Tribunal ‘Accelerating’ Work for Trials: Prosecutor

By Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer

Original report from Siem Reap

30 March 2010

Prosecutors are speeding up their work in the second case of the UN-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal, a court official said Sunday.

The court was working quickly and efficiently, UN prosecutor Andrew Cayley told a group of teachers in Siem Reap, where he spoke during training of a new history book for schools.

The prosecution is moving toward the 2011 trial of at least four detained leaders, Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary and Ieng Thirith, following the conclusion of the trial of Kaing Kek Iev, or Duch.

Cayley said work was going well with his Cambodian counterpart, Chea Leang.

“I am accelerating, along with my colleague, the work as much as we can,” he said.

Tribunal observers have voiced concerns that aging Khmer Rouge leaders might die before they see a day in court. Cayley said Sunday he shared those concerns, but added the trials would continue even if some of the defendants die.

“This trial will come to a conclusion,” he said. “But the best way to do this work is not quickly but efficiently.”

Cayley was addressing nearly 200 teachers from across the country who came to Siem Reap to learn to introduce a history book from the Documentation Center of Cambodia into their courses.

The book, “A History of Democratic Kampuchea,” is part of a collaborative effort between the Documentation Center and the government to introduce Khmer Rouge histories into classrooms.