DCCam Director in a Flap Over Non-Recognition

Center Seeks Recognition From Tribunal

Kong Sothanarith

May 12, 2010

Voice of America

Chhang Youk told VOA Khmer Wednesday it was important the court “recognize” the state of affairs, as it is a model for similar courts in the future.

The Documentation Center of Cambodia says it has performed around $300,000 in unrecognized work for the UN‐backed Khmer Rouge tribunal for services related to copying and distributing thousands of documents for the court.

The Documentation Center has spent more than a decade investigating the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge and has provided a wealth of documents to the court, often at its own cost. According to court documents obtained Wednesday, Chhang Youk, director of the center, has written to tribunal administrators to say assistance from the center “now amounts to more than” $300,000 for the past four years.

Chhang Youk requested in a letter that the Documentation Center be credited as the source of the original copies and said the court could duplicate documentary material “with the exception of photographs and films for both official and related public use.” The center has provided 500,000 pages of documents to the court since 2006, including to offices of prosecutors, investigating judges, the defense support section, defense teams and civil party lawyers, according to the letter. It has also provided around 650 books, nearly 2,000 CDs and DVDs of films and photographs and 254 microfilm reels. Chhang Youk told VOA Khmer Wednesday it was important the court “recognize” the state of affairs, as it is a model for similar courts in the future.

Tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath said Wednesday the court was considering the letter.