 News Makers
(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-07-01 07:57 Former Cambodian minister stands trial The former Khmer Rouge foreign minister yesterday appeared before Cambodia's genocide tribunal to press for his release from pretrial detention. The United Nations-assisted court has charged Ieng Sary, 82, with crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Presiding Judge Prak Kimsan adjourned the hearing until today after the defendant said he was feeling tired. Ieng Sary is one of five defendants being held by the tribunal, which plans to begin its first trial later this year. His wife, 76-year-old Ieng Thirith, who served as the Khmer Rouge's social affairs minister, is among those being held on charges of crimes against humanity. The tribunal, jointly run by Cambodian and international personnel, is attempting to establish accountability for atrocities committed by the leftist group when it ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. The group's radical policies resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people from starvation, disease, overwork and execution. In their detention order in November, the investigating judges said Ieng Sary is being prosecuted for supporting Khmer Rouge policies. Ieng Sary has dismissed the charges as "unacceptable" and demanded evidence to support them, according to court documents. The defense yesterday demanded that Ieng Sary be placed under either house arrest or protective hospitalization and undergo proper psychiatric examination to determine whether he is fit to stand trial. Ieng Sary's "weak physical and mental capacity" makes him unable to fully assist his lawyers, Michael Karnavas, an American lawyer from Alaska, told the court.
Pedophile slated for sentencing in August A Canadian schoolteacher who pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a 13-year-old Thai boy and photographing the offense will be sentenced in August, a Bangkok court ruled yesterday. Christopher Paul Neil, who taught in several Asian countries, was arrested last year following an international manhunt after hundred of photos of him allegedly engaging in sex acts with young boys were discovered on the Internet. The 32-year-old Neil will be sentenced on Aug. 15. He pleaded guilty May 12 and faces up to 10 years in jail. Neil, who at times appeared agitated with yesterday's court proceedings but later joked with his translator, refused to comment to a reporter as he was led out of the courtroom dressed in his prison uniform and wearing ankle chains. During the trial, the victim who is now 18 and his father testified that the youngster went to Neil's apartment in Bangkok where the crime was committed. Photos that allegedly showed Neil engaging in sexual acts and playing with naked or partially clothed young boys were also presented. Agencies (China Daily 07/01/2008 page10) |
