PHNOM PENH, May 27 (AP) - (Kyodo)—Eight governments including Japan and the United States have pledged to provide at least $16.5 million in funding for a U.N.-backed court established to bring former Khmer Rouge leaders to justice, a spokeswoman of the court said Thursday.
The pledged amount falls far short of the $87 million that the tribunal says is needed for operations this year and next.
Yuko Maeda, spokeswoman for the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, told Kyodo News the pledges were made Tuesday at a conference in New York attended by representatives from around 60 countries.
Among the donors, Japan pledged $5.16 million, with $2.9 million going to the U.N. side and $2.26 million to the Cambodian side, while the United States reiterated a pledge of $5 million to the U.N side and Australia pledged $4.48 million -- $3.8 million to the U.N and the rest to Cambodia.
The other countries that made pledges were Germany, France, Norway, New Zealand and Luxemburg.
The ECCC had spent about $78.4 million by the end of 2009 since the preparation period of 2005, but it so far has concluded the hearing of only one case, that against Kaing Geuk Eau who headed a torture center in Phnom Penh.
Cases are now proceeding against Nuon Chea, the Khmer Rouge regime's chief ideologue, Ieng Sary, its foreign minister, Khieu Samphan, its nominal leader, and Ieng Sary's spouse Ieng Thirith, who was minister of social affairs, but their trials are unlikely to start before next year.
In remarks at the opening of the pledging conference, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon appealed to U.N. members to continue to financially support the tribunal.
"Without such support, the chambers cannot function," he said. "It is as simple and stark as that."
Ban noted that the court faced a total shortfall of $21 million for while the total budget of $46.8 million for 2011 was unfunded except for $1.1 million pledged by Cambodia.
The Khmer Rouge leadership is blamed for the deaths of at least 1.7 million people during its rule in the late 1970s.
The pledged amount falls far short of the $87 million that the tribunal says is needed for operations this year and next.
Yuko Maeda, spokeswoman for the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, told Kyodo News the pledges were made Tuesday at a conference in New York attended by representatives from around 60 countries.
Among the donors, Japan pledged $5.16 million, with $2.9 million going to the U.N. side and $2.26 million to the Cambodian side, while the United States reiterated a pledge of $5 million to the U.N side and Australia pledged $4.48 million -- $3.8 million to the U.N and the rest to Cambodia.
The other countries that made pledges were Germany, France, Norway, New Zealand and Luxemburg.
The ECCC had spent about $78.4 million by the end of 2009 since the preparation period of 2005, but it so far has concluded the hearing of only one case, that against Kaing Geuk Eau who headed a torture center in Phnom Penh.
Cases are now proceeding against Nuon Chea, the Khmer Rouge regime's chief ideologue, Ieng Sary, its foreign minister, Khieu Samphan, its nominal leader, and Ieng Sary's spouse Ieng Thirith, who was minister of social affairs, but their trials are unlikely to start before next year.
In remarks at the opening of the pledging conference, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon appealed to U.N. members to continue to financially support the tribunal.
"Without such support, the chambers cannot function," he said. "It is as simple and stark as that."
Ban noted that the court faced a total shortfall of $21 million for while the total budget of $46.8 million for 2011 was unfunded except for $1.1 million pledged by Cambodia.
The Khmer Rouge leadership is blamed for the deaths of at least 1.7 million people during its rule in the late 1970s.
No comments:
Post a Comment