for Nuon Chea. “When there is corruption, there will not be justice.”

And Udom, defense attorney for Ieng Sary, said the judges’ decision not to investigate was “not proper.”

“The court is filled with corruption allegations,” he said. “We cannot find justice for any party.”

Both attorneys said they would appeal the investigation decision to the Pre-Trial Chamber of the court.

One court monitor, Lath Ky, of the rights group Adhoc, said judges should investigate the charges, for the sake of “effectiveness, transparency and justice at the tribunal.”

Sacrava's Political Carton: The Corrupt-Beast

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

$4 million from Japan to sustain corruption at the Cambodian side of the ECCC

Japan donates $4 million to Khmer Rouge tribunal

Friday, May 01, 2009
By SOPHENG CHEANG

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Japan has donated $4.17 million to the U.N.-backed genocide tribunal trying former Khmer Rouge leaders on war crimes charges, just as the troubled court was running out of funding, a court official said Friday.

The money will be used to offset a salary shortfall for 251 court staffers until at least the end of the year, tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath said. The court has been troubled by political wrangling and allegations that some Cambodian officials were demanding kickbacks from people trying to secure jobs with it.

The tribunal is tasked with seeking justice for atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge during their four years in power in the late 1970s. An estimated 1.7 million Cambodians died under the radically communist regime from forced labor, starvation, medical neglect and executions.

"The donation arrived on time since the Cambodian side of the court was running out of budget. We really appreciate what the Japanese government has done," Reach Sambath said.

The donation comes as Kaing Guek Eav, alias Duch, is being tried by the tribunal for crimes against humanity, war crimes, murder and torture.

The 66-year-old Duch (pronounced Doik) commanded the Phnom Penh prison, where as many as 16,000 men, women and children are believed to have been tortured before being sent to their deaths. Only a handful survived.

Four other former Khmer Rouge leaders, aging and infirm, are being held for trial on charges of crimes against humanity and war atrocities. The are likely to be tried in the next year or two.

The tribunal operates under the joint administration of Cambodia and the U.N., which have separate budgets. In January, Japan gave $21 million to the U.N. side of the operation.

In March, Japan donated $200,000 to the Cambodian side for that month's payroll.

"Japan places a great emphasis on the progress of the Khmer Rouge tribunal, as it believes that this process will promote peace, democracy, the rule of law and good governance in Cambodia," a statement from the Japanese Embassy said.

Tuol Sleng survivors prepare to be questioned at ECCC

Human Rights Party leader Kem Sokha lays flowers at the stupa of Choeung Ek Genocide Memorial Centre during a commemoration of the fall of Phnom Penh to the Khmer Rouge 34 years ago Friday. (AFP)

Monday, 20 April 2009
Written by Neth Pheaktra and Georgia Wilkins
The Phnom Penh Post

Judges at the Khmer Rouge tribunal are expected to turn the court’s attention towards S-21 this week, as the trial against the prison’s chief continues

AS the trial of former Khmer Rouge jailor Kaing Guek Eav enters its third week, the regime's notorious Toul Sleng prison will, at last, become the subject of the judges' questions, and former S-21 staff and survivors say they are bracing themselves to take the stand.

"During the Khmer Rouge regime, if I did not obey orders, I would be executed by Duch," Him Huy, a former guard at the prison, told the Post, referring to the accused by his revolutionary name.

"I did ... kill five prisoners at Choeung Ek," he said when asked what he was preparing to tell the war crimes court.

"Before execution, [Duch and S-21 deputy chief ‘Hor'] asked me ‘absolutely or not?' In respect of Angkar ... I answered, ‘absolutely'. If I didn't answer with this, they would kill me," he said, referring to Duch's alleged revolutionary commitment to executions.

He added that during a reenactment at Choeung Ek in 2008, Duch denied in front of judges that he ordered Him Huy to kill people.

Over the course of Duch's trial thus far, judges have only heard questions relating to the operation of a previous secret detention camp, M-13, which Duch also headed. Although M-13 falls outside the court's limited temporal jurisdiction, it was believed to be important in establishing his role in the regime.

Judges are now expected to call on witnesses to describe how S-21 was established and how it functioned, including how prisoners were taken to the Choeung Ek killing fields for execution, a central policy of the ultra-Maoist regime.

Those expected to be called on include three living survivors of the prison, who are likely to be pivotal in determining the validity of Duch's defence, which positions him as a scapegoat who was only following orders. Another, Nhem En, was responsible for taking photos of the detainees shortly before they were killed.

"To survive, we had to respect the orders of Angkar. My life and my destiny belonged to Angkar. Angkar could smash [kill] me any time that he needed to," Nhem En told the Post.

According to a Radio France Internationale broadcast Saturday, Australia has released over US$400,000 worth of donations to the Cambodian side of the court, which has suffered a budget shortfall since donor funding was frozen last July following graft allegations. Embassy officials were unavailable for comment Sunday, but court spokesperson Reach Sambath said, "If it is true, we appreciate their commitment."

UN Legal Official Arrives for More Talks

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
06 April 2009

A senior legal adviser from the UN arrived in Phnom Penh Monday to hold more talks with Cambodian officials over difficulties at the Khmer Rouge tribunal, officials close to the talks said.

Peter Taksoe-Jensen, who is the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, arrives as the tribunal is reaching a critical point.

Its first trial, for prison chief Duch, is now underway. But the Cambodian side of the court is facing a budget crisis, with donors proving reluctant to fund sub-standard proceedings and with allegations of mismanagement and corruption lingering.

No official announcement was made for the talks, expected between Taksoe-Jensen and Council Minister Sok An, who is the government’s point man for the tribunal, but sources close to the tribunal told VOA Khmer the agenda will include corruption, funding shortages, Duch’s trial and means for gaining donor confidence.

Taksoe-Jensen has been to Cambodia three times to discuss the tribunal, but funding has remained sparse for the national side. Cambodian tribunal staff only received their March salaries after an infusion of $200,000 from Japan.

On his last visit, Cambodia and the UN established a parallel system for staff complaints at the court. Some Cambodian staff members have reported to the UN having to pay kickbacks to senior officials in order to keep their jobs at the tribunal—allegations denied by tribunal administrators but that sparked a UN investigation whose results have not been made public.

Such complaints on the Cambodian side will now be handled through Cambodian channels; UN complaints will flow through UN channels.

Taksoe-Jensen’s trip also comes amid a brewing confrontation in the courts, over whether to try more senior leaders than the five now being held. Prosecutors are at odds, with Chea Leang, on the Cambodian side, saying more arrests would cost the courts too much and could destabilize the country.

Prime Minister Hun Sen has said more arrests could lead the country on a path to war.

Kek Galabru, who is the president of the rights group Licadho, told VOA Khmer she had been invited to talks late Monday and would ask the UN to keep the funding coming.

“We want to see the five, or more, tried for justice,” she said.