Khmer Rouge Tribunal Could Widen Investigations

A judge at Cambodia's UN-backed genocide court says the court could widen its net, as evidence is gathered against other regime members.Already four suspects have been charged and a fifth arrest is expected.One of two judges tasked with investigating criminal accusations against former Khmer Rouge -- Judge Marcel Lemonde -- told AFP that the list of suspects could be expanded.Prosecutors in July filed cases against five people -- all top leaders in the regime -- to be investigated by the judges, with trials expected to take place in mid-2008.While the tribunal restricts the scope of prosecution to "senior leaders" of the Khmer Rouge, the court is in no way limited to those already under investigation.Former foreign minister Ieng Sary and his wife Ieng Thirith, who served as social affairs minister for the Khmer Rouge, became the latest suspects taken into the tribunal's custody when Lemonde and his Cambodian counterpart, judge You Bunleng, issued a formal detention order Wednesday.The pair had been arrested in their home in the capital Phnom Penh on Monday and charged with crimes against humanity.