Thread: Khmer Rouge leaders found guilty of Cambodia genocide

I suspect Hun Sen will put an end to it now, lest a few of his own Khmer Rouge skeletons start crawling out of the closet.

For the first time, two leaders of the brutal Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia have been found guilty of genocide.
Nuon Chea, 92, was the deputy of regime leader Pol Pot, and Khieu Samphan, 87, was head of state.


They were on trial at the UN-backed tribunal on charges of exterminating Cham Muslims and ethnic Vietnamese.

The guilty verdict is the first official ruling that what the regime did was genocide, as defined under international law.

The pair were also found guilty of a litany of other crimes, including the crimes against humanity of murder, extermination, enslavement and torture.

Up to two million people are believed to have died under the brief but systematically brutal Khmer Rouge regime between 1975 and 1979.

Most were from the Khmer majority and so the larger-scale killings of the Cambodian population do not fit the narrow international definition of genocide, and have been instead prosecuted instead as crimes against humanity, says BBC South East Asia correspondent Jonathan Head.

These verdicts will almost certainly be the last from an unusual attempt at transnational justice that has lasted more than a decade, our correspondent adds.


The two men - already serving life sentences for crimes against humanity - have again been sentenced to life.

They are two of only three people ever convicted by the tribunal, which has faced criticism for its slow pace and for being subject to alleged political interference.

Judge Nil Nonn read out the lengthy and much-anticipated ruling to a courtroom in Phnom Penh full of people who suffered under the Khmer Rouge.

He described the terror of the regime, and spoke of forced marriages where couples were ordered to have children.

But the landmark moment came when Nuon Chea was found guilty of genocide for the attempt to wipe out Cham Muslims and ethnic Vietnamese Cambodians, and Khieu Samphan was found guilty of genocide against the ethnic Vietnamese.

The Khmer Rouge's crimes have long been referred to as the "Cambodian genocide", but academics and journalists have debated for years as to whether what they did amounts to that crime.

Although Cham Muslims and ethnic Vietnamese died in large numbers, the UN Convention on Genocide speaks of "intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group".

So prosecutors at the tribunal tried to prove that the Khmer Rouge specifically tried to do that to these groups - something some experts, including Pol Pot biographer Philip Short, say they did not.

During the trial, a 1978 speech from Pol Pot was cited in which he said that there was "not one seed" of Vietnamese to be found in Cambodia. And historians say that indeed a community of a few hundred thousand was reduced to zero by deportations or killings.

Apart from being targeted in mass executions, Cham victims have said they were banned from following their religion and forced to eat pork under the regime.

The verdict today may not end the debate completely, but victims groups have long waited for this symbol of justice.

"They brought suffering to my relatives" 72-year-old Cham Muslim Los Sat, who lost many family members, told the AFP news agency at the court. " I am really satisfied with the sentences."

Led by Saloth Sar, better known as Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge was a radical Maoist movement founded by French-educated intellectuals.


They sought to create a self-reliant, agrarian society: cities were emptied and residents forced to work on rural co-operatives. Many were worked to death while others starved as the economy imploded.

During the four violent years they were in power from 1975 to 1979, the Khmer Rouge tortured and killed all those perceived to be enemies - intellectuals, minorities, former government officials - and their families.

The scale and brutality of the killings - many of them meticulously documented by officials - means the regime remains one
of the bloodiest of the 20th Century.

The regime was defeated in a Vietnamese invasion in 1979. Pol Pot fled and remained free until 1997 - he died under house arrest a year later.


This could be the final decision of the tribunal, officially called the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC).
Established in 2006 with both Cambodian and international judges, it has so far only convicted three people for the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge regime at a cost of $300m (£232m).


In 2010 it convicted Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch, who was in charge of the infamous Tuol Sleng torture centre and prison in Phnom Penh. He is serving a life sentence.

Former Khmer Rouge foreign minister Ieng Sary was a co-defendant with Khieu Samphan and Nuon Chea but died before judges delivered a verdict in the first of the two sub-trials in 2014. His wife Ieng Thirith, the regime's social affairs minister and the fourth co-defendant, was ruled mentally unfit to stand trial and died in 2015.


Although there are cases against four other Khmer Rouge members, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has been vocal about his opposition to the tribunal starting any new trials and there is little chance this will happen.

A former mid-level member of the Khmer Rouge regime himself, he says his people want to move on and that further prosecutions could lead to violence.

The Khmer Rouge waged an insurgency after they were toppled from power, although thousands defected to the government in the 1990s before the group disbanded completely in 1999. There are parts of the country where victims and perpetrators live side by side in villages.

But many Cambodians pay little attention to the tribunal, and young people in particular are keen for their country to be known for something other than the "Killing Fields".

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-46217896

Will any Americans be prosecuted for their genocide in Vietnam/Laos?

Originally Posted by foobar

Will any Americans be prosecuted for their genocide in Vietnam/Laos?

.....and their aid in creating The Khmer Rouge, among others.

Fair comment. But what about the Chinkies? After all, they not only educated the genocidal maniacs in their communist ways, but supported them when they were committing their crimes.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Fair comment. But what about the Chinkies? After all, they not only educated the genocidal maniacs in their communist ways, but supported them when they were committing their crimes.

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, again...^...eh?...

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Fair comment. But what about the Chinkies? After all, they not only educated the genocidal maniacs in their communist ways, but supported them when they were committing their crimes.

Oh dear, Harry.
No Chinese influence whatsoever - though, I know you'll make up things to justified your culturally-centric agenda.
Your make believe Chinky, Islamic, Asian, Russian, or any other fashionable and traditional boogiemen.

Pol Pot and his extended henchman, and their base, were French educated and inspired.....and thus, passed on all these lovely traits to the following minions.

You [and most others] have yet to see the light as to the greatest /historic evil force upon the world......as it continues today - most conditioned Eurocentrics share a blind eye.
Apologists and defenders, need not apply.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Fair comment. But what about the Chinkies? After all, they not only educated the genocidal maniacs in their communist ways, but supported them when they were committing their crimes.

As has already been pointed out, Communism as it existed in Indochina was merely the tool used to gain sovereignty and be released from the iron grip of European colonisation.

Now that sovereignty has largely been achieved in Indochina, what has happened to communism and the much warned about 'Domino effect' ?

Really Harry, your last century, cold war propaganda, obsession( read irrational fear) of "Chinkies" and "Ruskies" clouds your judgement when it comes to seeing the world as it really is.

Originally Posted by foobar

Will any Americans be prosecuted for their genocide in Vietnam/Laos?

Live on on the Lao land border, not a heavily bombed area of Lao, but know one from the US has ever came to clean up.
Locals [old army rangers] tell me they are clustered bombs, mostly dropped in the jungle before landing in Ubon air force base.

Could be true or not, but you watch and walk on the trails up in the jungle, land mines from different groups, some paid by the US and others supplied by the other side.

Just as a side joke, guys been living in the middle east for a few years, goes home for a year then comes back, notices the women and children now walk in front of the husband, before they all walked 5 meters behind.

Guy asks, why the change, Arab replies, landmines.
When I go upcountry, it's the locals/workers that walk up front.

Originally Posted by HuangLao

Oh dear, Harry.
No Chinese influence whatsoever - though, I know you'll make up things to justified your culturally-centric agenda.
Your make believe Chinky, Islamic, Asian, Russian, or any other fashionable and traditional boogiemen.

Pol Pot and his extended henchman, and their base, were French educated and inspired.....and thus, passed on all these lovely traits to the following minions.

You [and most others] have yet to see the light as to the greatest /historic evil force upon the world......as it continues today - most conditioned Eurocentrics share a blind eye.
Apologists and defenders, need not apply.

You stupid boy.

Of course he was educated in France. It's where he formulated his MAOIST ideals you fucking turnip.

And I notice you glossed over China's support of the Khmer Rouge, probably because you're too fucking stupid to have ever read about that either.

Really Harry, your last century, cold war propaganda, obsession( read irrational fear) of "Chinkies" and "Ruskies" clouds your judgement when it comes to seeing the world as it really is.

And you're another fucking moron who doesn't understand the history of the 20th century, foobar.

I would suggest you both do some reading and then come back when you have a better understanding of the subject matter.

Start here:





There will be a quiz. No cheating.

Originally Posted by jamescollister

Live on on the Lao land border, not a heavily bombed area of Lao, but know one from the US has ever came to clean up.
Locals [old army rangers] tell me they are clustered bombs, mostly dropped in the jungle before landing in Ubon air force base.

Could be true or not, but you watch and walk on the trails up in the jungle, land mines from different groups, some paid by the US and others supplied by the other side.

Just as a side joke, guys been living in the middle east for a few years, goes home for a year then comes back, notices the women and children now walk in front of the husband, before they all walked 5 meters behind.

Guy asks, why the change, Arab replies, landmines.
When I go upcountry, it's the locals/workers that walk up front.

Well you made a mess of that joke James, it was originally about the Kuwaitis before and after the Gulf War.

"Why do your women walk in front of you, when before they walked behind? Is that social progress?".

"No habibi, Landmines".

Re: The cluster bombs. They cover most of the country and make large swathes of arable land unproductive.

There are farmers and villagers injured or killed by these things on a regular basis in both Laos and Cambodia, but I believe the latter has lots of landmines as well, courtesy of Pol Pot and his retreating scumbags.

Nixon (well, what's left) and Kissinger (and Blair) should have been in that Cambodian court with those two Khmer Rouge c u n t s.

Originally Posted by foobar

As has already been pointed out, Communism as it existed in Indochina was merely the tool used to gain sovereignty and be released from the iron grip of European colonisation.

Now that sovereignty has largely been achieved in Indochina, what has happened to communism and the much warned about 'Domino effect' ?

Really Harry, your last century, cold war propaganda, obsession( read irrational fear) of "Chinkies" and "Ruskies" clouds your judgement when it comes to seeing the world as it really is.

Friendly advice for the future,...re: dealing w/ the likes of a Harrybarracuda

Originally Posted by foobar

As has already been pointed out, Communism as it existed in Indochina was merely the tool used to gain sovereignty .

Correct, a bandwagon at the time, chinks et al were eager to aid them all across the region thinking they'd further their cause but in reality they were all tinpot despotes looking for a cause to further support their agenda.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

You stupid boy.

There will be a quiz. No cheating.

Harry,

why the fuk can't you just for once accept other posters have opinions and differing view points to your own without getting into a shitfest with them, frequently when you do, you don't come out looking shitless.

Originally Posted by TuskegeeBen

Friendly advice for the future,...re: dealing w/ the likes of a Harrybarracuda

Oh shut up you retarded goat fucker.

Originally Posted by NamPikToot

Harry,

why the fuk can't you just for once accept other posters have opinions and differing view points to your own without getting into a shitfest with them, frequently when you do, you don't come out looking shitless.

Another retard.

Since when did History consist of "opinions"?

What do you think Pol Pot learned in France? How to put onions on strings and an advanced course in riding around on a bike in a stripey shirt and beret?

FFS.

As if to prove a point, there you go.

Do you therefore think your book is fact, its a fukin book you moron - get it not live not fact. fuking hell you are like Princess who quotes facts, all second hand all gleaned from "Sources"

Shitfest on, bring it

Harry,

Sorry i got that wrong, morons have an IQ upper end c70, i'd quote 69 but i think you'd shy away from it.

Originally Posted by NamPikToot

As if to prove a point, there you go.

Do you therefore think your book is fact, its a fukin book you moron - get it not live not fact. fuking hell you are like Princess who quotes facts, all second hand all gleaned from "Sources"

Shitfest on, bring it

So, in other words, you have fuck all useful to say except the usual blathering.

Go and do it somewhere else, you boring little fart.

Arry, are you angry with your friends, do they have to put up with this or have they fuk'd off long since. Errm............

Come on then, Arry ya fuking twat. You got lots to say when you think posters are easy targets, get your facts out fuckwit or better still treat others opinions with a little respect - you are just bully with no balls, proven by yourself eeeeevery time someone calls you out, like balls ya shrink. Princess is the same, peas in a fukin pod.

At least THE LORD had nothing to do with it.

It's a good job we keep finding all the brown people to take to court. Keeps the Judges happy.

Fuk off OhOh, that's not fact

I wonder how many consecutive posts an idiot has to make before they realise they are really just a silly little attention seeker?

I'm almost tempted to add the idiot to the shitlist with Klondyke, Fluke and Buttplug. None of them ever post a fucking thing worth reading either.

In fact, done.



Oooh I forgot the FuckingRetardedTwat... they launch a flurry of posts when they get in a tizzy, too.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

I wonder how many consecutive posts an idiot has to make before they realise they are really just a silly little attention seeker?

I'm almost tempted to add the idiot to the shitlist with Klondyke, Fluke and Buttplug. None of them ever post a fucking thing worth reading either.

In fact, done.



Oooh I forgot the FuckingRetardedTwat... they launch a flurry of posts when they get in a tizzy, too.

Arry, it seems to be patently obvious to everyone but you that you are a womble of the cock variety, no secret everybody knows just come out, easy as.