Editorial in the Telegraph: Khmer Rouge ... Cambodia must lay to rest the ghosts of the past
It is 30 years since the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia committed one of the most terrible crimes against humanity of the 20th Century.
In a period of four years, as many as two million Cambodians died – either executed in the "killing fields", or worked or starved to death in forced labour camps.
The man who ordered this carnage, the Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot, died peacefully a decade ago in his jungle hideaway. No member of the regime has ever been brought to justice - until now.
Earlier today in Phnom Penh, Kaing Guek Eav – better known by the alias Duch – went on trial, charged with presiding over the murder and torture of more than 15,000 inmates at the prison camp he ran.
Four other senior Khmer figures, including the former president Khieu Samphan and foreign minister Ieng Sary, are due to follow him into the dock later this year.
Duch, a born-again Christian, has expressed remorse for his actions and his testimony could prove useful in constructing a case against the other defendants.
Is there any point in trying to bring such people to justice decades after the event? Yes, there is every point...
Read entire article at Telegraph (UK)
In a period of four years, as many as two million Cambodians died – either executed in the "killing fields", or worked or starved to death in forced labour camps.
The man who ordered this carnage, the Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot, died peacefully a decade ago in his jungle hideaway. No member of the regime has ever been brought to justice - until now.
Earlier today in Phnom Penh, Kaing Guek Eav – better known by the alias Duch – went on trial, charged with presiding over the murder and torture of more than 15,000 inmates at the prison camp he ran.
Four other senior Khmer figures, including the former president Khieu Samphan and foreign minister Ieng Sary, are due to follow him into the dock later this year.
Duch, a born-again Christian, has expressed remorse for his actions and his testimony could prove useful in constructing a case against the other defendants.
Is there any point in trying to bring such people to justice decades after the event? Yes, there is every point...