As Khmer Rouge cadres face trial, truth eludes Cambodia
We had to follow orders, he said of his role in the bloody year zero revolution that wiped out 1.7 million Cambodians a quarter of the population from 1975-1979, marking one of the darkest chapters of the 20th century.
As a UN-backed court prepares for the trial of three senior leaders on Monday, the truth about the killing fields could be lost forever in the rugged mountains and impenetrable jungles of this former Khmer Rouge stronghold.
Like Brother Number Two Nuon Chea, ex-President Khieu Samphan and former Foreign Minister Ieng Sary, Lim Sambath, 58, distances himself from the killings and says his recollection of the harrowing era is vague.
He tells stories of his battlefield heroics to repel Vietnamese invaders but denies responsibility for any of the hundreds of thousands of men, women and children who died of torture, starvation, disease and execution in the rice fields and makeshift jails run by Pol Pots black-clad disciples.
I dont know how many people were killed, Lim Sambath, a former guerrilla commander, now a community leader, told Reuters at his home in Boyakha village on the western border with Thailand.
We ha! d to fol low orders. We had little knowledge. We saw no light. It was like living on another planet. But that was the only planet we knew.
Almost every Cambodian alive lost a family member under the Khmer Rouge and many fear the multi-million dollar Extraordinary Chambers in the Court of Cambodia (ECCC), established by the United Nations in 2005 to try those most responsible for the killings, will fail to bring justice.
Pol Pot, the French-educated architect of the revolution, died in 1998 and the defendants facing trial next week in what is known as Case 002 not only appear unwilling to cooperate but face widespread criticism for stalling the proceedings.
Ieng Sary, for instance, tried to have his case thrown out and last month issued a statement saying he would refuse to answer questions, or speak at all, during the trial.
Another blow to the proceedings took place yesterday when a fourth defendant, French-educated former Social Affairs Minister Ieng Thirith, was declared mentally ill, unfit for trial. She will be released if no appeal is lodged.
The defendants are charged with committing crimes against humanity and genocide, and accused of crimes ranging from murder to enslavement, religious and political persecution, inhumane treatment and unlawful imprisonment.
They are all in their 80s and in poor health. Given the slow pace at which the joint UN-Cambodian tribunal moves, many fear they wont live to see the verdict delivered.
The court has handed down just one sentence so far, a 35-year jail term, commuted to 19 years, for former prison chief Kaing Guek Eav, alias Duch, over the deaths of more than 14,000 people. His appeal is set for February 3 next year. He has repeatedly said he was just following orders.
Cambodian! s who sa w Duch sentenced reacted with anger and tears and complained it was too lenient. Many just want the top commanders to come clean and explain the motivation and ideology that fuelled the Khmer Rouges unrelenting killing spree.
Theyre all guilty, said Kim Sokhon, a street vendor who lost his mother, sister and two nieces. They know what happened they were the ones who enforced Pol Pots policies.
The closest any of the former cadres have come to disclosure is seen in the documentary film Enemies of the People, in which Nuon Chea, during six years of interviews with journalist Thet Sambath, admitted threats to the party line were destroyed if they could not be corrected or re-educated.
For tens of thousands of Cambodians, being destroyed meant being blindfolded, then bludgeoned to death and thrown into one of the hundreds of mass graves across the country.
Chhang Youk, director of the Documentation Centre of Cambodia, which has compiled evidence to use during the trial, said it was unlikely defendants would confess but he was confident justice would eventually prevail.
Everyone wants a final judgement of what happened, he said. Weve seen the Khmer Rouge hasnt changed its attitude. They wont admit anything, so the tribunal is really important.
Credibility crisis
The ECCC itself is in crisis. Despite its big budget, expected to reach US$150 million (RM474.8 million) by year-end, it is beset by resignations and public acrimony over its reluctance to pursue cases beyond 002.
It also faces allegations of UN apathy and political interference by members of the Cambodian government, so! me of wh om are former Khmer Rouge cadres.
Theary Seng, a prominent survivor of the Khmer Rouge era and the first plaintiff to register in case 002, withdrew her complaint against Nuon Chea on Tuesday because of what she called toxic shenanigans in the court.
Her letter to the ECCC, typed in a large, bold font, said simply: ENOUGH!
Tribunal monitor Clair Duffy said the ECCC now had a credibility crisis and it was crucial more indictments were made so the real story of the Khmer Rogue was not left untold.
We know these institutions cannot prosecute everyone ... but we also know that 1.7 million people were not tortured, starved, enslaved and executed by one torture centre commander and up to a handful of people at the top, she said.
Independent experts say a big problem is the politicisation of cases and stonewalling by Cambodias government to limit the scope of investigations.
Many former Khmer Rouge members hold top positions in the bureaucracy, legislature and the government, including parliament president Heng Samrin, Finance Minister Keat Chhon, and long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Hun Sen last year told UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that more indictments were not allowed and has previously said he would be happy if the court packed up and left, warning of a return to civil war if more cases were pursued.
Ven Dara, a provincial councillor in Palin and niece of a late Khmer Rouge military chief, Ta Mok, admit! ted she was horrified by the killings and said indictments should go to the very top.
If the Khmer Rouge leaders are accused of being the killers, then what about our current leaders? They didnt even dare to show up to testify, she told Reuters. Reuters
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