Why has it taken so long to try the Khmer Rouge?
This is something that has not been addressed properly except by Noam Chomsky, but he talks more about the US bombing. I think the bombing is a crime, but I think UN recognition of the Khmer Rouge for 11 years is not a crime – it is an outrage. They killed 2 million people, and they [had a seat at the UN]. For me … they should have been tried in court then. Has the UN admitted it made a mistake? No. The trouble is that [giving the Khmer Rouge Cambodia’s seat at the UN] was adopted by the majority. So the UN never admits a mistake if it is adopted by a majority. The UN is not one person. The UN is 193 people. I am the one who says this is a travesty of justice. But the Khmer Rouge was part of a broader coalition government that held the UN seat. That’s a farce. Since 1979, the KR was recognised as the government of Cambodia. And precisely because the West was embarrassed in 1982, three years later, they established these – I call them Nicaragua contra groups: One is Funcinpec and one
