This week newslatter from KR trial

Dear all members, This is weekly e-newsletter on Khmer Rouge Trial. The KRT web portal team had created "Blog" that allow all members can comment it. 1- S-21 inmates treated like 'animals': witness A FORMER S-21 interrogator told Cambodia's war crimes tribunal Wednesday that he received instructions to treat so-called "enemies" like animals. Speaking on the last day of his testimony, Prak Khan, 58, told the court that his former boss, Tuol Sleng prison chief Kaing Guek Eav, alias Duch, had delivered the instructions personally. 2- Duch Dismisses Witness’s Testimony Phnom Penh: After response given by a witness Prak Khan who claimed to have worked as security guard and interrogator at Tuol Sleng prison or S-21 security center, former Tuol Sleng prison chief Kaing Guek Eav, best known as Duch, dismissed the response and that he never knew Prak Khan. On 22 July 2009, Kaing Guek Eav, alias Duch, showed strong anger at Prak Khan’s testimony made before Cambodia’s war crimes court, saying Prak Khan’s assertion was not true and he never knew Prak Khan worked at S-21… 3- Former interrogator recalls blood-drawing at Tuol Sleng Former Tuol Sleng interrogator Prak Khan, 58, testifies Tuesday at the Khmer Rouge tribunal. AFORMER interrogator at Tuol Sleng prison on Tuesday detailed an array of torture techniques used at the secret detention facility, including electric shock, suffocation and blood-drawing. During testimony at Cambodia's UN-backed war crimes court, Prak Khan, 58, said he saw groups of prisoners being taken to get their blood drawn, adding that many of them died as a result… 4- KR Tribunal: UN appoints new tribunal press officer The United Nations has appointed a Japanese national as a public affairs officer for the Khmer Rouge tribunal, a statement from the Japanese Embassy said Tuesday. Yuko Maeda, who formerly worked as a public information officer for the UN Mission in Liberia, is scheduled to join the tribunal on Friday. The Japanese government said it "heartily welcomed" the appointment of Maeda, who has worked in Cambodia as a business editor for The Cambodia Daily… 5- Action filmmakers seek out authenticity on Kampot set Kampot has once again been flooded with armed men dressed in the black and red uniforms of the Khmer Rouge. This time, however, their guns fire blanks and they smile at their Western colleagues. They are extras on the set of The Road to Freedom - a new, independent action-adventure movie by first-time director Brendan Moriarty… 6- Pol Pot regime survivors not to pardon KR leaders if they admit guilt, make public apology Kampot Province: As the Khmer Rouge trial is being held, Pol Pot regime Khmer-Islamic survivors reacted they would not pardon former Khmer Rouge leaders if they admitted crimes committed during the regime and make public apology. They made a strong reaction while responding to Youk Chhang, the director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam), questioning whether they pardon former Khmer Rouge leaders if they acknowledge crimes committed and make public apology. The questioning came as the DC-Cam was distributing 500 books of “Democratic Kampuchea History (1975-1979)” and “Searching for the Truth” magazines for free to Kampot’s Khmer-Islamic people last weekend… 7- Televising history at the trials The television camera cuts to a shot of the dual row of Cambodian and foreign judges. Some frown; others remain impassive. The footage then flips back to the accused, capturing the reptilian pride emanating from 66-year-old Kaing Guek Eav, better known as "Duch", as he continues in a measured tone: "It was done by my subordinates. I do not blame them because this was under my responsibility." We cut back to a well-lit TV studio, where a pair of handsome, businesslike co-presenters promptly begins quizzing a Cambodian legal expert on intricacies of the case… 8- Labor force used to build six-month lasting 15-kilometer dam Torture evidence of the people during Democratic Kampuchea (DK) has been left behind until now. For almost 30 years, Dam 30 Kanha (30 September), situated in Stueng district, Kompong Svay district, and Prasat Balang, is repaired and restored. The water gate on the order of the Khmer Rouge is retained… 9- Public Forum Report on “Justice, National Reconciliation”, Pursat Province A public forum on “Justice and National Reconciliation” was organized by the Center for Social Development (CSD) on 10 July 200 at 7:30 a.m. at Neak Meas Hotel, Pursat province. Pich Than, Pursat’s deputy governor, was guest of honor at the forum. Meanwhile, an official at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) was also invited in the event to address some issues of the Khmer Rouge trial to participants. An official from rights group Adhoc was also invited… 10- Tuol Sleng ex-guard, interrogator testifies Phnom Penh: Tuol Sleng ex-guard and integrator Prak Khan testified before Cambodia’s war crimes court for trial against former Tuol Sleng prison chief Kaing Guek Eav, best known as Duch on 21 July 2009. Prak Khan, 58, former Khmer Rouge soldier assigned as guard at Tuol Sleng campus before being appointed as interrogator in late 1976… 11- Japanese woman appointed as KR tribunal's UN side's spokesperson Phnom Penh: A Japanese woman, a former journalist in Cambodia, was appointed as Public Affairs Officer for the Khmer Rouge tribunal to ensure the flow of information to the public and to media effectively. The appointment of Yuko Maeda, former Public Information Officer in the UN Mission in Liberia, as Public Affairs Officer to the Khmer Rouge tribunal was welcomed by Japan, the biggest donor to the hybrid court…