CIVIL RESISTANCE
My TREASON & INCITEMENT MASS TRIAL (Initial Page on Trial Matters) TUESDAY, 14 JUNE 2022 VERDICT ANNOUNCEMENT Court Statement: Concluding Remarks ការការពារ ផ្លូវច្បាប់ របស់ខ្ញុំ [ ... ] |
CIVIC EDUCATION
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Four Senior Khmer Rouge Leaders to Stand Trial The Financial Times, 27 June 2011 “There is a deep satisfaction, after all the waiting, the longing to see justice done, to see the public acknowledgement of our suffering,” Theary Seng, who was a child when her parents were killed in a Khmer Rouge prison camp and who now runs the [CIVICUS: Center for Cambodian Civic Education] (a local NGO), said after the start of the trial on Monday. “For me personally, these are the individuals who were directly responsible for the deaths of my parents and my imprisonment,” she said. “Duch was, relatively speaking, a small fish and we are now going to the heart of the regime,” said Ms Seng. . . . Cambodians' Angst Bound in Warcrimes Trial EuroNews video featuring Theary Seng and members of the Association of Khmer Rouge Victims in Cambodia, 27 June 2011 . . . Cambodia's Khmer Rouge Genocide Trial Battles Political Pressures The Christian Science Monitor (Simon Montlake), 27 June 2011 Theary Seng, an activist who has helped victims’ groups file civil suits in the tribunal, said she welcomed the trial and was hopeful that it would shed light on the secretive regime. But she expressed frustration regarding the judge’s leniency toward Nuon Chea. “We just lost the most visible symbol of justice: his face,” when he walked out, she says. . . . Landmark UN Tribunal Opens in Cambodia VOA (Daniel Schearf), 27 June 2011 Theary Seng is president of the Association of Khmer Rouge Victims in Cambodia. She has mixed emotions of excitement and sorrow in seeing them finally go to trial. “We constantly have asked ourselves why? Why did it happen?" she asked. "Why did these individuals, these Khmer Rouge leaders think that they can play God. That they can take the lives of my parents and the lives of 2 million other Cambodians? What gave them that right to experiment in this awful manner? And so, hopefully, the court proceedings will cast light on this very dark period by providing information, by chipping away at the question why? Why did it happen?" Seng and other victims and lawyers have been pushing for prosecutions of more Khmer Rouge leaders, including surviving military and prison camp commanders. But the court has resisted and been accused of corruption and political pressure. . . . Cambodia's Khmer Rouge Tribunal in Disarray The head of a victims' association, Theary Seng, called on Mr Blunk to resign, along with the UN-appointed administrator of the tribunal. "We had expected and trusted the UN personnel in the court to raise the quality of justice to international standards. But what's happening is deceit - it's deceit with UN complicity, with UN insignia on it," she told the BBC.
CIVICUS Cambodia's Commentary: Amnesty, Pardon, Forgiveness 27 June 2011 . . . Amnesty, Double Jeopardy on Agenda for Tribunal Hearing VOA, 26 June 2011 . . . . .
Khmer Rouge Trial is Justice Delayed Human Rights Watch Press Release, 24 June 2011 . . .
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The Phnom Penh Post, 23 June 2011 . . .
Sixth UN Official Resigned from the KR Tribunal Radio Free Asia, 22 June 2011 Regarding this issue, Theary Seng, President of the Association of Khmer Rouge Victims in Cambodia (AKRVC), indicated that the resignation announcement by another UN legal official from the KRT investigation office shows that there are irregularities or dissent with the Cambodian and International Co-Investigating Judges regarding the investigation into the KR leaders involved in Case 003/004. Theary Seng, who is also President of CIVICUS, added: “I thin k that he cannot accept the irregularities and the injustice pushes him to resign from this office. What I want to say is that, in Case 003/004, there was 20 months of inactivity where the Investigating Judges did not investigate these cases. This affects our justice as victims who are looking for clarifications on the darkness under the KR regime.”
. . . Cambodia: When Genocide Trial Turns Personal Global Post, 21 June 2011 "The judges have a duty — it’s not an option — to investigate,” said Theary Seng, a human-rights activist and victims advocate. “They have failed in their duty to investigate and they have failed to inform the public.” The co-investigating judges have also remained silent about Case 004, a further case involving three mid-ranking KR officials. While Hun Sen may squash the possibility of further trials, Theary Seng, who blames Meas Mut for the death of her own parents during the Pol Pot regime, said such an outcome would compromise the current case and deepen the cynicism of ordinary Cambodians. “It’s not surprising he should deny his role, but he can’t deny the weight of evidence. He can’t deny the testimonies that run into the tens of thousands,” she said of Meas Mut. “There’s no magic number as to how many should be prosecuted and should be indicted. But the current five are not sufficient for the crimes that took the lives of 1.7 million Cambodians.” . . . ECCC : Case 002 Starts Amid Criticism International Justice Tribune, 21 June 2011 Conflict in Cambodia as Pol Pot Henchmen Face Trial
Reuters, 21 June 2011 Cambodia and the Pitfalls of Political Justice The New York Times/IHT (Peter Maquire), 20 June 2011
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Trial of Former Khmer Rouge Leaders in Turmoil International Herald Tribune, 15 June 2011 Conflict Imperils Future Khmer Rouge Trials New York Times, 16 June 2011
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Activists Name Alleged Case 004 Crime Sites The Phnom Penh Post, 20 June 2011 Activist Reveals 37 Purported Crime Scenes From Case 004 The Cambodia Daily, 21 June 2011 Tribunal Case Applicant Names Three More Suspects VOA, 20 June 2011 (In Khmer, in KI-Media)
20 June 2011, Phnom Penh
Open Letter to Victims (of Meas Mut, Sou Met, Im Chaem, Ta Tith, Ta An) and Civil Party Lawyers Crime Sites of Case 004 for Civil Party Applications Dear Concerned KR Victims and Civil Party Lawyers: We need to hear your voices and testimonies in Case 003 against Khmer Rouge Military Commanders Meas Mut and Sou Met and Case 004 against KR district chief Im Chaem, KR Zone Deputy Secretaries Ta An and Ta Tith. My Application against Im Chaem, Ta Tith, Ta An As I am awaiting the appeal decision of the Pre-Trial Chamber regarding my application against Meas Mut and Sou Met, I am submitting another application against Im Chaem, Ta Tith and Ta An later today or tomorrow to the Co-Investigating Judges of the Extraordinary Chambers (ECCC) for the mass crimes during the capture and exodus of Phnom Penh in 1975, and of the East Zone purges in 1977-78 and during their forays into Vietnam across the East Zone. In particular, I am requesting that the Co-Investigating Judges investigate these Charged Persons’ (especially Ta Tith and Ta An) culpability in relation to the crime sites of Wat Tlork Security Center (a crime site of Case 002) and Boeung Rai Security Center (where 20,000-30,000 were believed to be killed but only cursorily mentioned with a sentence or two in the Closing Order of Case 002). The East Zone because of its proximity to Vietnam is notorious for the internal wholesale purges of villages as well as for the war crimes waged against Khmer Kampuchea Krom in southern Vietnam. These purges and war crimes were conducted by Ta Mok and his military clan, e.g. Ta An, Ta Tith, Meas Mut etc. The fact that many senior officials of the current Cambodian People’s Party were former KR cadres of the East Zone (particularly Svay Rieng and Prey Veng) should not keep the ECCC from investigating the countless execution sites and security centers located there. One ECCC official confirmed my suspicion that one reason for the very few crime sites in Svay Rieng and Prey Veng (only 2-3!) within the scope of investigations for all four Cases is because the ECCC did not want to venture into areas which are politically sensitive with the current ruling party. The fact that Boeung Rai Security Center, where 20,000-30,000 people were killed, including my mother, was overlooked in the investigation and only mentioned marginally as a result of my public request substantiates this view.
Additionally, as close associates and family members with high military ranking of the butcher Ta Mok, these Charged Persons in Case 004 most likely played an active role and bear highest responsibility in the capture and exodus of Phnom Penh in 1975.
Genocide and Crimes against Humanity Offend the Moral Intuition of EVERYONE
Overall, they are charged with “Crimes against Humanity” – crimes not only against tens of thousands perished within their physical environs and family members like myself, crimes not only against Cambodians generally, but crimes against HUMANITY! In this sense, every human being (an American, a French, an Indian, a Filipino, etc.) who is deeply offended by the assault on their humanity and dignity arguable is a direct legal victim and should retain a very proactive lawyer also to file on his/her behalf.
Opportune Time to File Cases 003/004 Applications on the Advent of Case 002
As you are and will be already congregating in Phnom Penh in the coming days for the opening hearings of Case 002, I request that you take this opportunity also to complete the application for Cases 003 and 004. In light of the information provided by the International Co-Prosecutor, by KI-Media and other press coverage, by my own inquiries (in particular the below list of crime sites implicating Im Chaem, Ta Tith, Ta An), the conditions are prime and favorable for the filing of applications for both Cases 003 and 004.
Case 003 Filing The conditions are more restrictive now to file in Case 003 but the window of opportunity is still there, even if narrow. The Pre-Trial Chamber has yet to decide on the appeals of my and Rob Hamill’s applications; the Co-Investigating Judges have yet to reject the other hundred-plus civil party applications; the CIJs have been discredited and publicly marginalized whereby with your growing voice and advocacy, the space and time for filing could be greatly expanded, etc.
The list of crime sites is found in the International Co-Prosecutor public announcement supplemented more completely by excerpts of the actual Case 003 Introductory Submission posted by KI-Media.
Case 004 Filing Through my own research and conversations, I have come into this very trusted information which should assist you greatly in filing against Im Chaem, Ta Tith and Ta An: Central Zone (Ta An) Purge of the Central Zone Wat O Trau Kuon Security Center Wat Batheay Security Center Met Kor (Sop) Security Center Wat Phnom Pros Security Center Kok Pring Execution Site Chamkar Svay Chanty Security Center Anglong Chrey Dam Forced Labor Site Genocide in Kampong Cham Province Wat Srange Security Center Tuol Ta Phlong Prison and Execution Site Wat Kandal Security Center Wat Baray Chan Dek Security Center
Northwest Zone (Ta Tith, Im Chaem) Purge of the Northwest Zone Wat Kirirum Banteay O Ta Krey Execution Site Banteay Treng Security Center Wat Thoamayutt Security Center Wat Kandal Security Center Wat Samdech Security Center Wat Po Laingka Security Center Wat Banteay Neang Security Center La-Ang Phnom Kuoy Yum Execution Site Wat Chamka Khnol Security Center Prison No. 8 Tuol Purchrey Execution Site Phnom Trayoung Security Center Phum Chakrey Security Center Wat Preah Neth Preah & Chamkar T Ling Trapeang Thma Dam Spean Spreng & Prey Roneam Dam
Southwest Zone (all three came out of Ta Mok’s clan of the SW, but mainly Ta Tith) Wat Pratheat Security Center Tram Kak
East Zone Purges and War with Vietnam Purge of Svay Rieng Purge of Prey Veng Genocide of Khmer Krom and of April 17 New People War with Vietnam
Time is of the essence. So, FILE NOW! Fight the “Crimes of Idiocy” of political interference, impunity, and UN complicity with our collective, strong voices as victims and civil party applicants.
With peace and my highest regards, Theary C. SENG Representative of Civil Parties of Orphans Class Association of Khmer Rouge Victims in Cambodia _________________________________________________ www.akrvictims.org
In KI-Media
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Theary's BLOG
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