More than $100,000 ‘used’ in ECCC review?
I felt extremely surprised reading a sentence that says more than $ 100,000 wasted in ECCC review.
The Khmer Rouge Tribunal/ECCC has recently held a press conference to disseminate the results of a special audit on corruption allegations in the Khmer Rouge tribunal. The audit claimed that there has been no fault like what it has been accused of.
Jo Scheuer, UNDP’s country director said that in late February 2008, UNDP hired an independent audit group to review the human resource management [in the ECCC]. “The review was conducted to assess the human resource management made so far. The audit team consisted of two management experts from India and one Cambodian human resource management expert,†he said, adding that the review had been conducted in four weeks.
Sean Visoth, Director of the ECCC’s Office of Administration, was quoted as saying that the review had been made to prove whether or not the management and practice of human resource policy at the ECCC were carried out with transparency and accountability, conformed to the international standards, and responded to what had been presented by the Project Board. “Although we could not do it perfectly, we could achieve what we wanted,†said the Director of the ECCC’s Office of Administration, claiming that the audit group was hired at more than $100,000.
At the moment, the ECCC is facing up a budgetary crisis and is really in need of another $114 million dollars to proceed its job. Can the ECCC afford to be troubled by a shortage of fund anymore while the review proves that there are no faults?
King Father Recalling His Sufferings From 18-March 1970 Coup Events
For King Father, what he can’t forget most is the coup to oust him, which was engineered by his closest Field Marshall Lon Nol in 18-March 1970, after which Cambodia fell into the hands of Pol Pot.
In an article on Cambodia published last week, King Father, who is staying in the palace in Siem Reap province, recalled those suffering events. The 7-page article in French emphasized two main points of which Lon Nol group had accused his leadership with corruption and sales of land to Vietnam. King Father said in the article that he was a “clean person†who had never committed any corruption. He said he had, for instance, no other properties besides a house in Phnom Penh, which he then gave it to North Korea to use as the embassy.
King Father said that the support for the Vietnamese struggling movement was intended to liberate the South and Central Vietnam, which he had hoped that they would “show their gratitude†to Cambodia and respect its sovereignty. Meanwhile, King Father noted that although it was in the 21st century, the republicans still made unfair allegations against him. Those people claimed that the former king had encouraged people to participate and support the Khmer Rouge movement, which toppled the Lon Nol’s Khmer Republic on April 17, 1975.
The remembrance of the “remorseful†coup event has been made by former king Norodom Sihanouk while Lon Nol’s eldest son, Lon Rith, started to get involved in politics like his father. Lon Rith arrived in Cambodia last week prior to implementing his activities as the president of the Khmer Republican Party. However, this party does not have any policy against the monarchy. As expected, many former Lon Nol soldiers who may be still alive will be anticipated in welcoming him.
Prominent Teachers in Kompong Thom Whom Khmer Rouge Killed
In Kompong Thom province, there are many killing fields, and even though many victims haven not much talked about them, the evidence has been maintained in almost every district throughout the province. As I have read a book by DC-Cam, the graves and killing fields were almost throughout the whole country.
In August 1979, three witnesses testified before the People’s Revolutionary Tribunal which held the trial of former Khmer Rouge leaders, Pol Pot and Ieng Sary. The witnesses told the court about two “killing centers†. One was in Baray Cheandek Pagoda in Balang commune, Baray district and the other was the graves around Kdey Doung Pagoda, once located in Kompong Svay district, but presently in Kdey Doung village, Kdey Doung commune, Steung Saen district, Kompong Thom.
According to Raksmey Kampuchea, the three witnesses were: Im Khun, 34 years old in 1979, a former primary school teacher; Ol Sam Iech, 36 years old at that time, civil servant in Kompong Thom province; and Mrs. Pann Sam Oar, 34 years old at that time. The witnesses told the names of important educational staff in Kompong Thom province who had been taken to be killed in the above two centers where there were two ruthless murderers, Chheang Sam Ol and Ry.
The witnesses identified the victims who had been a teacher and whom the Khmer Rouge had killed as: Keam Tort, teacher, killed in late 1977; Meas Em, teacher, killed in late 1977; Hang Bunthai, teacher, killed in 1977; Khun Seng Kong, teacher with a Bachelor’s Degree, killed in May 1975; Bun Kim Tik Neng, teacher, killed in May 1975; Un Pum, primary school inspector, killed in May 1975; Ung Cheng Korn, primary school inspector, killed in 1977; Yin Chheang, primary school teacher, killed in May 1975; Prak Chhun, primary school teacher, killed in May 1975; and Neang Suon Leung, primary school teacher, killed in May 1975.
Although I have been told many times that many educated people like teachers were killed because of a particular purpose, I still can’t believe my ears. Did the Khmer Rouge regime want to create a country with fools?