Japan Adds $3 million to Tribunal Budget
The Japanese government announced Tuesday it would donate $2.95 million to the Khmer Rouge tribunal, to cover the wages of Cambodian ad
Japan will donate$2.95 million the Khmer Rouge tribunal, to cover the wages of Cambodian administration staff, the embassy announced Tuesday. The money will be added to donations by France and Australia, totaling $1.5 million,which have already made operation of the Cambodian component of the tribunal feasible through the end of2008. "There are five detained [former Khmer Rouge leaders], and the investigation isongoing to find their criminality," said Yoshimatsu Kaori, third secretaryat the Japanese Embassy in Phnom Penh."With this additional assistance, we hope that the process will bring morejustice and equity." Japanis the largest donor to the tribunal. In 2005, it gave more than $21 million tothe UN side of the hybrid courts, ending an early financial crisisat the tribunal. That was nearly half of the UN's $43 million estimated forthree years of tribunal operation. The $3 million comes as the tribunal is submitting a reporton its financial need to donors in NewYork. Tribunal administrators submitted a revisedbudget to a steering committee of donors Monday, and a full meeting andpresentation is expected Friday. The revised budget comes to nearly $100 million, reducedfrom a figure submitted to donors in January of $114 million. "We are extremely appreciative of Japan's announcement,"tribunal spokeswoman Helen Jarvis said by e-mail Wednesday. "This comes ata very opportune time, as the donors are meeting in New York to consider the court presentationof its needs in the coming period."