KR military commander Ta Mok dies
July 21, 2006
Ta Mok, one of the main leaders of Cambodia’s brutal Khmer Rouge who was expected to be a key defendant in a trial of top regime figures, has died aged 80, his lawyer said today.
“Ta Mok passed away at 4.45am (7.45am AEST). We feel very sad for his death but what can we do,” his lawyer said, adding that he had slipped into unconsciousness before he died.
This is obviously a blow to the tribunal, but not an unexpected one. Nobody believed that Ta Mok, if he could hold on, would be healthy enough to testify, so his death seems unlikely to affect the prosecution’s strategy much.
POSTSCRIPT: The Cambodia Daily on Tuesday reported that Ta Mok had given a partial confession after his arrest in 1999.
UPDATE: Reuters reports on funeral ceremonies being held for Ta Mok in Anlong Veng.
September 21, 2006 at 12:26 pm
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