Bill to try Khmer Rouge leaders passed

By Amit Baruah

SINGAPORE, JULY 11. The Cambodian National Assembly today passed a Bill to set up a mixed international-Cambodian tribunal to try former leaders of the Khmer Rouge responsible for the deaths of 1.7 million persons between 1975 and 1979.

The Bill, passed with a massive majority, will now have to be approved by the Senate and sent to King Norodom Sihanouk for assent. Of the 88 Parliamentarians present, 86 voted in favour of the legislation.

``Today we passed the Khmer Rouge draft law to establish extraordinary chambers to try the Khmer Rouge leaders,'' the National Assembly President, Prince Norodom Ranariddh, told reporters in Phnom Penh after the vote. ``The legislation will be sent to the Senate either this afternoon or tomorrow,'' he said.

An earlier version of the Bill was passed by the National Assembly in January this year, but was sent back by the Senate which wanted all references to the death penalty removed. (The death penalty was abolished by Cambodia some 10 years ago).

The United Nations and the Cambodian Government had agreed in April 2000 to set up a mixed tribunal to bring to book some of those responsible for the worst acts of genocide in the 20th century.

After the bill is approved by the King, the U.N. is expected to tally the law with the agreement reached with the Cambodian Government in 2000.

Mr. Sok An, Cambodia's chief negotiator on the tribunal, said he was ready to meet a U.N. representative as soon as the Bill was ratified.

``(The U.N. Chief Legal Counsel) Hans Correl and I will continue to negotiate more after the law comes into effect....we must meet each other, but I don't know where - either Phnom Penh or New York,'' he said.

Only recently, the Cambodian Prime Minister, Mr. Hun Sen, used harsh words against the United Nations following comments on the draft legislation.

He went to the extent of saying that Cambodia might hold its own trial rather than be dictated to by the U.N. on the law setting up the tribunal.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : International
Previous : Condit asked to give DNA sample, take lie test
Next     : Labour MPs want ban on racist groups