Today’s New York Times reported: A United Nations-backed tribunal on Monday found a 67-year-old former prison warden of the Khmer Rouge guilty of crimes against humanity and war crimes for overseeing the torture and killing of more than 14,000 prisoners. He was the first major figure to be tried in the murderous regime since it was toppled 30 years ago. For the full story, click Verdict Due in the Trial of Khmer Rouge Leader.
The story is especially poignant for me after cruising the Mekong on AMAWATERWAYS La Marguerite.
In Phnom Penh, Cambodia, we visited the Killing Fields as well as the torture camp known as S-21.
For me, it was important that my daughter and I saw the Killing Fields and the torture camp so that we would never forget the atrocities committed there, just as it is important to see holocaust memorials and museums. Nonetheless, it was a gut-wrenching day in Phnom Penh, especially when confronted with a tree against which babies were beaten to death.
The New York Times article was of particular interest, and I admit some disappointment in such a light sentence for such horrible crimes.
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