Germany has provided about US$1.59 million in voluntary funds to support the work of the victims support section at the Khmer Rouge tribunal, tribunal officials said yesterday.

“Germany is strongly committed to the success of this court,” German Embassy Chargé d’Affairs Horst Triller told the Post yesterday.

“We have been funding the VSS for quite a few years and I believe this motivation is because we also have some experience in our own history in this area,” Triller said.

VSS is considered to fall under the Cambodian side of the court and the voluntary funds are an ad hoc contribution auxiliary to the tribunal’s budget, tribunal press officer Neth Pheaktra said.

“Germany is the third-largest international donor to the court and including this contribution has donated 3.1 million euros (about $4.1million) to the work of the VSS since it began operations in 2008,” Neth Pheaktra said.

Officials from the VSS could not be reached for comment yesterday.