Japan donates $200,000 to Khmer Rouge tribunal

Taiwan News

Associated Press
2009-03-21

Japan has injected $200,000 into the Khmer Rouge genocide tribunal, which has been beset by funding shortages and delays, a court official said Saturday.

The money will be used to offset a shortfall in March salaries for 251 Cambodian court employees, tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath said.

The U.N.-backed tribunal is tasked with seeking justice for atrocities committed by the communists during their four years in power in the late 1970s. The Khmer Rouge's radical policies caused an estimated 1.7 million deaths.

Five former Khmer Rouge leaders, aging and infirm, are being held for trial by the tribunal on charges of crimes against humanity and war atrocities.

"The fund comes at a time when the Cambodian side of the court is having difficulties in disbursing salaries," the spokesman said, adding he hoped other donors would help meet payroll costs in coming months.

The tribunal operates under the joint administration of Cambodia and the U.N., which have separate budgets. In January, Japan gave $21 million to the U.N. side of the operation.

The court has been troubled by political wrangling and allegations that some Cambodian officials were demanding kickbacks from people trying to secure jobs with it.

The Japanese Embassy said in a statement Friday that it hoped the trials would render justice and be carried out properly and promptly, noting those on trial are already old.