Ms. Bridget Di Certo
The Phnom Penh Post
By Julio Jeldres
Phnom Penh Cambodia
Dear Ms. Di Certo,
My attention has been drawn to your story "Blueprint for forced Labour" in today's issue of the PPP.
In the said story, you wrote "Khieu Samphan's legal counsel raised a "grave" translation issue concerning a document raised by the co-prosecutors. The translation of this document has grave issues as to the reputation of the former King, counsel Kong Sam Onn said, adding that a translated version of the document appeared to implicate now-King father Norodom Sihanouk in ordering the executions of two prominent Khmer Rouge leaders, Hu Nim and Hu Yuon in 1997".
It is regrettable that before writing the story you did not check the official transcript of the ECCC which states in its last paragraph for yesterday's session (I have cut and pasted for your information):
Khieu Samphan Defense Takes Issue with the Previous Day’s Transcript
Khieu Samphan defense counsel Kong Sam Onn then interjected and sought to comment on a problem with the transcript from the previous day’s proceedings. He stated that, in a document that prosecution had purported to be a speech delivered by Khieu Samphan, the transcript indicated that Khieu Samphan had stated that Hu Nim and Hou Youn “died” because of the orders of Prince Sihanouk. He stated that this was a grave misinterpretation because the true statement should have been that these two men were only “suspected to have died under the orders of Prince Sihanouk” by the Cambodian public.[1] The Chamber instructed Kong Sam Onn to submit a correction request in writing, in line with established ECCC practice and forbade him from making any more submissions on the issue. The President then gave the floor to the civil parties to continue highlighting documents.
I hope that in all fairness to His Majesty the King Father you will print a correction in the next issue of your newspaper as your readers are entitled to get the correct version of the record of proceedings at the ECCC.
I am aware that back in 1967 the rumour circulated in Cambodia that His Majesty had ordered the execution of Khieu Samphan, Hu Nim and Hou Youn (please note the correct spelling is Youn and not Yuon), three left-leaning deputies. This was just a rumour. However it was promptly adopted as "truth" by certain Western scholars and repeated in a number of publications of the period. After the 1970 US-sponsored coup d'etat against His Majesty, the three above-named persons promptly contacted His Majesty, who had by then arrived in Peking (China) to offer their support. Their message of support was conveyed through the Embassy of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in Peking. Later on, when His Majesty visited the liberated zone of Cambodia in March/ April 1973, he was welcomed at the Cambodia-Vietnam border by the three above Khmer Rouge personalities.
Besides, in 1977, His Majesty was under house arrest and could not have been involved in any discussions concerning the execution of Messieurs Hu Nim and Hou Youn or in any other policy discussions of the Khmer Rouge leadership, who are solely responsible for what transpired in Cambodia between 17 April 1975 and 9 January 1979
What I find particularly difficult to understand is that with all the millions of dollars donated by foreign countries to the ECCC, it has been unable to produce a proper translation of this document thus creating a new sensationalist rumour which has promptly been used by anti-Sihanouk elements to attack the King Father and even go as far as accusing him of being responsible for the deaths of the above-named persons.
I appreciate that because of deadlines, journalists do not often have enough time to check the accuracy of their facts prior to publication but surely in a story like this involving the King Father an effort should be made to ensure the accuracy of all the facts reported in the story.
Yours sincerely,
(JULIO A. JELDRES)
By Julio Jeldres
Phnom Penh Cambodia
Dear Ms. Di Certo,
My attention has been drawn to your story "Blueprint for forced Labour" in today's issue of the PPP.
In the said story, you wrote "Khieu Samphan's legal counsel raised a "grave" translation issue concerning a document raised by the co-prosecutors. The translation of this document has grave issues as to the reputation of the former King, counsel Kong Sam Onn said, adding that a translated version of the document appeared to implicate now-King father Norodom Sihanouk in ordering the executions of two prominent Khmer Rouge leaders, Hu Nim and Hu Yuon in 1997".
It is regrettable that before writing the story you did not check the official transcript of the ECCC which states in its last paragraph for yesterday's session (I have cut and pasted for your information):
Khieu Samphan Defense Takes Issue with the Previous Day’s Transcript
Khieu Samphan defense counsel Kong Sam Onn then interjected and sought to comment on a problem with the transcript from the previous day’s proceedings. He stated that, in a document that prosecution had purported to be a speech delivered by Khieu Samphan, the transcript indicated that Khieu Samphan had stated that Hu Nim and Hou Youn “died” because of the orders of Prince Sihanouk. He stated that this was a grave misinterpretation because the true statement should have been that these two men were only “suspected to have died under the orders of Prince Sihanouk” by the Cambodian public.[1] The Chamber instructed Kong Sam Onn to submit a correction request in writing, in line with established ECCC practice and forbade him from making any more submissions on the issue. The President then gave the floor to the civil parties to continue highlighting documents.
I hope that in all fairness to His Majesty the King Father you will print a correction in the next issue of your newspaper as your readers are entitled to get the correct version of the record of proceedings at the ECCC.
I am aware that back in 1967 the rumour circulated in Cambodia that His Majesty had ordered the execution of Khieu Samphan, Hu Nim and Hou Youn (please note the correct spelling is Youn and not Yuon), three left-leaning deputies. This was just a rumour. However it was promptly adopted as "truth" by certain Western scholars and repeated in a number of publications of the period. After the 1970 US-sponsored coup d'etat against His Majesty, the three above-named persons promptly contacted His Majesty, who had by then arrived in Peking (China) to offer their support. Their message of support was conveyed through the Embassy of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in Peking. Later on, when His Majesty visited the liberated zone of Cambodia in March/ April 1973, he was welcomed at the Cambodia-Vietnam border by the three above Khmer Rouge personalities.
Besides, in 1977, His Majesty was under house arrest and could not have been involved in any discussions concerning the execution of Messieurs Hu Nim and Hou Youn or in any other policy discussions of the Khmer Rouge leadership, who are solely responsible for what transpired in Cambodia between 17 April 1975 and 9 January 1979
What I find particularly difficult to understand is that with all the millions of dollars donated by foreign countries to the ECCC, it has been unable to produce a proper translation of this document thus creating a new sensationalist rumour which has promptly been used by anti-Sihanouk elements to attack the King Father and even go as far as accusing him of being responsible for the deaths of the above-named persons.
I appreciate that because of deadlines, journalists do not often have enough time to check the accuracy of their facts prior to publication but surely in a story like this involving the King Father an effort should be made to ensure the accuracy of all the facts reported in the story.
Yours sincerely,
(JULIO A. JELDRES)
1 comment:
Sihanouk killed must more people then any body know. But this King is not just king, He is a King Kong
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