Saturday, 6 March 2010

Cambodian DPM Dr. Sok An Says Khmer Rouge Court, Angkor Safeguarding are Models

via CAAI News Media

Friday, 05 March 2010 09:04 By Ek Madra

PHNOM PENH - The international community saw Cambodian achievements in establishing the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) for the trial of the "Killing Fields" leaders and the programme for the safeguarding of Angkor: The International Co-ordinating Committee (ICC) for the safeguarding and Development of the Historic Site of Angkor are the models, Dr. Sok An told the Laotian ambassador.

"The ICC and the ECCC are regarded as the model," Deputy Prime Minister Sok An told Laotian ambassador Chanthavy Bodhisane in the a farewell meeting late Thursday.

Established in 1993 in Japanese Tokyo, The International Co-ordinating Committee (ICC), which designed as an effective tool for ensuring proper co-ordinating procedure for all concerned organizations, for the Safeguarding and Development of the Historic Site of Angkor (ICC) under the Co-Chairmen, Japan and France lobbied 15 countries to support the preservation and sustainable developments of Angkor complex where more than 90 ancient temples located.

The biannual meeting between the Cambodian state run agency, the APSARA Authority and the ICC secretariat is to evaluate the over-all performance of various ongoing conservation projects as well as providing insightful adhoc expert recommendations to the ongoing conservation projects.

The meeting also discussed any information or any new coming projects.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which listed the famed Cambodian Angkor Temple in 1992, also regarded the ICC's works as a great success, Sok An said in the meeting.

"ICC has been regarded by UNESCO as a model," Sok An told the ambassador.

He also recalled his meeting with Professor Surya P. Subedi, who was appointed as UN Special Rapporteur for human rights in Cambodia, said that "U.N. is considering a possible establishing a tribunal in Sudan".

There are five main points which credited the tribunal became a model court are:

"We spent less compared with other U.N.-funded courts."

"Our court's operation has been smooth and just within 11 months we approved all the relevant regulations," he said.

"We have massive participations of more than 28,000 people witnessed the trial," said Sok An.

"Just within one month we arrested all five suspects."

"ECCC is the only court we have allowed the civil parties to have voices at the tribunal," said the Deputy Prime Minister Sok An.

He also said Cambodia and the United Nations went through seven years of tortuous round of talks before an agreement was reached in 2003 and followed by the establishment of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) officially in 2006 to try those most responsible leaders of murderous regime of Khmer Rouge 1975- 1979 during which as estimated 2 million peoples died of starvation, execution, diseases and overworked.

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