A documentary hearing at the Khmer Rouge tribunal resumed Thursday, a week after it was postponed due to a walkout by the defendants’ lawyers.
On August 26, counsels for defendants Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan—who are on trial for crimes including genocide—left the courtroom in protest over the prosecution’s planned inclusion of written records of interview (WRI) in the hearing.
Despite Victor Koppe, Nuon Chea’s defense lawyer, calling the proceeding “a farce” last week, tribunal President Nil Nonn on Tuesday reaffirmed that WRIs could be used during documentary hearings.
On Thursday, the co-prosecutors and civil party lawyers presented a large collection of documents related to the January 1 dam, Kompong Chhnang airfield and Trapaing Thma dam worksites.
Vincent de Wilde, senior assistant prosecutor, read from the WRI of Ke Un, the nephew and driver of Ke Pauk, who was secretary of the Northern and Central zones during the Pol Pot era. In the transcript, Ke Un noted that the chief was well aware of conditions at the January 1 dam site.
“Ke Puak visited the dam regularly and almost everyday,” Mr. de Wilde read.
“People were very afraid of Ke Pauk’s car. They were afraid of being led away to be executed. They would kill anyone who would uproot a single sweet potato.”
Civil party lawyer Pich Ang read from statements of a number of clients describing the harsh working conditions at the Trapaing Thma site—in what was then Battambang province—under the command of the notoriously brutal Ta Val.
“At the Trapaing Thma reservoir worksite, Comrade Val, deceased, who was the company commander, ordered each of us to dig 3 cubic meters of soil a day to build a canal and dam,” Mr. Ang read from civil party Thun Hom’s statement.
“If we could not do, ‘Angkar’ would take us to be ‘re-educated.’ In that regime, re-education meant to be killed.”
Mr. Koppe, who was on Tuesday warned to “correct his behavior” after sharp criticism of the Trial Chamber last week, remained largely silent Thursday, only informing the court that Nuon Chea’s defense would not comment on the documents presented.
Hearings will resume on Monday with Khieu Samphan’s defense team given the opportunity to rebut the prosecution and civil party team’s documents.
