CAMBODIA'S TRIALS

 

 

 

Cambodia's Trials

International Herald Tribune
Saturday, March 26, 2005

 

On March 28 the United Nations will hold a meeting at its headquarters in New York to raise funds for the Khmer Rouge tribunal. To date, the Cambodian government and the United Nations have raised enough money to pay for at least the first year of the trials - $39 million of an estimated $56 million - through contributions from Japan, Australia, Great Britain and France.

We have come a long way toward realizing justice in the past months, but the UN has stated that it won't proceed with the trials until all the funds are in place - this means that an additional $17 million must be found.

I wish to encourage the donor community to support Cambodia and the UN in making the tribunal a reality.

For a long time now, many nations have expressed concern that their money will be wasted because the trials might not be fair given Cambodia's judicial system. To counter these doubts, donors might consider pledging money for the tribunal's second - and possibly third - years. They need not write the checks at this point in time - countries could merely agree to provide funding should the tribunals prove to be fair, transparent and allow the voices of the victims to be heard.

Although there will certainly be disagreement about the outcome of the first year's proceedings, there are many means available for reaching a broad consensus. These might include assessments by the United Nations and royal government, reports in the press, the evaluations of the local and international nongovernmental organizations and human rights communities, and perhaps, most important, the opinions of the Cambodian public on whether the trials are serving them well.

It is my hope that the international community will begin to engage more widely in addressing Asia's human rights abuses, becoming as involved here as it has in Europe and Africa, for example. Helping Cambodians seek justice for the crimes against humanity committed on our soil would ensure donors a place of honor in history.

Youk Chhang, Phnom Penh, director, Documentation Center of Cambodia