The Mirror, Vol. 11, No. 526
“Pailin – Banteay Meanchey: Mr. Nuon Chea, Brother No. 2 of the Khmer Rouge Regime, was arrested and brought by helicopter to the Khmer Rouge tribunal on 19 September. A final report stated that the court accused Nuon Chea of crimes against humanity and war crimes, and decided to temporarily detain him on the evening of the same day.
“Mr. Reach Sambath, the Khmer Rouge tribunal Press Officer, said on 19 September 2007 that Mr. Nuon Chea had been brought to the office of the co-investigating judges of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia [ECCC] following a summons. He continued, ‘Mr. Nuon Chea is the second high ranking person to have been brought to the tribunal for questioning. We will provide him lawyers if he asks for.’
“Mr. Chhang Youk, the Director of Documentation Center of Cambodia, said that the arrest of Mr. Nuon Chea shows many positive aspects and the importance of the court. He went on to say that the arrest of Nuon Chea will make Cambodian people much more relaxed and increase the belief of the people in the legal system and the Royal Government. He stated, ‘This is an important point.’
“Mr. Chhang Youk considered the arrest of Nuon Chea to be proceeding a step closer to justice. He also asked for continuing support for the Khmer Rouge court to reach its goal by avoiding any interruption.
“Though the Khmer Rouge tribunal has not released the names of other people, foreign newspapers reported that Mr. Khiev Samphan and Mr. Ieng Sary may be the other two [former] Khmer Rouge leaders being targeted to be brought to be tried at the Khmer Rouge tribunal.
“The arrest of Mr. Nuon Chea was conducted carefully, and national and international journalists were not allowed to take pictures of him. Journalists stood waiting at the Khmer Rouge tribunal gateway; however, they had no chance to meet him.
Mr. Nuon Say, Nuon Chea’s son, told Rasmei Kampuchea that his father’s house was surrounded at about 6 o’clock in the morning, and it was searched for documents written by his father. He considered the arrest of his father not to be just, and that the Khmer Rouge tribunal has been unjust since the beginning by raising the questions of war crimes and crimes against humanity only for the period between 1975 and 1979. He said that several issues happened, one after the other, in the past. He asked why the period between 1979 and 2000 is not mentioned.
“According to Mr. Nuon Say, Mr. Nuon Chea’s wife is sad after her husband has been arrested.
ARREST OF NUON CHEA IN PAILIN
“Special intervention units of the Defense Ministry and of the Intervention Department of the Ministry of Interior, accompanied by dozens of Pailin police and military police, went to detain Mr. Nuon Chea, the former president the National Assembly of Democratic Kampuchea, or Brother No. 2, at 8:30 on the morning of 19 September 2007. This detention for questioning is conducted in accordance with a summons of the investigating judges of the ECCC.
“Officials entered Mr. Nuon Chea’s house by the bamboo forest near the Cambodian-Thai border in Phsar Prum Village, Stung Kach, Sala Krau, Pailin, for a while, and then invited Mr. Nuon Chea to get down from his small wooden house with a zinc roof, to get into a car to get to a white helicopter of the Royal Government, which had landed on the yard near Phsar Prum Casino. Khmer and foreign journalists were told by the officials to stay away from the house and the place where the helicopter landed, which made it difficult for them to make reports and to take pictures. They could see Mr. Nuon Chea only by using binoculars or cameras with zoom lenses.
“While Mr. Nuon Chea was being taken to Phnom Penh, an assistant also accompanied him, but his wife or his children did not.
“A Rasmei Kampuchea correspondent in Pailin reported that at Mr. Nuon Chea’s house, more than ten police had been deployed for many months. Bamboo barriers were put regularly in front of the house; however, previously common guest and journalists still could visit Mr. Nuon Chea and his family. However, before his detention, Mr. Nuon Chea and his family were probably not aware of what would happen.
“Mr. Chhuon Makara, the president of the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association [ADHOC] branch in Pailin, told Rasmei Kampuchea on 19 September 2007 that on 18 September, ADHOC held a forum on the Khmer Rouge tribunal in Wat Ou Chra, Tuol Sala, Pailin; then on the evening of the same day, he and his colleagues made a normal visit to Mr. Nuon Chea. Mr. Nuon Chea and his wife greeted them in a friendly way, but they did not speak about politics or the Khmer Rouge history. Mr. Nuon Chea, 81, is weak and suffers from high blood pressure, numbness in the limbs, he had a stroke, has difficulty to move, and headache.
NUON CHEA: BIRTH AND ACTIVITIES IN THE KHMER ROUGUE REGIME
“1926: Nuon Chea was born in Battambang in the west of Cambodia that was part of the French colony. From 1941 to 1946, Thailand had captured Battambang, Siem Reap, and Serei Saophoan.
“1960: The Cambodian Communist Party was created, and he was selected to be deputy secretary of the Central Committee of the Cambodian Communist Party and a member of the Standing Committee, the top organization, in charge of party policy. He staid in this position from then on.
“1962-1963: Nuon Chea participated in the annual congress of the Central Committee in the eastern region, and in 1963 Nuon Chea became the secretary of the Central Committee.
“1965: Nuon Chea escaped to live in the Cardamom Mountains in the province of Battambang.
“1972: Noun Chea became deputy commander of the High Military Command.
“1975: The Cambodian Communist Party, named “Khmer Rouge” by the King in the 1960ies, won the civil war and created the Democratic Kampuchea regime.
“20 May 1975: Nuon Chea presented a declaration in a conference in Phnom Penh: ‘Statement on the creation of socialism in Cambodia by using agriculture and industry.’ Nuon Chea asked for careful attention to check spies (to exercise internal caution) in the party, the armed forces, ministries, and different units in the government and among the public.
“1976: Nuon Chea was temporarily appointed as prime minister, replacing Pol Pot. Between 1975 and 1977 Nuon Chea participated in giving annual training policy instruction courses together with Pol Pot in Phnom Penh.
“1975-1979: Nearly two million Cambodian people died because of the policy goals of Democratic Kampuchea to create a clean Cambodian society and to create a prosperous Khmer land, like it was in the past. It is known that he knew and decided about the torturing and killing of about 14,000 prisoners in the S-21 Security Center, which is also known as Tuol Sleng Prison.” Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.15, #4394, 20.9.2007
Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Thursday, 20 September 2007
Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.6, #1449, 20.9.2007
- Brother No. 2 [Nuon Chea] Brought to the Khmer Rouge Tribunal
- President of Radio Free Asia Office in Cambodia [To Serey] Appears in Court to Respond to the Lawsuit of The Cambodia Daily
- Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen Receives Vietnamese [Communist Party] Delegation
- Burma Fires Tear Gas to Disperse Crowd of [about 1,000 monks] Monks [who protested peacefully in at least six cities against the government. Some monks had been beaten and others were arrested. The monks demand an apology from the government for the harsh treatment of monks during the past few weeks while they demonstrated against the increase of the price of fuel]
Koh Santepheap, Vol.40, #6149, 20.9.2007
- US Report Says Religious Rights in Cambodia Are Good
- Two Policemen Rape 15-Year-Old Girl [rapists escape – Prasat Sambour, Kompong Thom]
- Ford Motor Company Foundation Provides $25,000 Grant for Environment Protection and Heritage Conservation
Moneaksekar Khmer, Vol.14, #3268, 20.9.2007
- Chaos in Pailin While Nuon Chea Is Brought to Khmer Rouge Tribunal; Khiev Samphan and Ieng Sary Hide in Phnom Penh
- IMF Tells Cambodian Government to Prevent Money Laundering
Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.15, #4394, 20.9.2007
- Nuon Chea, Khmer Rouge Leader No. 2, Is Arrested for Trial
- Delegation of Chinese Communist Party Meets Samdech Hun Sen [Phnom Penh]
- 2,226 Cambodian Young People Take Test for Korean-Language Training in Order to Find Jobs in Korea
Samleng Yuvachun Khmer, Vol.14, #3143, 20.9.2007
- Cambodian Center for Human Rights Condemns Kompong Trach Commune Officials for Observing People’s Phone Calls [from public phones, after the center held a public forum, which had been banned by the authorities in Romeas Haek, Svay Rieng]
- Samdech Krom Preah Hopes People in All Provinces Will Vote for the Norodom Ranariddh Party Next Year Like in 1993 [when people voted for Funcinpec led by Prince Ranariddh]
Sralanh Khmer, Vol.3, #509, 20.9.2007
- Comrade Nuon Chea Tastes Prison for First Time [mocking]
