Reuters on the Co-Investigating Judges' Trip to Pailin

MOD-DATE: 01/16/08 23:07:25WORLD5-JAN16-CAMBODIA-JUDGE
WORLD5: STORY 342
JUDGEPAILIN, CAMBODIAJANUARY 16, 2008 NATURAL WITH KHMER AND FRENCH SPEECHDURATION:02:17
SOURCE:REUTERSFEED HISTORY:* WRAP W4 (1930GMT)/ W5 (2330GMT)
INTRO: U.N. tribunal meets villagers of former Khmer Rouge's stronghold tocalm fears.TV AND WEB RESTRICTIONS~**NONE**~Judges of the U.N.-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal meet with villagers inPailin, Pol Pot's stronghold, to encourage them to cooperate and help thetribunal achieve its goals.SHOWS:(ASIA) PAILIN, CAMBODIA (JANUARY 16, 2008) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)1. PEOPLE READING THE KHMER ROUGE TRIBUNAL BOOK AND STAFF GIVING BOOKS TOPEOPLE 2. KONG KANG PAGODA IN PAILIN TOWN 3. CO-INVESTIGATING JUDGES SITTING 4. JUDGES MARCEL LEMONDE AND YOU BUNLENG LISTENING 5. VILLAGERS SITTING ON THE GROUND6. MEETING GOING ON7. LEMONDE SPEAKING 8. VILLAGERS LISTENING TO LEMONDE9. (SOUNDBITE) (Khmer) CHHUN MEI, VILLAGER, SAYING: "Now I understand about the Khmer Rouge tribunal processbetter."10. NEWS CONFERENCE11. (SOUNDBITE) (Khmer) YOU BUNLENG, CO-INVESTIGATING JUDGE, SAYING: "We explained to them and now they understand more and throughthis meeting those who have doubted the Khmer Rouge tribunal would relax andcooperate with us."12. PAILIN TOWN13. PAILIN MARKET(W4) PAILIN, CAMBODIA (JANUARY 16, 2008) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)14. (SOUNDBITE)(English) MARCEL LEMONDE, CO-INVESTIGATING JUDGE,SAYING: "We were trying to explain to these people that the court canproceed fairly as long as it has the support of the Cambodian people. If theCambodian people do not understand that this trial is in their interests, thiscourt will not be able to proceed fairly. We've put a lot of effort intoconvincing people of this. Again, the future will tell us if we will have beensuccessful but it is certain that were we to face the declared hostility ofthe majority of the population, we would experience a lot of difficulty inaccomplishing our task."15. MARCEL LEMONDE AND TRANSLATOR SEATEDSTORY: French and Cambodian judges of the U.N.-backed "KillingFields" tribunal set up a town hall meeting with the villagers of Pailin,which is one of Pol Pot's final strongholds, on Wednesday (January 16). The purpose of the meeting was to elevate their fears, answer theirqueries and at the same time persuade the villagers to help with thetrials. Even though the 56 million U.S. dollar court was set up to investigateonly those "most responsible" for the deaths of the Khmer Rouge'sestimated 1.7 million victims, many ageing former guerrillas are worried theywill be sucked into the process. Booklets containing information about the tribunal were handed outbefore the meeting. More than 100 residents attended the session, the firstactivity of its kind conducted in Cambodia. "Now I understand about the khmer rouge tribunal processbetter," said Chhun Mei after the meeting. Cambodian co-investigating judge, You Bunleng, was convinced themeeting would contribute to come cooperate with the villagers. Pailin is a wild border town under Khmer Rouge control until a 1997surrender deal, and it was Khmer Rouge's former heartland. "Brother Number One" Pol Pot died in the final redoubt ofAnlong Veng, also on the Thai border, in 1998, nearly two decades after hisfour-year ultra-Maoist regime was removed by a Vietnamese invasion. However, his right-hand-man, Nuon Chea, as well as former presidentKhieu Samphan, former foreign minister Ieng Sary and his wife were chargedwith crimes against humanity or war crimes last year. The other suspect in detention is Duch, commandant of the notorious"S-21" interrogation and torture centre in Phnom Penh's Tuol Slenghigh school. Duch has already confessed to mass murder and implicated membersof Pol Pot's inner circle. The trials are schedules to start this year.