Prime Minister win-win policy brings fully national reconciliation followed by developments and trial of Khmer Rouge’s leaders
PHNOM PENH,
Oct. 24, 2011 – For the first time in 500 years, Cambodia at the end of
1998 achieved total territorial integrity, peace and national reconciliation
thanks to Prime Minister Hun Sen’s win-win policy that put an end to the Khmer
Rouge’s political and military organisation and thus ushered a new era of development.
At the same time, Cambodia cannot bury the past atrocities committed by the
Khmer Rouge regime, prompting the Royal Government of Cambodia to try the
surviving most responsible leaders of the “Killing Fields” to render justice
for the victims, H.E Dr Sok An told Austrian diplomats and court officials.
Deputy Prime
Minister Dr. Sok An, who is also Minister in Charge of the Office of the
Council of Ministers, said in the meeting that despite the achievement of United
Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) in organising the country’s national
election in 1993, their objective of bringing peace was not achieved as the
Khmer Rouge soldiers continued their attacks against the government from the
Thai-Cambodian border and elsewhere until Prime Minister Hun Sen came up with
his win-win policy that pushed to the defections of the Khmer Rouge’s rebels to
join the government in 1998.
He said that
since the end of the civil war, development has made tremendous contributions
to building the country with support from the international community coupled
with tourism development and foreign direct investment that help boost economic
growth to reach an average 10 percent a year from 1998-2008, said Dr. Sok An.
“You will
see for yourselves lots of progress in Phnom Penh and Siemreap. You cannot
compare those cities to their situation ten years ago.”
The Deputy
Prime Minister said that Cambodia recovered quickly from the global downturn in
2008/ 09 and is expected to achieve 6 percent growth a year from 2010- 2011
thanks especially to the recovery of the tourist sector.
Dr. Sok An
also recalled the long and difficult negotiations between the Royal Government
of Cambodia and the United Nations from 1997 until they signed an agreement in
2003 and then three more years were taken before the establishment of the
Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) in 2006 for the trial
of the Khmer Rouge’s leaders.
The Court
has more than 400 staff from 37 countries. The court is headed by the Cambodian
side as Director and the Deputy Director represents the U.N.
Soon the
court will complete the case 001 concerning Kaing Guek Eav, alias Duch, and the
substantive trial in Case 002 will commence soon as well.
“Case 002 is
the most significant case in international judicial history because the court
will try all the remaining senior Khmer Rouge’s leaders” who were blamed for
the deaths of 3 million Cambodians, Dr. Sok An told the delegation.
He also
highlighted six other records achieved by the court and those are: speed in
carrying out its work including adoption of internal rules and conducting the
first trial; its relatively low cost compared with other international
tribunals; the swift and smooth arrest of all charged persons and the absence
of any fugitives; the great extent of public participation and support; the involvement
of victims in the judicial process; and the legacy of the court, especially in
strengthening the legal and judicial systems of the country.
Dr. Sok An
assured the delegation that “the process of the ECCC is completely independent.
There has been neither pressure nor interference from the government, but there
has been a crescendo of shouting from some media and organizations. But the
most important thing for us is to focus on Cases 001 and 002.”
He compared
the approach followed by Cambodia in establishing the ECCC following
international standards of due process rather than exacting revenge as we have
recently seen in Libya with the killing of Colonel Gadaffi.
