NGOs are Concerned about the Safety of Witnesses in the Khmer Rouge Tribunal - 2005-03-03

Local and international non-governmental organizations (NGO) are concerned about the safety of witnesses in the future Khmer Rouge trial.

At the end of the two-day seminar on the Khmer Rouge trial in Phnom Penh today, the participating NGOs say they are concerned that the witnesses will be threatened and the trial can not be a fair one if there is intimidation of witnesses.

LICAHDO president Khek Ghalibru said the witnesses should be protected and have complete freedom in the future trial.

The UN and the Cambodian government have agreed to form a special tribunal for the former Khmer Rouge leaders.

However, such court has not been formed yet. It's estimated that the total cost will be at leaset 47 million dollars.