CIVIL RESISTANCE
My TREASON & INCITEMENT MASS TRIAL (Initial Page on Trial Matters) TUESDAY, 14 JUNE 2022 VERDICT ANNOUNCEMENT Court Statement: Concluding Remarks ការការពារ ផ្លូវច្បាប់ របស់ខ្ញុំ [ ... ] |
CIVIC EDUCATION
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Cambodia's Leadership Crisis
Re: Sam Rainsy: My position vis-à-vis America, China and Vietnam [I've stated earlier that the problem with Cambodia has always been the extreme limitations of its leaders AND the people who are too easily pleased with cheap laughs produced by "the everyman" Cambodian leader, with enough truth for us to pause in the saying that we Cambodians deserve the leaders we have. For me, Sam Rainsy and his wife Saumura currently are the only leaders with the INTELLECTUAL VERSATILITY and broad and deep POLITICAL ACUMEN AND CREATIVITY to lead...] Sam Rainsy: With regard to internal politics, more precisely the strengthening of democracy and the defense of human rights, we will continue to seek the support of America because we share the same values. But in international relations, ideology has become secondary, even irrelevant, at a time when national and strategic interests are the determining factors in choosing friends and allies. Look at the evolving relations between Vietnam and the US: the two former enemies – one communist, the other one capitalist – have become good friends and allies. And when it comes to ensuring the survival of Cambodia as an independent nation, there is a saying as old as the world: the enemy of my enemy is my friend. - Theary, Phnom Penh, 22 April 2014
* * * Re: A Battle Royal Sparked, and Constitutional Coup? Hun Sen knows the only real challenge to him is Sam Rainsy, so here again, we see the setting of the stage to remove Sam Rainsy from the political terrain... Part and parcel of this strategy is to continue to widen the wedge between Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha. Kem Sokha knows and uses this... It has been said that Cambodians deserve the leaders we have, an indictment that is really rich food for thought. As I've stated earlier, at this moment in time in Cambodia's history, I only believe in either Sam Rainsy or his wife Saumura Tioulong for the top position of Prime Minister... There are other good, courageous leaders to be sure within the CNRP, but not for the top position.
- Theary, Phnom Penh, 7 April 2014
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During this season of LENT leading to EASTER, some excellent teachings / sermons by Dr. Robert Norris of Fourth Presbyterian Church, the church I attended during my four years of university.
click "By Teacher",
then "Dr. Robert Norris", and then scroll down to these titles:
Palm Sunday
DIVINE DETERMINATION (Luke 9)
GOD ON A DONKEY (Luke 19)
THE STRETCHED-OUT HAND OF GOD (Luke 19)
THE TEARS OF CHRIST (Luke 19)
Easter
THE HALLELUJAH CHORUS (I Corinthians 15)
THE SURE THING (Acts 2)
THE RESURRECTION--GOD'S PROMISE (I Corinthians 15)
THE DEFEAT OF DEATH (I Corinthians 15)
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Genesis
លោកុប្បត្តិ (កំណើត ពិភពលោក)
Book of BEGINNINGS -- heavens and earth, light and darkness, seas and land, animals and vegetation with humankind as the climax of God's creative activity "in His image". Book of RELATIONSHIPS -- between God and His creation, between God and humankind, and between human beings. Written by Moses approx. 1440 B.C. ("before Christ") during the Exodus.
Movie Review: "Noah"
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Commemoration; March; People's Congress Moved to CNRP Headquarters Sunday, 30 March 2014
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Commemoration of Easter Sunday 1997 Grenade Attack, followed by People's Congress at Park across from Old National Assembly Building (Sothearos Blvd. and Street 240) I will join both events TOMORROW, Sunday, March 30 MORNING: first, the Commemoration of Easter Sunday Grenade Attack, 1997; followed by People's Congress -- both at SAME LOCATION, at park across from old National Assembly. Please help us to monitor the tense situation, as Hun Sen has threatened the assembly with violent force. But it is critical this time that we do not appease and that we face the forces straight on. It is true that Hun Sen cannot be tried retroactively for the crimes of 30 March 1997 at the International Criminal Court. But that is not to say that these murders could not be referenced and used to contextualize current pending complaints and (to be sure) future cases--especially if forces use violence against peaceful citizens tomorrow--in painting what kind of leader is Hun Sen and what kind of regime is the CPP.
Over the years, I've written and posted many articles on the International Criminal Court: first, to advocate for its establishment during my last year of law school in 1999; second, to inform the Cambodian public of its provisions; third, to warn the potential CPP perpetrators; and since, to remind of the relevant provisions vis-a-vis Cambodia and the nature of "building a case", that is the accumulation of evidence over time, either as direct evidence (if within the temporal jurisdiction) or evidence to buttress the core complaint (if before the ICC came to be, e.g. March 1997 grenade attack).
Let me note that complaints will be accepted on the merits, but there exist also political and arbitrary considerations to the merits: how the ICC has been Africa-centric and looks for cases in other regions of the world; how it depends on the passion and interests of the particular prosecutor; how it depends on the momentum of various movements and advocacy toward the case or if a lesson of deterrence can be drawn from it, etc.
On another note, Hun Sen's attempt to spin and place potential violence on the CNRP leadership is pathetic; it may work in his kangaroo court, but laughable anywhere else, particularly at the ICC. Hun Sen has a long, documented history of mass violence; Sam Rainsy a long history of peace and publicly advocating for peace, notably most recently with all the trainings on peaceful movements from around the world, especially Martin Luther King's civil rights and Gandhi's satyagraha movements.
In my study and research of the ICC, and international criminal justice generally, over the years, I'm struck by how regularly the perpetrators who found themselves within the ICC dock (or those of other international courts) are surprised to be found there. Each person felt so invincible at the moment of violence, thinking they are shielded from justice. Such short term thinking must be from their immediate surrounding of experiencing impunity for so long and thinking that "power" is on their side eternally. A part of it is the person's lack of understanding of the rapid development of international law, and the other part is emblematic of human nature, of giving more credence to the immediacy of the situation and thinking themselves invincible in their present power.
But the long arm of justice continues to grow and to be less predictable, e.g. Pinochet, Kissinger, Kenyatta.
Let Hun Sen and the CPP build the case and strengthen existing complaints filed against them at the ICC in their future use of violence against citizens peacefully assembling and quicken their own political death knell.
- Theary C. Seng, 29 March 2014
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The Launch of our New Website; CIVICUS President to Attend the Commemoration of Victims in March 30 Grenade Attack and People’s Congress
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Phnom Penh, 28 March 2014 CIVICUS: Center for Cambodian Civic Education proudly announces the launch of our new, dynamic website www.civicus-cambodia.org. It features a new blog on our Speak Truth to Power program, updated content on our latest activities, photos, videos, lots of fascinating external reads, ways to get involved, and much more. They are all presented in a new, sleek, user-friendly format. Check us out! Come back to visit us often and join in our activities. On a more somber matter, CIVICUS Cambodia expresses deep concern about the lack of justice for victims of the grenade attack on 30 March 1997 during the passing of these 17 years. On that Easter Sunday morning 1997, four grenades ripped through a peaceful group of demonstrators in front of the National Assembly, killing 20 people and wounding 100 others. The demonstrators included garment workers, cyclo drivers, vendors, advocates of democracy, and political activists led by Sam Rainsy, demanding independence for the judiciary. Ms. Theary C. Seng, who missed the gathering that fateful 1997 Sunday morning because her alarm clock failed to ring due to the battery running out, will be attending the commemoration ceremony this Sunday, 30 March 2014. Ms. Seng will then proceed to join Cambodian citizens who love democracy and freedom at Democracy Square for the People’s Congress hosted by the pro-democracy Cambodian National Rescue Party later in the afternoon. After the violent crackdown earlier this January, the Cambodian People’s Party issued a ban against a gathering of more than 10 people, effectively creating a de facto police state. Ms. Seng explains why it is important for CIVICUS Cambodia to participate in this People’s Congress: “The core identity of CIVICUS Cambodia is all about being a citizen—a person who knows about and exercises her rights with responsibility. Our motto captures this well: ‘transforming subjects … transforming survivors … into citizens.’ This ban is unacceptable and violates the fundamental right of a Khmer citizen to peaceful assembly.
“As such, it is of great importance that we, the Cambodian citizens and all lovers of freedom, challenge the ban at every opportunity before it becomes, by habit because of appeasement over time, a way of life.”
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So proud of my Delilah! My pep talk on her being more assertive with her kind is working. I think I need to take her on more walks in the city...like this evening before my dinner. I heard she even barked when I was away, rare, as it's normally ME(!) teaching her how to bark! (Phnom Penh, 29 March 2014)
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Phnom Penh by Night 28 March 2014 Hanging out with Friends
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Postcards from Kirirom Leisurely soaking in God's beautiful world in Kirirom on a lazy Sunday afternoon 23 March 2014
See more photos from Kirirom at Facebook...
Violent Crackdown on Mam Sonando
A Second Day of Violence
27 Jan. 2014
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Bloody Return to Freedom Park Sunday, 26 Jan. 2014
All photos: Theary C. Seng
(go to Facebook, 26 Jan. 2014 for more photos and corresponding captions / narratives)
I spent 10-15 minutes in front if this group among their leaders asking them: are you here to protect us or wage war on us? Here to she'd more blood of monks and innocent civilians, your parents and siblings? It is our right to be here, my right to be here...
With the courageous(!!!) lauk Yeay Khuon Nget
Images / Videos 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
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Wisdom from Neang Delilah
Lioness Delilah contemplative about the violence of this morning in this road trip with Toulouse uncle to Sre Ampil to meet with Lauk Pou Son Soubert and his children and visiting friends for lunch Neang Delilah says:
STOP THE VIOLENCE.
It's so uncool.
And it makes everyone sad ; (
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Cambodian Unionists Mark Murder of Prominent Labor Leader (AFP | 22 Jan. 2014)
Photos 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
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In Remembrance of Chea Vichea
Peaceful March on 10th Anniversary of his Assassination 22 Jan. 2004 - 22 Jan. 2014
Law on Peaceful Assembly in Cambodia "...the Free Trade Union as a matter of courtesy informed the Municipal of Phnom Penh about its plan to conduct a peaceful march in remembrance of Chea Vichea, the FTUWKC's slain union leader.
"As this is a march of remembrance and not a protest to make a public demand, the Free Trade Union is under no legal obligation to make a written notification to the authority... "Here, I am reminded of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: 'There are some instances when a law is just on its face and unjust in its application.' (See his Letter from Birmingham Jail.)" - Theary C. Seng, 21 Jan. 2014
Route of Peaceful March, 22 Jan. 2014, starting at 8:30 A.M.
https://app.box.com/s/lv1hr35ujb6c7qkx1uue
Click to read Joint Press Release of Free Trade Union and CIVICUS Cambodia
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Burden of Proof
Theary C. Seng Phnom Penh, 14 Jan. 2014 -- In light of the court summons for CNRP president and vice-president Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha and union leader Rong Chhun and their appearance at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court today, I am again aghast at how easily this CPP regime violates basic principles of understanding, here the general (without the legal technicalities) idea of the burden of proof. As you read the article I had written in Jun 2008 published in The Phnom Penh Post, with a commentary on 30 Jan. 2010 published in KI Media, apply the principle to the current political turmoil and the threats of lawsuits against leaders representing garment workers.
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Hun Sen's War on the People
PLEASE, PLEASE, use discretion in posting images of the dead! We do not need to see an open bloody head or spilled out stomachs. An issue of respect AND emotional societal health. - Theary, 3 Jan. 2014
Go to Truth2Power Media for AGGREGATED news for more photos and both national and international coverage of fatal clashes, in both Khmer and English
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Happy New Year !!
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Cambodia Spring
For all AGGREGATED NEWS on Cambodia, I go to Truth2Power (T2P) Media
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LEAD WITH WISDOM
my gift arrived from Australia (on Christmas Eve)!!
What a BEAUTY!
Guess who's mentioned in Chapter 6?!
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Crackdown
on Christmas Eve Morning!
Read articles at Truth2Power Media TURMOIL in Phnom Penh this CHRISTMAS EVE -- Please help us to monitor during this holiday season, the time that this autocratic CPP regime normally cracks down on peaceful Cambodian demonstrators and activists, knowing that the world is busy celebrating Christmas and New Year.
- Theary, 24 Dec. 2013
Celebrating CHRISTMAS EVE at my sister-in-law's restaurant "Chenda;s BBQ" in Boeung Keng Kang I, immediately behind Lucky Market, corner of Trasaek Paem (Street 63) and street behind Lucky Market, next to Tokyo (Central) Hotel -- here, the CNRP youth leaders are celebrating Christmas Eve with Senators Mardi Seng and Vannol Teav after their many successful daily protest.
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GIVE THANKS!
(click to watch video)
ABC News (Foreign Correspondent) | CNN (World Untold Stories Film interview with me at Preah Vihear in 2007
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First day of 3-day Protest and March to UNOHCHR 23 Oct. 2013 (22nd anniversary of Paris Peace Agreements) More photos on KI Media 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
Go to my Facebook pages for captions to these and other photos.
X. LAW TALK 20 YEARS OF CAMBODIAN CONSTITUTION Moving towards implementation of Constitutional Law? 11.-13.10.2013 Sihanoukville Province, Independence Hotel
My presentation on the first day was on The Right to Vote
Board of Trustees Meeting Ms. Theary C. Seng attending as Board President Tagaytay, The Philippines | 2 Sept. 2013
Sam Rainsy Returns
to a Rapturous
Hero's Welcome
Photos: Theary C. Seng, 19 July 2013 More images taken by me from the truck carrying Sam Rainsy at my Facebook accounts and in KI-Media 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
Global Convening to End Mass Atrocities Istanbul (16-21 June 2013) Istanbul, Turkey's largest city at 15 to 17 million people, is magical, as exquisitely stunning as one can imagine it to be and more (!!). Also known as Constantinople, named after the Roman Emperor Constantine who converted to Christianity in 4th century, it has now only one percent Christian out of 55 Million population.
I'm presenting on 19 June 2013 "Reconciling Peace with Justice in Cambodia: the Limitations of Tribunals to Address Mass Crimes"
https://www.box.com/s/g9go7em1jyvuhvy8jbjj
Click here to read narratives and see more photos, or go to Ms. Seng's Facebook accounts
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Theary C. Seng and the Road Ahead in Cambodia By Michelle Phipps-Evans Asian Fortune News, 3 Feb. 2013
The name Theary Chan Seng generates a fervor approaching reverence in the Cambodian community here and abroad. She is the Cambodian-born, American-educated lawyer and civil rights activist who founded the Cambodian Center for Justice & Reconciliation. It is a major component of another organization she serves as founding president, CIVICUS: Center for Cambodian Civic Education. This nonprofit group is dedicated to promoting an enlightened and responsible citizenry committed to democratic principles. It is actively engaged in the practice of democracy and reconciliation in Cambodia and the larger, globalized world. So who really is Seng, the person? She is a survivor of the Khmer Rouge (KR) regime, and has spent almost two decades advocating for its victims, many of whom were orphaned, widowed, abused or molested—victims who were like Seng herself.
. . . Obama, in Cambodia for a Meeting, Sidesteps the Ghosts of History
International Herald Tribune (Peter Baker, November 20, 2012)
Theary Seng, president of the Association of Khmer Rouge Victims in Cambodia, said, “President Obama should have met with the human rights community and activists challenging the Hun Sen regime, and while then and there, offer a public apology to the Cambodian people for the illegal U.S. bombings, which took the lives of half a million Cambodians and created the conditions for the Khmer Rouge genocide.”
Click here to read this complete news analysis
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Protests Greet Obama's Visit International Herald Tribune / New York Times PHNOM PENH — Theary Seng was taking aim with precision and anger. The 41-year-old U.S.-trained lawyer and a regular on Cambodia’s crowded protest circuit was about to throw a dart at a poster of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Kissinger is one of 13 politicians and senior Khmer Rouge leaders in a dart game created by Poetic Justice, a nongovernmental organization run by Theary Seng that highlights deficiencies of the special U.N.-backed tribunal judging the Khmer Rouge’s crimes. Each player gets five throws. A bull’s-eye is worth seven points. The highest score wins. Last Sunday afternoon, Theary Seng and three members of her staff were playing on Phnom Penh’s riverfront opposite the storied Foreign Correspondents’ Club. On this occasion — the fourth time the game has been staged in public — the point was to draw attention to the narrow scope of the Khmer Rouge tribunal ahead of President Barack Obama’s visit for a summit meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Click here to read full article.
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Watch the TV3 New Zealand broadcast with Mike McRoberts (aired 21 Nov. 2012) At ASEAN summit, trade overshadows human rights
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Open Letter to U.S. President Barack Obama Published in The Phnom Penh Post, 20 November 2012
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Theary Seng and some 30 security (plus more embedded in Wat Phnom Penh and Sunway Hotel) Narrative of harassment and images of Ms. Theary C. Seng's stand-off with at least 30 big bulky, heavily armed security in front of US Embassy Phnom Penh (Tuesday, 19 Nov. 2012)
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Emotional Violence of Past Poetic Justice Dart Games flared into Physical Assault on Ms. Theary C. Seng and those around her along the Riverfront, Sunday, 18 Nov. 2012
Reykjavik, Iceland SESSION 3: CALLING 4.15 - 5.45 pm Led by Miriam Subirana, Foundation for a Culture of Peace The session includes: Theary C. Seng, Founder, Centre for Justice and Reconciliation, Cambodia
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More at Association of Khmer Rouge Victims in Cambodia... "Cambodia's Khmer Rouge Court 'Dying' ABC News film, aired 16 Oct. 2012
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Khmer Rouge defendant Ieng Thirith ruled unfit for Cambodian genocide trial due to dementia The Washington Post, 13 Sept. 2012 Of course if she is seriously ill with Alzheimer’s, she should be released. There is no point in trying an incapacitated person,” said Theary Seng, a human rights advocate representing some victims who are allowed a role in the proceedings. “The point is the (tribunal) is so late in coming. The political foot-dragging and inertia has caused this travesty of justice.”
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Poetic Justice and Civil Party Withdrawal in the News Nov. 2011 Ex-leader: Khmer Rouge atrocities are 'fairy tale' AP Newswire, 23 Nov. 2011 "I'm not surprised that Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan and Ieng Sary continue to deny their crimes as the charges against them of genocide, war crimes are very serious," said Theary Seng, a Cambodian lawyer and human rights activist who lost family members under their regime. "Even if I am not surprised, I am however disgusted by their lack of remorse for the suffering they caused. They are delusional in their denial in light of the weight of evidence against them - the mounds of skulls and bones, the horrific testimonies from every survivor of cruelty, the magnitude and scope of evil unleashed by them across the whole of Cambodia."
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"Khmer Rouge trial is failing Cambodian victims of Pol Pot's regime" Human Rights Watch Brad Adams' editorial The Guardian, 26 Nov. 2011
. . . "Justice Denied" Douglas Gillison, Foreign Policy Magazine, 23 Nov. 2011 . . . Deputy President of Victims Association, a Civil Party of the Orphans Class, Mr. CHEY Theara, Withdraws Civil Party Status, Denounces ECCC as Political Farce _______________________ PRESS RELEASE _______________________
Full statement in both Khmer and English in KI-Media. Here, if ISP censors in Cambodia.
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Khmer Rouge Trial Missing a Marquee Defendant Wall Street Journal, 21 Nov. 2011 “The release of Ieng Thirith is only one reflection of how incredibly late these trials are coming into place,” said Theary Seng, founder of the Cambodian Center for Justice and Reconciliation and herself, too, a victim of the Khmer Rouge regime, having lost her parents and spent five months in prison. She has withdrawn from the tribunal process, and instead put her energy into organizing public games of darts featuring the faces of the Khmer Rouge leaders along Phnom Penh’s riverfront – a “way of release” following victims’ frustrations with the trial process, mixed with “dark humor,” she said.
But the trial - a joint enterprise between the UN and Cambodia - has been heavily criticised. Theary Seng, whose parents were killed by the Khmer Rouge, said putting three people on trial for the deaths of 1.7 million simply wasn't enough. (BBC News, 21 Nov. 2011)
Khmer Rouge Trial: Cambodia Awaits Answers BBC News, 21 Nov. 2011
. . . AFP, 21 Nov. 2011 Khmer Rouge survivor Theary Seng told AFP she was "frustrated beyond words" that only Khieu Samphan looked likely to shed light on what happened. "The people want to know who is behind the Khmer Rouge, we want to see and understand the larger picture and we're not going to get that," she said.
From Tragedy to Sham in Cambodia Asia Times Online, 19 Nov. 2011 In KI-Media Others have gone further, arguing that the time might be ripe for the UN to pull the plug on the controversy-plagued court altogether. Last week, Theary Seng, a Cambodian-American survivor of the Khmer Rouge regime and a prominent advocate for victims' rights, withdrew her status as a civil party to the court, describing the proceedings as a "complete sham". She said the UN should threaten to withdraw after setting some clear conditions for its continued participation. By pressing ahead, Seng said, the world body runs the risk of rubber-stamping a flawed process and further embedding cynicism in the Cambodian population. "I understand the unwieldiness of any large bureaucracy, but at the end of the day it comes down to personalities, and there have been extremely weak personalities," she said. "In this regard, the UN is complicit."
In the End, Loss of Faith in Tribunal: Former Complainant Hello VOA Special with Theary Seng, 16 Nov. 2011 Khmer Rouge Victim Quits Tribunal Saying UN-backed Court is a Sham DPA, 15 Nov. 2011
Prominent Victims' Advocate Quits Khmer Rouge Tribunal VOA International/English, 15 Nov. 2011 KRT Critic Offers 'Poetic Justice' The Phnom Penh Post, 16 Nov. 2011 Theary Seng Denounces Tribunal; Introduces Dartboard Scheme The Cambodia Daily, 16 Nov. 2011
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Click here to read the full press release...
More information at "ECCC Civil Party" More information at Association of Khmer Rouge Victims in Cambodia Theary Seng Criticizes KRT as "Political Farce" The Phnom Penh Post, 10 Nov. 2011
Radio Free Asia (both AM and PM broadcasts on 10 Nov. 2011)
Cambodian-American Lawyer Withdraws her Civil Party Status Voice of America Khmer Service, 10 Nov. 2011
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