The Cambodia Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC), a coalition of 18 local NGOs, wishes to invite all supporters of human rights to attend the trial of former Khmer Rouge leader Sam Bith this Thursday, 12 December, to support relatives of people whose deaths he's charged with ordering. The trial will be in Phnom Penh Municipal Court at 7:30 AM.

This case arises out of a KR attack on a train in Kampot in 1994 during which 13 Cambodians were killed. Three young men from Australia, France and England were also taken captive and later executed. Lawyers representing the families of Cambodian and English victims will put on evidence that Sam Bith ordered the attack on the train and the executions of the 3 foreigners.

Sam Bith joined the KR in 1968. By the time Phnom Penh fell in 1975 he was a general. During KR rule of Cambodia from 1975-1979 he was 2d in command of the southwest zone under Ta Mok. This zone was one of Democratic Kampuchea's most murderous; its cadres and soldiers were at times called into other zones to commit large numbers of executions. After the Vietnamese army ousted the KR from control of most of the country in 1979, Sam Bith stayed behind as chief of the southwest zone. He was in this position when the train was attacked and the foreign hostages murdered. The train attack and murders took place in the southwest zone. To date the only former KR leaders who have been criminally prosecuted are 3 including Sam Bith who were charged in connection with the Kampot train attack.
CHRAC hopes that the court will review all evidence presented to them in a fair and transparent manner and render justice to the families of the victims that died in the train attack.

For more information, please contact:
▪ Mr. Thun Saray, Coordinator of the Action Committee at 016 880 509
▪ Mr. Sok Sam Oeun, Executive Director of CDP at 012 901 199
▪ Mr. Chhoeun Sokha, Executive Director of LAC at 012 885 493

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