Cambodian amnesty bid<\/p>\n
The haste with which Cambodian leader Hun Sen is moving to
\nsecure an amnesty for Khmer Rouge leader Ieng Sary is in striking
\ncontrast to the long wait for justice for the victims of the
\nKilling Fields.<\/p>\n
The Maoist guerrilla group has appeared on the brink of
\ncollapse several times over the last two decades but on each
\noccasion foreign maneuvering and domestic political interests
\nhave combined to save it, rehabilitate it and perhaps most
\ncruelly, even give it international legitimacy despite its
\ncrimes.<\/p>\n
Hidden away on the border with Thailand, the movement lost its
\nlast remaining political relevance after it boycotted the 1993
\nelection. Nevertheless, the leaders continued to organize
\nseasonal killing campaigns and grew rich on border trade.<\/p>\n
But now the revolution looks closer than ever to sputtering to
\nits death, ironically in part because of an unseemly turf war
\nover the gem and timber riches around Pailin.<\/p>\n
And some of the leaders want an amnesty. A pardon for some of
\nthe worst crimes against humanity this century. Redemption from a
\ndeath sentence passed by a Cambodian Court in 1981. It is an idea
\nHun Sen fully supports.<\/p>\n
'Why do I prefer to grant him amnesty?' Hun Sen asked on
\nSaturday. 'Because I strongly need to stop the war.'<\/p>\n
After 30 years as a member of the central committee, Ieng Sary
\nnow claims that he was not involved or even aware of the Khmer
\nRouge's worst atrocities, saying he was only No. 6 in the lineup.
\nIt is a defense that is disingenuous and incredulous.<\/p>\n
After decades of turmoil, war and revolution Cambodia is
\nrebuilding. The Khmer Rouge tried to obliterate the past, wipe
\nout existing culture and religion and start anew. They succeeded
\nin part which makes the process of rehabilitation that much more
\ndifficult.<\/p>\n
If Cambodia is to have any sort of future it must be built on
\nprinciples, not political shortcuts. The dead, and the young who
\nwill inherit this scarred country, are owed at least that.<\/p>\n
-- The Nation, Bangkok<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/cambodian-amnesty-bid-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }