Frail war crimes suspect ‘not afraid’ to face tribunal

Monday, 22 August 2011
May Titthara and Thomas Miller

Photo by: Thomas Miller

Ta An, 78, former deputy secretary of the Central Zone under the Khmer Rouge, lies on a mat at his home in Battambang province. Ta An faces accusations in the Khmer Rouge tribunal’s Case 004 including genocide and crimes against humanity for presiding over widespread executions and purges, according to leaked court documents cited in international media.

Phnom Penh Post

Battambang
In a modest wooden home near the Thai border in Battambang province’s Kamrieng district, former high-ranking Khmer Rouge cadre and war crimes suspect Ta An lies on a mat, an empty intravenous drip bag dangling from the thatched roof.

Now aged 78, Ta An faces accusations including genocide and crimes against humanity for presiding over widespread executions and purges in the Khmer Rouge tribunal’s Case 004, according to leaked court documents cited in international media outlets.

Dressed in a heavy green army coat that covered a dusty yellow button-down shirt and blue athletic shorts, the now-frail figure evoked disquieting sympathy as he spoke while lying on his back, at times clutching a fleece blanket with cartoon characters on it, too feeble to sit upright.

When he vomited into a pot, his cousin rubbed his back. His wife, Prom Ra, served a bowl of plain steamed rice to ease his stomach.

“My father, he gets sick a lot. One time, he fainted at the farm, and if the villagers had not seen him, he would have passed away already,” his son Mao Phorb said.

“I’m very worried about him. He’s too old, and the court wants to take him away. I want to live with him during his old age.” Read the whole article at Phnom Penh Post.