French judge blasted over alleged KRouge bias

A man looks at skulls displayed at the Tuol Sleng genocide museum in Phnom Penh
(POst by Khmer Hot News)
PHNOM PENH — A second lawyer for a former Khmer Rouge leader said Monday he will seek the removal of the French investigating judge at Cambodia's UN-backed war crimes court, adding to allegations of bias.
Sa Sovan, who is defending former Khmer Rouge head of state Khieu Samphan, said he would file a motion later on Monday or Tuesday to seek the removal of judge Marcel Lemonde for bias in the investigation of his client.
The move follows a similar motion filed last week by the defence team for former Khmer Rouge foreign minister Ieng Sary, demanding Lemonde be disqualified from the war crimes court for bias.
"I will file a motion to have such a judge removed because he did not respect the neutrality in the investigation," said Sa Sovan at the tribunal set up to try leaders of the brutal late-1970s regime.
The motions are based on a sworn statement by Lemonde's former chief of intelligence and analysis, alleging the investigating judge told subordinates to favour evidence showing suspects' guilt over evidence of their innocence.
"It is unjust, and I am afraid that this will affect my client," Sa Sovan told AFP, adding that both "black and white" evidence about his client's role in the regime had to be investigated.
Under the Khmer Rouge court's regulations, investigating judges are required to be impartial while researching allegations made by prosecutors. Defence teams are not permitted to make their own investigations.
Speaking on Lemonde's behalf, court spokesman Lars Olsen told AFP Monday that the judge was "not interested in commenting on the allegations" but would provide "necessary information" about the issue to the court.
Lemonde is currently investigating the court's second case, against Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary and his wife, former minister of social affairs Ieng Thirith, as well as Khmer Rouge ideologue Nuon Chea.
Final arguments in the court's first trial of prison chief Kaing Guek Eav, known by the alias Duch, are scheduled for late next month.
Led by Pol Pot, who died in 1998, the Khmer Rouge emptied Cambodia's cities in a bid to forge a communist utopia between 1975-79, resulting in the deaths of up to two million people from starvation, overwork and torture.

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Khmer Rouge case judge 'biased'

By Guy De Launey BBC News, Phnom PenhSaturday, 10 October 2009 (Post by Khmer Hot News)

Ieng Sary's lawyers say the judge has trampled over his rights
Lawyers for Cambodia's former foreign minister have called for the removal of the judge investigating his role in the Khmer Rouge era.
Ieng Sary is charged with crimes against humanity for his part in the deaths of as many as two million people in the late 1970s.
His defence team claims the judge at the UN-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal, Marcel Lemonde, is biased.
The controversy is the latest in a series of problems to hit the tribunal.
'One-sided investigation'
The defence team's claims are based on a sworn statement by a former member of the investigating judge's staff.
Wayne Bastin accused his boss, Mr Lemonde, of instructing his team to concentrate on finding only incriminating evidence.
Under the rules of the tribunal, the investigating judges are supposed to be impartial - and should also seek out evidence which might exonerate defendants.
Mr Bastin admitted that Ieng Sary's defence team had encouraged him to make the statement.
But he insisted that he had enjoyed a good working relationship with Judge Lemonde - and only came forward because he felt "morally and ethically" obliged.
Ieng Sary's lawyers said the investigating judge had "trampled over" the rights of their client.
The tribunal's pre-trial chamber will now rule on whether Mr Lemonde should be disqualified.
It has already rejected two attempts to disqualify court officials on the grounds of bias.
Progress in the case against Ieng Sary and his three co-defendants has been slow.
But closing statements in the trial of a former Khmer Rouge prison chief are expected next month.

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Cambodia to host Asia Int'l Youth Movie Festival contest

http://www.chinaview.cn/
2009-10-10
(Post by Khmer Hot News)
PHNOM PENH, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia will host the preliminary contest for the Asia International Youth Movie Festival on Oct. 12 at the multi-purpose hall of the Cambodia-Japan Cooperation Center (CJCC), DAP news of Cambodia reported at its website on Saturday, citing a press release from the Japanese Embassy on Friday.
Winners of the contest will be invited to Japan in December to participate, together with students from other Mekong region countries (Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam) and Japan, in the final round of the Asia International Youth Movie Festival which will be held in Ibusuki City, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.
"The festival will be held in commemoration of the Mekong-Japan Exchange Year 2009, and it has been made possible by the initiative of famous Japanese actor and singer Sugi Ryotaro," the press release said. "Sugi himself will visit Cambodia and join the panel of judges at the preliminary contest."
This preliminary contest has been co-organized by the Embassy of Japan, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MoEYS) and CJCC. Twenty three-minute movies produced by Cambodian high school students have been submitted for the screening at the contest.
The Japanese company Canon donated five advanced video cameras for the contest.
Editor: Anne Tang

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Cambodia, Myanmar to strengthen military cooperation

http://www.chinaview.cn/
2009-10-11
(Post by Khmer Hot News)
PHNOM PENH, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia and Myanmar will work together to strengthen and expand the military cooperation between the two countries, the local media reported on Sunday.
Pol Saroeun, commander-in-chief of Royal Cambodian Armed Forces(RCAF) told visiting Ye Myint, chief of security affairs department of Defense Ministry of Myanmar that under recommendation of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Cambodia has purpose to build up areas along border with neighboring countries into a peace, security, safety and development area, the Khmer language newspaper Raksmei Kampuchea reported.
Pol told Myint that Cambodia has had the border conflict with Thailand at area near 11th century Preah Vihear temple, and Cambodia's stance has always been that to respect the sovereignty of neighboring countries, at the same time, Cambodia also does not want to lose a millimeter of its land, it added.
Ye Myint's visit is to strengthen the military cooperation with Cambodia and exchange experiences in field of military sector, it said, adding that Pol Saroeun will visit Myanmar in appropriate time.
Cambodia and Myanmar are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Editor: Anne Tang

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Cambodian ferry capsizes killing 17: official

(AFP) (Post byKhmer Hot News)

PHNOM PENH — An overloaded river ferry capsized in northeastern Cambodia killing 17 passengers, including two young boys, an official said Sunday.The ferry, travelling to a ceremony at a Buddhist temple, was crammed with 30 people on board when the accident happened in Kratie province on Saturday night, said Kham Phoeun, governor of the province.The dead included two boys aged under five, he said. The bodies were recovered on Sunday morning and were being returned to their relatives.The other 13 passengers swam to safety after the ferry, which was designed to carry 20 people, capsized at around 8pm Saturday (1300 GMT) on a branch of the Mekong River."The accident happened because it was overloaded with passengers. There was no strong wind or anything, just a drizzle," Kham Phoeun added.

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