The Khmer-Thai border area where the K-5 Dam was built from 1981-1985.By Khmerization
Source: RFA
Opposition leader Sam Rainsy had he will lodge a criminal lawsuit against Prime Minister Hun Sen in the International Criminal Court for crime against humanity committed against the Cambodian people in the 1980s when his Vietnamese-backed regime forcibly drafted a lot of civilians to build a military defence dam along the Khmer-Thai borders where many people have died of landmines, hunger and diseases.
On 24th September, Mr. Rainsy had already lodged a criminal lawsuit against Mr. Hun Sen in the U.S court for crime committed during the 1997 grenade attack. He said said he will lodge more criminal lawsuits against Mr. Hun Sen in Spanish, Dutch and Belgian courts regarding the same matter. He said this time he will lodge criminal complaints against Mr. Hun Sen with the International Criminal Court and the International Labour Organistation for crimes committed against conscripted labourers who were drafted to build the K-5 Dam in the 1980s.
Speaking during a video conference from Finland on 16th October, Mr. Rainsy did not say when he will lodge the complaint, saying that he is still preparing the documents. "I will lodge complaints to a number of countries which have laws to arrest criminals regardless of their nationalities or regardless of how high the position they hold. They can arrest those criminals when they set foot in their countries where those countries will co-operate with the countries where we have lodged the complaints (to arrest those criminals)," he said.
Mr. Phay Siphan, spokesman for the Council of Ministers, laughed at Mr. Rainsy's action, calling it "stupid". "That case (K-5 Plan) was not a criminal case or a genocide or what we called international crimes. So, it (the complaint) has no impact on Cambodia other than it is laughed at by the public", he said.
A man who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he is one of the draftees who was forcibly drafted to work building the K-5 Dam in 1982. He said the draftees mostly were forced to work building the K-5 Dam for between 6 to 12 months before they were allowed to return home. Many people have died of landmines, diseases and hunger. Others have been permanently maimed by landmines. "When we got there, they they put us into groups like in the army, but the only difference is that we were not put under the control of the Ministry of Defence. People were dying of landmines, dying of malaria and dying from bullets like soldiers too", he said.
Mr. Cheam Yeap, a senior MP from Mr. Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party, said that at that time the government did not draft the people to die like has been alleged by the opposition party. It was the will of the local people to work constructing the dam in order to fight back against the Khmer Rouge. "I wish to tell you that it was the will of the people in every area who were angry and wanted to fight to the death against the Pol Pot regime", he said.
However, no one knows for a fact what the real purpose of the K-5 Dam was, where tens of thousands of people have died and maimed building the dam from 1981-1985, just before the withdrawal of Vietnamese troops in 1989.
Source: RFA
Opposition leader Sam Rainsy had he will lodge a criminal lawsuit against Prime Minister Hun Sen in the International Criminal Court for crime against humanity committed against the Cambodian people in the 1980s when his Vietnamese-backed regime forcibly drafted a lot of civilians to build a military defence dam along the Khmer-Thai borders where many people have died of landmines, hunger and diseases.
On 24th September, Mr. Rainsy had already lodged a criminal lawsuit against Mr. Hun Sen in the U.S court for crime committed during the 1997 grenade attack. He said said he will lodge more criminal lawsuits against Mr. Hun Sen in Spanish, Dutch and Belgian courts regarding the same matter. He said this time he will lodge criminal complaints against Mr. Hun Sen with the International Criminal Court and the International Labour Organistation for crimes committed against conscripted labourers who were drafted to build the K-5 Dam in the 1980s.
Speaking during a video conference from Finland on 16th October, Mr. Rainsy did not say when he will lodge the complaint, saying that he is still preparing the documents. "I will lodge complaints to a number of countries which have laws to arrest criminals regardless of their nationalities or regardless of how high the position they hold. They can arrest those criminals when they set foot in their countries where those countries will co-operate with the countries where we have lodged the complaints (to arrest those criminals)," he said.
Mr. Phay Siphan, spokesman for the Council of Ministers, laughed at Mr. Rainsy's action, calling it "stupid". "That case (K-5 Plan) was not a criminal case or a genocide or what we called international crimes. So, it (the complaint) has no impact on Cambodia other than it is laughed at by the public", he said.
A man who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he is one of the draftees who was forcibly drafted to work building the K-5 Dam in 1982. He said the draftees mostly were forced to work building the K-5 Dam for between 6 to 12 months before they were allowed to return home. Many people have died of landmines, diseases and hunger. Others have been permanently maimed by landmines. "When we got there, they they put us into groups like in the army, but the only difference is that we were not put under the control of the Ministry of Defence. People were dying of landmines, dying of malaria and dying from bullets like soldiers too", he said.
Mr. Cheam Yeap, a senior MP from Mr. Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party, said that at that time the government did not draft the people to die like has been alleged by the opposition party. It was the will of the local people to work constructing the dam in order to fight back against the Khmer Rouge. "I wish to tell you that it was the will of the people in every area who were angry and wanted to fight to the death against the Pol Pot regime", he said.
However, no one knows for a fact what the real purpose of the K-5 Dam was, where tens of thousands of people have died and maimed building the dam from 1981-1985, just before the withdrawal of Vietnamese troops in 1989.
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