EU Contributes 1M euros Toward Khmer Rouge Tribunal
Khmer Rouge tribunal gets one million euros contribution from the European Union to help with Cambodia's lack of funds
The EU gives one million euros to the Khmer Rouge trial budget. This budget is for the spending on the judges salaries, legal personnel services, and the prosecutors. The budget will be given to Cambodia when the tribunal process begins officially. UNDP is the contractor for the EU in overseeing this budget spending. The EU says that its goal is to promote democracy and human rights in Cambodia. The UN and Cambodia reached an agreement in 2003 to set up a special tribunal for the former Khmer Rouge leaders who are responsible for the deaths of nearly two million people due tohard labor, diseases, murders, and starvation. The tribunal will cost 53 million dollars, in it the UN already has 43 millions and Cambodia has to contribute over 11 million dollars. Mr. Sean Visoth, director of the Office of Administration, welcomes the EU budget to Cambodia which now needs 10,800,000 dollars. India gave one million dollars toward the cause, Thailand and Singapore consider giving some money too. Open Forum of Cambodia's director Ms. Huot Ratanak whose website posted the Khmer Rouge tribunal says that the EU's aid will make the procedure go faster, but she still worries about the selection of judges, personnels and prosecutors.