16 THE PHNOM PENH POST august 13, 2010

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Dan Riley Business as usual – on July 27, people cycle past the notorious S-21 site in Phnom Penh, just a day after the Khmer Rouge tribunal announced Duch’s sentence. Sovann philong
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Colin Meyn Analysis is the result of a rise in tourism and
private investment, but also because
States and China, the UN continued
to recognise the ousted Khmer Rouge
referred to by the international press
today. With the end of the cold war, in
Sub Editors Benny Widyono
James O’Toole, Irwin Loy, Dene Mullen, of the generous inflow of foreign aid, as the legitimate government of Cam- 1991, the Paris Peace Agreements were
Jemma Galvin, Cameron Wells, David since 1993, when a new Cambodian bodia, rather than the new People’s signed, and the UN Transitional Au-

T
Boyle, Brooke Lewis, Will Baxter
Business Sub Editors he conviction, on July 26, of government was formed after United Republic of Kampuchea, which soon thority in Cambodia brought the stale-
Jeremy Mullins, Catherine James Kaing Guek Eav, or “Duch”, Nations-sponsored elections. gained control over 90 percent of the mate to an end by organising elections
Copy Editors
Dan Besant, Lauren Gurfein the former prison chief of Given Cambodia’s expanding popu- country. The alleged reason was that that established a new legitimate coali-
Senior Reporters the Khmer Rouge regime in lation today, most know very little Vietnam had invaded Cambodia, but tion government in Cambodia.
Cheang Sokha, Thet Sambath Cambodia, drew international media about and have no experience of the the obvious truth was that Vietnam Having succeeded in seating the
Reporters
Meas Sokchea, Mom Kunthear, Khouth attention to Cambodia, at least for Khmer Rouge era. Recent surveys in- was on the wrong side. Khmer Rouge in the UN General As-
Sophak Chakrya, Nguon Sovan, Chrann one news cycle. The verdict of the dicate that Cambodians are paying lit- Opposing this UN decision to sembly for 11 more years, obviously
Chamroeun, Chhay Channyda, May
Titthara, Chun Sophal, Khuon Leakhana, United Nations-sponsored tribunal tle attention to the tribunal. The youth maintain Khmer Rouge representa- the West was not in a big hurry to
May Kunmakara, Soeun Say, Tep Nimol, was important in that, for the first of Cambodia, like their peers in Hong tion were the Soviet bloc, India and put the Khmer Rouge on trial. It is
Kim Yuthana, Ou Mom, Roth Meas, Ung time, a key Khmer Rouge official was Kong, Shanghai and elsewhere are a number of others, who were easily ironic that the international press
Chamroeun, Tha Piseth, Sen David,
Tharum Bun, Ith Sothoeuth, Phak Seangly held accountable for the unspeakable more focused on building the future. outvoted. This stalemate continued and Western academics, almost in
Chief Photographers crimes of the regime. The press high- A less evident problem is that the for 11 years during which the Khmer unison, now insist that the KR trials
Heng Chivoan, Sovan Philong, Phar Lina
Regional Correspondent lighted the outcry that the “real” sen- past role of international actors in the Rouge flag continued to fly over Man- must continue, and that the Cambo-
Roger Mitton tence, 19 years in jail, was too lenient. Cambodian tragedy has been white- hattan. To disguise this outrage, the dian government should not protect
Editor at Large International coverage of the Duch washed. Almost in unison, they now Khmer Rouge was draped in sheep’s anyone from the tribunal.
Seth Meixner
verdict eclipses two issues. First, the assert that the Vietnamese liberation clothing, as a “Coalition Government If the international tribunal were
SIEM REAP BUREAU
Bureau Chief international community is ambiva- of Cambodia from Khmer Rouge rule, of Democratic Kampuchea (CGDK)”, to end tomorrow, Cambodia would
Peter Olszewski lent about the tribunal. Many consid- in January 1979, was followed by “10 with two non-communist factions, continue on its path to progress
Executive Assistant er it deeply flawed by interference by years of civil war”. What they fail to the Royalist FUNCINPEC and a pro- and reconciliation, aided by private
Thik Skaline
Distribution Manager the Cambodian government. Others, report is that this civil war was largely American group, the KPNLF. investment and generous donors,
Seng Sech especially in the West, insist that the brought on by what happened in In the field, this CGDK received am- whose efforts continue to lift Cambo-
Reporters tribunal must continue, as if this were faraway New York, where, incredibly ple aid from its Western backers, fu- dia from poverty. This, understand-
Rann Reuy
Marketing Executive the only road to justice and reconcilia- enough, spearheaded by the United elling and prolonging the “civil war” ably, is the subject that concerns
Sophearith Blondeel tion in post-Khmer Rouge Cambodia. Cambodians today.
PRODUCTION & PRINTING Nothing is farther from the truth.
Benny Widyono, from Indonesia, was governor
Manager

Duch trial multimedia

Given the trial’s 30-year delay, of Siem Reap Province in Cambodia under
Tara Lim Cambodia has since returned to sta- the United Nations Transitional Authority,
Head of Desktop Publishing
Nhim Sokphyrak bility and won the confidence of both 1992-1993, and the secretary general’s political
Desktop Publishing representative to Cambodia from 1994 to
donor and business communities. 1997. He is the author of Dancing in Shadows:
Suon Savatdy, Chey Samnang, Tim
Borith, Chum Sokunthy, Yousos Hafisoh
Cambodia’s growth rate over 10 years
stands at 7 percent to 13 percent. This
www.phnompenhpost.com/duchtrial Sihanouk, the Khmer Rouge and the United
Nations, published in 2008.
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