A Change of Guard

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Thursday 30 May 2013

Cambodian Khmer Rouge leader finally shows remorse for killings លោក នួន ជា និង លោក ខៀវ សំផន ប្រកាសសុំទោស ជនរងគ្រោះទាំងអស់


PHNOM PENH | Thu May 30, 2013
Listen to the voice of Khieu Samphan and Nuon Chea.
 
(Reuters) - A leader of the Cambodian Khmer Rouge expressed remorse on Thursday for the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people during the "Killing Fields" regime in the 1970s and accepted responsibility for the first time during court proceedings.
"I am responsible for what happened during the time of Democratic Kampuchea," Nuon Chea told the United Nations-backed tribunal, referring to the name of the country during the period, when he was the party's second-in-command.
"I am very regretful for events that happened intentionally and unintentionally. I am morally responsible," he said, expressing "condolences" to victims of the regime present in the court, where he faces charges including war crimes and crimes against humanity.
"Brother Number Two" Nuon Chea and co-defendant Khieu Samphan, a former head of state during the Khmer Rouge period, have until now denied responsibility or even knowledge the killings.
Khieu Samphan said he regretted the "unspeakable suffering" done to the Cambodian people under the Khmer Rouge and offered condolences, his first such apology in court.
It was unclear why the two men had chosen to express remorse now, but Lars Olsen, a court spokesman, welcomed the admission.
"Many victims have waited more than 30 years to hear any statement of apology or regret from leadership figures in the Khmer Rouge," he said.

However, Khieu Samphan continued to insist he was simply a figurehead of the regime and knew nothing about its murderous side.
"Looking at it from outside, people might assume that I was the big leader. Really, I just had big status, I had no real power to arrest anyone. I have no knowledge of the people's living conditions," he said.
The court, operated joinly by Cambodia and the United Nations, was set up in 2005 with the aim of trying "those most responsible" for the bloodshed.
To date, it has delivered one verdict, a life sentence given to Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, chief of the notorious Tuol Sleng prison, a converted Phnom Penh school where as many as 14,000 people may have been executed.
The current trial opened in June 2011 with four people in the dock -- Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, former Foreign Minister Ieng Sary and his wife, Ieng Thirith, who was social affairs minister in the Khmer Rouge government.
Ieng Thirith, a sister-in-law of Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot, who died in 1998, was declared unfit to stand trial last year because she was suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Ieng Sary died in March.
(Reporting by Prak Chan Thul; Editing by Alan Raybould and Ron Popeski)
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Khmer Rouge deputy admits responsibility

THE Khmer Rouge's former number two has admitted for the first time he shared responsibility for the actions of a regime blamed for the deaths of up to two million people in the late 1970s.
"I am not trying to evade my responsibility," Nuon Chea, 86, who has denied charges of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity, said during his trial at a UN-backed court in Phnom Penh.
"As a leader, I must take responsibility for the damage, the danger to my nation," he said, expressing his "deepest condolences" to witnesses testifying at the tribunal who lost relatives under the regime.
At the same time Nuon Chea said that he was not aware of all of the Khmer Rouge's actions in his role overseeing propaganda and education.
"As for the executive branch, I had no power whatsoever. So about what happened during the Khmer Rouge period - certain things I was aware of, but other things I was not aware of," he added.
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Nuon Chea, the most senior surviving leader of the "Killing Fields" era, is on trial alongside former Khmer Rouge head of state Khieu Samphan, 81, who has also denied charges of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity.
Khieu Samphan told the court on Thursday that he was not aware at the time of the "great suffering" of the Cambodian people during the Khmer Rouge's rule.
He also expressed a "sincere apology" to the victims as he tried to distance himself from the regime's actions.
Led by "Brother Number One" Pol Pot, who died in 1998, the Khmer Rouge from 1975-79 wiped out nearly a quarter of Cambodia's population through starvation, overwork or execution in a bid to create an agrarian utopia.
Regime co-founder Ieng Sary died in March at the age of 87, escaping a court judgment over his role in the regime's reign of terror.
hursday, 30 May 2013 ដោយ៖ដើមអម្ពិល(DAP)-ID:078
ភ្នំពេញ៖ អតីតមេដឹកនាំកំពូលៗ ក្នុងរបបខ្មែរក្រហម ពីររូបគឺលោក នួន ជា និងលោក ខៀវ សំផន បានប្រកាស សុំទោសដល់ ដើមបណ្តឹងរដ្ឋប្បវេណី និងជនរងគ្រោះ នៅក្នុងរបបកម្ពុជា ប្រជាធិបតេយ្យ នូវកំហុសឆ្គងដែល ខ្លួនបានប្រព្រឹត្តិ។
លោក នួន ជា អតីតប្រធានសភាប្រជាជននៃ របបកម្ពុជាប្រជាធិបតេយ្យ ជាអនុលេខាបក្សនៃ បក្សកុម្មុយនីស្ត កម្ពុជា បាននិយាយដោយ សំឡេងច្បាស់ៗនៅក្នុង បន្ទប់សវនាការ នៃអង្គជំនុំជម្រះវិសាមញ្ញ ក្នុងតុលាការកម្ពុជា រឺហៅសាមញ្ញថា តុលាការខ្មែរក្រហម នាថ្ងៃទី៣០ ខែឧសភា ឆ្នាំ២០១៣នេះថា ខ្លួនសុំទទួលខុសត្រូវទាំងអស់ នូវអ្វីដែលបានកើតមាន កន្លងមក ក្នុងសម័យកម្ពុជា ប្រជាធិបតេយ្យ ហើយក៏មិនគេចវេសទៅណានោះទេ ហើយ ចំពោះខាងផ្លូវចិត្តលោក ទទួលខុសត្រូវទាំងអស់ ដោយស្មោះអស់ពីចិត្តផងដែរ។
បងធំទី២រូបនេះ បញ្ជាក់ថា ក្នុងឋានៈជាសមាជិកម្នាក់ ក្នុងរបបកម្ពុជាប្រជាធិបតេយ្យនោះ លោកហ៊ានទទួល ខុសត្រូវ បើទោះបីជាលោកបានប្រព្រឹត្តិដោយផ្ទាល់ឬមិនដោយផ្ទាល់ក៏ដោយ តែលោកសោកស្តាយជាខ្លាំង ចំពោះព្រឹត្តិការណ៍ទាំងឡាយដែលកើតឡើងដោយចេតនាឬអចេតនា បើទោះបីជាលោកបានដឹង ឬមិនដឹងក៏ ដោយ ដោយលោកសុំទទួលខុសត្រូវទាំងអស់។
លោក នួន ជា បន្តថា«ក្នុងឱកាសនេះ ខ្ញុំសូមចូលរួមមរណទុក្ខ ការសោកស្តាយចំពោះការបាត់បង់ គ្រួសារសាច់ ញាតិឪពុកម្តាយនៃដើម បណ្តឹងនិងក៏ដូចជាសាច់ឈាមរបស់ខ្ញុំ»។
លោក នួន ជា និយាយថា «ខ្ញុំសូមចូលរួមមរណទុក្ខ» ដល់សាច់ញាតិឪពុកម្តាយ នៃដើមបណ្តឹងនិង «ក៏ដូចជា សាច់ឈាម របស់ខ្ញុំ»។
រីឯលោក ខៀវ សំផន ក៏បានថ្លែងនូវការសុំទោស ដល់តំណាងដើមបណ្តឹង រដ្ឋប្បវេណីដែរថា «ជាថ្មីម្តងទៀតខ្ញុំ សុំទោស លោកនិងប្រជាជនខ្មែរយើងទាំងមូលដែលរងគ្រោះ ដោយសូមលំឱនកាយគោរព ដល់សាច់ញាតិឪពុក ម្តាយ បងប្អូនដែលបានចាកឋានទៅក្នុងក្តីឈឺចាប់ខ្លោចផ្សារកនិយាយមិនបាន»។
លោកបន្តថា លោកមិនមែនជាអ្នកមនោគមន៍វិជ្ជានោះទេ ហើយលោកក៏ជាអ្នកមានឧត្តមគតិស្នេហាជាតិ ធ្វើយ៉ាង ណារួមចំណែកកសាងប្រទេសកម្ពុជា ឲ្យបានរីកចម្រើនជឿនលឿន និងការពារប្រទេសកម្ពុជាឲ្យបានគង់វង្ស។ លោកមានការសោកស្តាយជាខ្លាំង ដូច្នោះត្រូវតែចាប់ស្តេចក្រាញ់ ដែលបានប្រព្រឹត្តិអំពើ ឃោរឃៅឆ្កួតលេលា ទាំងនោះយកមកផ្តន្ទាទោស ឲ្យសាកសមទៅតាមភាព ឃោរឃៅរបស់ពួកគេ។
របបកម្ពុជាប្រជាធិបតេយ្យ ត្រូវបានគេស្តីបន្ទោសថា បានជន្លៀស កាប់សម្លាប់ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋកម្ពុជាស្លូតត្រង់ ជិត៣ លាននាក់ ព្រមទាំងបង្អត់អាហារ និងបង្ខំឱ្យធ្វើការហួសកម្លាំង ៕

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