A Chinese Embassy official said he was not sure if Chinese President Jiang Zemin would bring up the proposal to try former Khmer Rouge leaders during his visit here, but reiterated that the matter is an internal matter for Cambodia.
“In our view, it is up to Cambodia to decide on the matter,” Wu Qingsheng, first secretary at the Chinese Embassy, said Tuesday. “The purpose of the trip is to improve traditional ties between the two countries.”
National Assembly President Prince Norodom Ranariddh said Jiang, who is scheduled to arrive here Nov 13 for a two-day visit, may present his government’s view on a Khmer Rouge tribunal.
“China, I think, is like Russia in that the priority in dealing with all this is that it must be in Cambodia’s best interests,” Prince Ranariddh said.
Wu said he was unaware of the prince’s comments.
China was the main ally of the Khmer Rouge during the rebel group’s years in power, and provided them with support when they were fighting the Vietnamese, who occupied Cambodia from 1979 to 1989.
In recent years, China has again become a major ally for Cambodia, going as far as threatening to veto a UN proposal for an international tribunal for former Khmer Rouge leaders.
The prince has said the National Assembly will probably not get to a draft law on a Khmer Rouge trial by the end of this year, and added that his father, King Norodom Sihanouk, does not see a need to hurriedly push for a trial.
The King said the current priority for Cambodia is peace and stability, not a Khmer Rouge tribunal, according to Prince Ranariddh.
“The King has clearly stated the Khmer Rouge issue cannot be tolerated, cannot be forgotten, but to take seriously, to take more consideration, whether to push for a trial now or later,” the prince said.
Deputy Prime Minister Sar Kheng is in China now on a visit aimed at strengthening ties between the two countries.
