Dear Editor,

It seems that the Khmer Rouge trial issue is diverting all attention from development.

In my view, it was so unjust and unfair for the victims that justice for those few

frail KR leaders does not mean much.

I don't know what kind of justice it would be if at most those few old and ill criminals

are sentenced for life, which means for 10 years or so as they are about to die anyway.

If this is achieved, which will be at the costs of millions of dollars and huge amounts

of efforts for development, then they will say "justice" is achieved at

last.

Can 10 years or more of their ill lives in custody compensate for the losses of more

than one million lives?

A balance has to be struck given severe paucity of resources. The danger would be

that too many resources are diverted to put the last few years of the remaining KR

leaders in prison and then claim that "here all the victims, you have justice

now".

Clearly, our poor people need "compensation" much more than "justice"

in this sense.

- Chan Sophal, Student, University of London