Cambodia's ruling party support ECCC to try DK leaders

The Cambodian People's Party ( CPP) supports the Extraordinary Chamber in the Courts of Cambodia ( ECCC ) to try former Democratic Kampuchea (DK) leaders, said a CPP statement received on Sunday.

The stance was clarified at the general assembly of the 33rd central steering committee of CPP held here on Saturday.

The major ruling party agreed with the principles of the agreement between the Cambodian government and the United Nations on the trial of former DK leaders, it added.

In early January, Chea Sim, CPP President and also Senate President, said that CPP supported the ongoing process of the ECCC, which was conducted on the correct timing basis.

Earlier this week, ECCC spokesman Reach Sambath told reporters that ECCC would start their task soon.

The UN plans to meet in Thailand to discuss internal regulations for ECCC, Cambodian officials plan to discuss them in Phnom Penh, and the two sides will later meet for final decision, which will then facilitate the start of trial.

The UN and the Cambodian government co-established ECCC to try the former DK leaders at the expenses of 53.6 million U.S. dollars.

According to independent research, about 1.7 million people died of starvation, overwork and mass grave killing in the DK era in the 1970s.

Source: Xinhua