Friday, 15 February 2008

Danish Official Questions the Cambodian Tribunal's New Budget

scandasia.com
2008-02-14
Line Lagoni Leonhard

Official from the Danish representation in Phnom Penh, Tom Barthel Hansen, expresses concern regarding Cambodian genocide tribunal’s wish to triple it’s budget to 170 million dollars from the original 56,3 million dollars.

- The tribunal will have to explain clearly what kind of reforms they are undertaking with regards to administration and why they have chosen a budget like this, the Danish Embassy official says to AP.

The Cambodian war tribunal is formed with the support of several UN members. Amongst them Denmark, who has already contributed with about 500.000 dollars

The genocide tribunal was adopted in early 2006 after years of wrangling between the Cambodian government and the UN. The tribunal right now holds five suspects for the crimes of the brutal regime of the Khmer Rouge in the late seventies, which led to the death of more than 1,7 million people.

A budget document recently presented to donor nations in New York was obtained on Wednesday by the Associated Press (AP).

The Budget document says more money are needed to expand services and personnel to allow the tribunal to work through March 2011 – a little more than a year longer than expected.

The new budget is quoted to be ‘based on a more realistic expectation of the work of the court, with a maximum number of eight detainees’, but the budget document does not however explain, how these new conclusions have been made or who the additional three suspects might be.

Danish official, Tom Barthel Hansen, told the Associated Press that it is not yet clear, how the Danish government will respond to the tribunals request for further funding.

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