CAMBODIA: Khmer Rouge Trials May Expose US, China

[kpete]

Source: InterPress Service

CAMBODIA: Khmer Rouge Trials May Expose US, China
Analysis by Marwaan Macan-Markar

PHNOM PENH, Mar 30 (IPS) - Limits placed on a United Nations-backed war crimes tribunal in prosecuting surviving leaders of the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime may not prevent revelations about international actors linked to Cambodia's dark period.

It ranges from the period of Khmer Rouge history that the court will consider, a geographic limit to account for only atrocities committed by Cambodian nationals, and who among the surviving Khmer Rouge leadership can be hauled before the tribunal of foreign and local jurists.

Already, Noam Chomsky, linguist and trenchant critic of Washington’s foreign policy has fired a salvo ahead the opening session of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), as the tribunal is formally known.

On Monday, Kaing Khek Eav, or ‘Duch,’ took the stand at the ECCC to mark the beginning of the tribunal, which comes 30 years after the extremist Maoist group was driven out of power by Vietnamese troops.



Read more: http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=46317

[corruptmewithpower]

1. "a human catastrophe unparalleled in this century"

By R.J. Rummel


In proportion to its population, Cambodia underwent a human catastrophe unparalleled in this century. Out of a 1970 population of probably near 7,100,0001 Cambodia probably lost slightly less than 4,000,000 people to war, rebellion, man-made famine, genocide, politicide, and mass murder. The vast majority, almost 3,300,000 men, women, and children (including 35,000 foreigners), were murdered within the years 1970 to 1980 by successive governments and guerrilla groups. Most of these, a likely near 2,400,000, were murdered by the communist Khmer Rouge.

http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/SOD.CHAP4.HTM

[damntexdem]

2. The U.S. made it possible in its crusade against Communism. Communist Vietnam put a stop to it.

Just another historic irony.