In Samlot, Former Rebels Want Limited Tribunal Process

During a forum at the former Khmer Rouge stronghold of Samlot district, Battambang province, said they were happy to see four senior leaders stand trial. (Photo: Kong Sothanarith)

A former Khmer Rouge, injured, soldier reads a handout book on the history of the Khmer Rouge regime. (Photo: Kong Sothanarith)

An unidentified man looks on as he holds a pamphlet on the four former Khmer Rouge top leaders—Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary and Ieng Thirith. (Photo: Kong Sothanarith)

Monday, 29 August 2011
Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer | Samlot, Battambang

The court is currently preparing for the trial of the four senior leaders, already in detention.

Former Khmer Rouge cadre in the far north of the country met with officials from the UN-backed tribunal on Friday, saying they did not want more cases at the court to go forward.

During a forum at the former Khmer Rouge stronghold of Samlot district, Battambang province, said they were happy to see four senior leaders—Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary and Ieng Thirith—stand trial, they did not want two more cases of their subordinates to continue.

Those two cases, 003 and 004, which would require the indictment of five more leaders, have become a decisive issue for the court. Prime Minister Hun Sen has said the cases will not be allowed to go forward, because they could destabilize the country. And the investigating judges have said they have doubts the suspects were most responsible for atrocity crimes of the regime.

A tribunal official told the former soldiers in Samlot that the two cases were still under consideration at the tribunal, but he did not say whether or when hearings would be held.

The court is currently preparing for the trial of the four senior leaders, already in detention.

In Phnom Penh on Monday, the regime’s top ideologue, Nuon Chea, told the court he would not be able to stand for long periods in an upcoming trial because of his age. He made his statements on the first day of a three-day hearing set to determine the health of the defendants and how that might impact the work of the court.

The court will also assess the fitness of Ieng Sary, the former foreign minister, and his wife, Ieng Thirith, the former social affairs minister. Defense has aruged the Ieng Thirith is not mentally competent to stand trial.