Former Khmer Rouge commander Chhouk Rin said Sunday that, in light of his unstable health, he could not care less about the life sentence he faces for the killing of 13 Cambodians and the abduction and execution of three Westerners following a 1994 train ambush in Kampot province.
“I am not interested in the trial today. I just take care of my health instead of the trial because it is unjust and I am innocent,” he said by telephone from his home in Kep municipality’s Phnom Voar village.
The Appeals Court last year sentenced Chhouk Rin to life in prison in connection with the train ambush and killings. He is currently waiting for a hearing before the Supreme Court,
He said Sunday that his trial, was merely designed by the government to appease donor nations.
“They cannot avoid the [donors’] oppression. They hold the trial for me because they are making money from foreigners,” Chhouk Rin said.
Puth Theavy, Chhouk Rin’s lawyer, said Sunday his client’s case has not been passed to the Supreme Court and he would seek to delay the hearing until after Chhouk Rin’s death, to spare him discomfort.
Appeals Court President Ly Vouch Leng said Sunday she did not know whether the case had left her court yet.
Chhouk Rin said his health has improved lately. “Now I can get up and walk, but it’s difficult to breathe,” he said, adding that pneumonia, malaria, liver trouble and hemorrhoids continue to plague him.
