The Phnom Penh Post

Local activist Theary Seng, who has courted controversy in recent weeks with her public statements on the court's third and fourth cases, issued a statement today details what she says are the crime sites involved in the court's Case 004 investigation. Victims hoping to join the case as civil parties must prove that they suffered as a result of crimes committed at one of the sites in the investigation, and Theary Seng has urged prospective applicants to come forward and put pressure on the judges to investigate the case properly. The statement, which can be read in full here, is excerpted below:

"Case 004 Filing

Through my own research and conversations, I have come into this very trusted information which should assist you greatly in filing against Im Chaem, Ta Tith and Ta An:

The tribunal has announced the schedule for the initial hearing in Case 002, which begins on June 27. 

Monday, 27 June

Like many journalists, I received a somewhat peculiar message from the Co-Investigating Judges on Thursday. It read that the judges, "have credible information that the content of the Second Introductory Submission which is classified as confidential, has been divulged by a disloyal staff member of the ECCC," and issued a warning "that anyone publishing information from this confidential document is liable to be subjected to proceedings for Interference with the Administration of Justice pursuant to Internal Rule 35."

As James O'Toole explains in today's Post, this warning came in response to an article from the Christian Science Monitor that quoted extensively from the 2008 document. In the document, prosecutors outline allegations against former Khmer Rouge navy commander Meas Mut and air force commander Sou Met. The Monitor article also contends that the leaked document casts doubt on the court's ability to operate independently and suggests that the investigation of Case 003 was inadequate.

After dissemination of the memo related to the "disloyal staff member," activist Theary Seng issued a statement praising the ECCC employee's actions. On behalf of the Association of Khmer Rouge Victims in Cambodia, she wrote:

In the first issue of a new Rutgers University magazine (disclaimer: with which I am involved), an undergraduate student describes his experience working with DC-Cam's Victim Participation Team. You can read it here.

Cambodia and the tribunal will certainly be featured in upcoming issues as well, as Rutgers has an active relationship with DC-Cam and a number of students who are interested in the country. The magazine is published by the Center for the Study of Genocide, Conflict Resolution and Human Rights.

In light of the recent passing of ECCC head of Public Affairs Reach Sambath, I wanted to post a link to an article I wrote back after he assumed his position in 2008. You can read it here. I was extremely impressed by the effort he made to bring Cambodians to the tribunal, which had previously been somewhat sparsely attended.

I'm sure he will be greatly missed by his friends, colleagues, students and, of course, family.