Further Indictments a Decision of the Court: UN Chief

Thursday, 28 October 2010
Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh

Photo: AP U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, center, tours Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh, on Thursday.

Concluding two days of official talks in Phnom Penh on Thursday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the UN-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal must ultimately decide on how many cases it tries.

His statements were in response to talks with Prime Minister Hun Sen, who told Ban on Wednesday the court must not pursue indictments beyond those already in prison.

Hun Sen has repeatedly warned that further indictments could destabilize the truce brokered with the Khmer Rouge with the help of amnesty deals in the late 1990s.

“This is an international judiciary process, so this is a decision to be made by the court,” Ban told reporters following a visit to the genocide museum of Tuol Sleng.

However, he said the matter would be discussed among international donors, who are critical to the court’s funding and operations.

Ban said he felt the government was “committed to completing the process” of the court and that Cambodians seek and deserve justice.

“Your courage sends a strong and powerful message to the world,” he said. “That there can be no impunity [and] crimes against humanity shall not go unpunished.”

Ban left for Vietnam on Thursday, where he will attend a UN-Asean summit before flying to China.