Between 1975 and 1979, the Khmer Rouge government of Cambodia killed and starved an estimated 1 million people - 20% of the country's population. Now the UN and Cambodia have established a tribunal to try former Khmer Rouge leaders for their crimes. Unfortunately, it is on the verge of failing before it even begins because the Cambodian government cannot afford to pay for it.
This is an opportunity for New Zealand to show some leadership on the world stage. We have always been defenders of international law and human rights, and we should put our money where our mouth is and do our bit to ensure that those responsible for the Killing Fields face justice. By offering to contribute towards the tribunal, the New Zealand government will be standing up for our fundamental values - and encouraging other nations to do the same.
If you'd like to encourage the government to do the decent thing here, you can email Phil Goff or Marian Hobbs.
If anyone needs any further motiviation to do so I suggest they get their hands on the book, First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung.
ReplyDeleteSo, run this by me again - horrific human rights violations are performed in Cambodia, and you want to fleece New Zealand taxpayers to pay for the court costs?
ReplyDeleteNice.
I'll remember to explain all of this to the aged on waiting lists. You know, the aged who couldn't afford health insurance because of taxation (and in fact were promised that a result of that taxation would be care in retirement), and who are now dying before they get surgery so the Government can provide foreign aid.
Nice.
Cambodia is desperately poor, and I think that this kind of process is needed to help ensure global security and basic human rights. It's not a matter of "fleecing" NZ taxpayers, it's about building foreign relationships and global accountability for atrocities. Really, we can afford both.
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