The 80s

The Guardian ran an interesting comment piece yesterday written by Tom Fawthrop. The whole thing kind of hangs on the death of Ta Mok but from there it detours into a chronicling of Khmer Rouge history, including some interesting details of SAS operations during the 80s.

Perhaps most notably, though, the story points out something that has mostly been missed by the current coverage surrounding Ta Mok and his killing machine.

In trying to get to grips with the chain of command behind the mass killing Ta Mok would have been a key witness as well as a star defendant given his dual role – attending leadership and policy meetings presided over by Pol Pot, and also tasked with the implementation of Angkar’s orders (the top leadership).

There’s other good stuff too. Worth a read.

KR military commander Ta Mok dies

AFP via The Courier Mail:

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.

Death watch

If there was any pretense of niceties left, DPA, with this headline, has most certainly dispensed with them — at which point Cambodia will collectively run into the street and dance a jig.

POSTSCRIPT: Just as an aside, it seems very likely that Ta Mok’s presumed nickname, “The Butcher,” is a fabrication of the media, invented by journalist because it sounded good, and not something that his comrades or enemies coined.

Ta Mok in coma

According to this AP report, Ta Mok has been moved to the military hospital in Phnom Penh where he is in a coma.

Benson Samay said Ta Mok was unconscious when he visited him at a military hospital in Phnom Penh on Thursday.

“Since last night, his condition began to worsen. In fact, he was in a coma,” he told a news conference. “He could die tonight, tomorrow or next week if the current state persists.”

He said Ta Mok, 82, is suffering from high blood pressure, tuberculosis and respiratory complications.

Days of our lives (crimes against humanity edition)

According to the weekend edition of the Cambodia Daily, the daily Khmer-language newspaper Rasmei Kampuchea and the Documentation Center of Cambodia are planning a “Khmer Rouge Watch,” which will cover the daily lives of Khmer Rouge leaders.

“We have to keep our eyes on the daily lives of the Khmer Rouge leaders,” DC-Cam Director Youk Chhang said Friday. “If Ta Mok is sick, we have to inform people,” he said.

DC-Cam will also set up a Khmer Rouge telephone hotline in August to answer questions from the public about the trial.

The story doesn’t say anything about an English-language version. But considering the health of Ta Mok, which at last report was “very poor and deteriorating rapidly,” and the age of other likely suspects, all in their 70s or more, it’s unlikely that there’s much Hennessy and karaoke going on.

Ta Mok on the mend

Also via the CaDa today comes news that Ta Mok is on the mend.

Ta Mok’s medical condition has improved slightly and the 81-year-old former Khmer Rouge military commander — who was hospitalized Thusday after going 10 days in prison unable to consume food — ate a small amount over the weekend, his lawyer Benson Samay said on Sunday. (full story)

It is assumed by many that Ta Mok will be the Khmer Rouge Tribunal’s star defendant, if he doesn’t die first. But that is a big if.

Asiaweek ran a pretty good profile on him back in 1999, just after his capture.