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.

[ Click Read More ]

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.

[ Click Read More ]

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

[ Click Read More ]

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

[ Click Read More ]

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.

[ Click Read More ]

Vietnam-Cambodia trade to pick up in 2010

10/09/2009
(Post by Khmer Hot News)
Trade between Vietnam and Cambodia will increase sharply in 2010 and the former will overtake Thailand to become the latter’s key trading partner, according to economic analysts in Phnom Penh.
The analysts say although Vietnam-Cambodia trade has fallen sharply due to the global financial crunch, it is likely to hit US$2 billion when the Cambodian economy picks up next year.
The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry reports that bilateral trade in the first 8 months of this year fell by 29.2 percent to US$848 million. Of the total, Vietnamese exports to Cambodia were valued at US$726 million. Vietnam is Cambodia’s fourth biggest importer of farm products, rubber and wood.
Meanwhile, the Cambodian Development Council (CDC) says over the past 9 months Vietnam’s investment in Cambodia hit US$114 million, 20 percent above last year’s 12-month total. The Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) and the Saigon Commercial Bank (Sacombank) have both opened branches in Cambodia.
In the review period, an additional 40 Vietnamese businesses registered to operate in that market, outnumbering all other countries. Last year, 52 Vietnamese businesses registered to operate in Cambodia, ranking third after China (82) and Malaysia (56).
The two countries have opened 9 border gates and built land routes to facilitate exchanges of goods.

[ Click Read More ]

KRouge lawyer demands judge's disqualification in Cambodia

Marcel Lemonde

By Patrick Falby (AFP)
(Post by Khmer Hot News)
PHNOM PENH — The lawyer for a former Khmer Rouge leader on Friday filed a demand that the French investigating judge be disqualified from Cambodia's UN-backed war crimes court for alleged bias.
Michael Karnavas, attorney for ex-Khmer Rouge foreign minister Ieng Sary, said the motion was based on allegations that Marcel Lemonde told subordinates to favour evidence showing suspects' guilt over evidence of their innocence.
The tribunal was set up to bring to justice the leaders of the genocidal late 1970s Khmer Rouge regime.
Karnavas said Lemonde was "giving instructions to his investigators to game the process. In other words, to look primarily for evidence that supports the prosecution".
The lawyer said he submitted his complaint based on a statement made by the former head of Lemonde's intelligence and analysis team, Wayne Bastin, at an Australian police station on Thursday.
A copy of the statement obtained by AFP said Lemonde shocked subordinates in a meeting at his Phnom Penh home in August when he told them, "I would prefer that we find more inculpatory evidence than exculpatory evidence".
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.
"How is it that (Lemonde) can remain in the position in light of what we know now?" Karnavas said, adding that such behaviour was "outrageous".
Speaking on Lemonde's behalf, tribunal spokesman Lars Olsen said he had no comment on the issue.
Lemonde is currently investigating the court's second case, against Ieng Sary and his wife, former minister of social affairs Ieng Thirith, as well as Khmer Rouge ideologue Nuon Chea and ex-head of state Khieu Samphan.
Heather Ryan, who monitors the court for the Open Society Justice Initiative, told AFP that the defence would probably need to demonstrate systemic bias for Lemonde to lose his job.
"An off the cuff remark made in private -- like what was quoted -- may not be significant," Ryan said.
Under the court's internal rules, Lemonde's previous work on investigations remains valid even if he is disqualified from the tribunal.
Lemonde also met controversy earlier this week when it was revealed he summoned six top government and legislative officials to testify against Khmer Rouge leaders, a move opposed by Prime Minister Hun Sen's administration.
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.
But the tribunal, created in 2006 after several years of haggling between Cambodia and the UN, has faced accusations of political interference and allegations that local staff were forced to pay kickbacks for their jobs.
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.

[ Click Read More ]