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U.S. Department of State Office of the Spokesman Press Statement

Press Statement by James B. Foley, Deputy Spokesman
December 29, 1998

Cambodia: Defection of Senior Khmer Rouge Leaders

Former Khmer Rouge leaders Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan are now in Phnom Penh. As leaders of the regime responsible for the deaths of up to two million people, they should be held accountable for their actions before an appropriate tribunal. While there have been a number of conflicting statements from Cambodian authorities, we note that Prime Minister Hun Sen has not ruled out the possibility of a trial.

The actions taken during the 1975-1979 period of Khmer Rouge rule were thoroughly documented by the Khmer Rouge themselves in a manner that leaves no doubt as to the way mass murder was planned and carried out. The records left by the Khmer Rouge makes it absolutely clear that the Khmer Rouge regime was among the most murderous in this century. The number of victims from the 1975-1979 period in Cambodia is up to four times as many as were killed in Rwanda in 1994 and up to ten times as many as were killed in Bosnia in 1992-1995.

We welcome the recent establishment of a coalition government in Cambodia, as well as Cambodia’s return to the United Nations and its movement towards membership in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). As Cambodia moves to fully regain its place in the community of nations, we hope that it will insist on accountability for the crimes of the 1975-1979 period. Its actions in this regard will shape its relations with the United States and the international community.

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