Documentary gives Khmer Rouge convict his say at Cannes
Duch, who oversaw the deaths of 15,000 people as a Khmer Rouge prison chief in the 1970s, portrayed himself on Sunday as a victim of circumstances in a documentary screened at Cannes. Cambodian director Rithy Panh filmed Duch a few weeks before the commander of Tuol Sleng prison, also known as S-21, became the first Khmer Rouge cadre to be tried by a UN-backed tribunal in Phnom Penh. Panh apologised on Sunday for turning down interviews about “Duch: Master of the Forges of Hell”, saying a decision was imminent on Duch’s appeal of a 30-year jail sentence for war crimes and crimes against humanity. “I don’t have the right to set out my opinions” while the appeal process is under way, said the film-maker, who was a child when his family perished under the Khmer Rouge.
“Duch: Master of the Forges of Hell”, which in the style of French documentaries does away with a narrator, sees Duch speaking calmly and frankly from behind a desk carpeted with photos of his victims. He does not deny his actions, but puts them in the context of the brutality with which the Khmer Rouge, under Pol Pot, imposed its brand of Marxism-Leninism on then-Kampuchea in the late 1970s.
“I tend to regard myself as innocent” and “held hostage” by the regime, said Duch, who today is 68. “I just belonged to the police… I wanted to go up the ladder just like anyone else,” he added. Speaking in Khmer, but switching to French to quote Karl Marx and the International Declaration of Human Rights, Duch described himself to be “a stoic, not a sadist”. For the Khmer Rouge revolution to succeed, he recalled, it was deemed necessary at the time for detainees at S-21 to be tortured, then interrogated, then “destroyed”. “This is how the machine worked,” he said.
Agreed. I made a few phone calls. Thank you for posting this.
It’s true that horses are subject to heatstroke, but the previous comments are right–horse hooves are made of keratin. The heat doesn’t bother their feet any more than the routine trimming needed to keep their feet balanced and prevent lameness. Even a beginner horseman knows this.
Heat stroke in horses is real but preventable; an observant handler or rider can use a horse safely in hot or humid conditions with sensible monitoring of respiration and heart rate. I used to do eventing–a summer sport that takes a lot of effort over three different disciplines–and I saw one case of it in a horse that wasn’t properly hydrate because she was one of those horses who didn’t like unfamiliar-smelling water. We routinely put some apple juice in the water when we had to use water my horse wasn’t familiar with.
I’m guessing what you know about horses would fit into a teaspoon.
Metal shoes make it even hotter for horses. Metal conducts heat. Anyone who defends horses being out on very hot asphalt is probably a carriage driver – an abuser. They need to get a real ethical job where they are not exploiting animals.
The people who say it is OK for horses to be outside on the very hot streets do not know how to treat horses in an ethical, kind and considerate way. The horses to them are money makers, nothing else. They are commodities. When they finish using them up, they bring them to auction where they are often sold for slaughter. They call them “IT.” How can anyone take them seriously. They are a joke. It is embarrassing to hear their stupidity.
You are obviously in the industry if you are defending the treatment of these animals. These animals are not provided water all day. If you do not believe me, take a look at the movie “Blinders” and see how their water troughs are dry. With this type of heat, these horses need more protection than normal, which they do not even get on a daily basis anyway. Not to mention they are animals whose instinct it is to run when they are frigthened, aka HONKED at all day. Here are more facts on the abuse of horses in the carriage trade industry: http://www.peta.org/mc/factsheet_display.asp?ID=135
Metal shoes make it even hotter for horses. Metal conducts heat. Anyone who defends horses being out on very hot asphalt is probably a carriage driver – an abuser. They need to get a real ethical job where they are not exploiting animals.
The people who say it is OK for horses to be outside on the very hot streets do not know how to treat horses in an ethical, kind and considerate way. The horses to them are money makers, nothing else. They are commodities. When they finish using them up, they bring them to auction where they are often sold for slaughter. They call them “IT.” How can anyone take them seriously. They are a joke. It is embarrassing to hear their stupidity.
I believe the NYC Carriage Association is taking care of the Bobby situation. I suppose since the German dictator Adolph Hitler had a hand in murdering millions of people, we as a society should ban Germans altogether? Or perhaps, since I saw a rotten apple at my grocery store I should work to ban the sale of all apples EVER?
Ever heard of throwing the baby out with the bathwater?
Sorry for my typos. I’m over the moon delerious at tweaking your uninformed nose so my proofreading skills are overworked. It’s so hot here and I haven’t had a drink in at least nine hours. I’m feeling prostrated.
As to the truth, you might do a little research on PETA’s record with animals. Not really the best. I believe they prefer euthanizing dogs, rather than adoption. Perhaps we should emulate their policies on the adoption of children as well? I’m just saying, if we’re going to let them kill dogs and send thousands of working horses into homelessness, why not see how well they do in the human department.
Atta girl! Back out with your dignity. Adieu!
yeah “a rotten apple”? You mean just one? You must think the American public is quite stupid. Get a real job!
Ok. Let’s do some math. I weigh 150 pounds. My daughter weighs 50 pounds, and her Red Flyer wagon weighs 25 pounds. So when I pull her riding in her wagon (using one arm), I am pulling 50 percent of my weight. Therefore, if I used both hands, I could pull my own weight. Are you keeping up?
A working draft horse (with four legs) weighs approximately 1800 pounds. Seven humans (this includes the driver) at 150 pounds each is 1050 pounds. (FYI, 6 adults in a carriage is a rarity as it is uncomfortably crowded.) A modern vis a vis carriage weighs about 500 pounds. Harness is negligible but we can give it maybe 50 pounds. Doing this math, a carriage horse is pulling less than its own weight, on wheels and usually on flat ground (I’m no physicist but I know momentum works to everyone’s advantage in this situation.) Considering the record weight pulled by a single horse is 3600 pounds, or TWICE its weight, I don’t really think city carriage horses are overloaded, do you?
As to no water all day, seriously? Are you just spouting nonsense, or are you visually impaired and thus cannot see the water troughs in the park?
I also hear honking when I walk down the sidewalk, but the last I heard, there are no cars in Central Park. So how are the horses being honked at “all the while?”
Come on lady, get your facts straight if you’re going to make a point.
“delerious” Hi Delirious! aka moron! You mean delusional? bawawawawa
I’m not debating with you. You’re clearly a moron. oh looky let’s do math now in order to change the subject. If any of you want to see the truth please watch the movie Blinders, or walk past the hack line every day, or see the horses in Times Square and Park Avenue who are cutting off cabs by their insane drivers while horns blow at them, or even seeing them take horses up 10th Avenue in the middle of a downpour. That my friends, is the TRUTH!
Yeah I feel like making up animal abuse stories so I can waste my time fighting with morons like you, who think animals are here to serve your money making purposes. Stop wasting our time and get a real job!
Hey Animal abuser,
Would you like standing on asphalt all day in 100 degree weather with metal shoes on, while pulling up to 6 people in a heavy carriage tied to your back, all the while getting honked at with no water for a least 9 hours a day? Only a moron like you would compare harnessed carriage horses to wild horses running on the Great Plains. Dumbass! Here are some FACTS for you: http://www.peta.org/mc/factsheet_display.asp?ID=135
Love the maturity of your response!
Well, I recently saw a movie about cars that turned into giant robots, but you don’t see me running in terror from every vehicle I see. Plus, it’s all about perspective. Take a photograph looking up at a dog while you’re laying on the ground, and voila! You have an enormous creature threatening the populace. Blinders is nothing more than a bit of sensationalist tripe Danny made to propagate his belief system. Lots of people do the same thing–it’s human nature. I could mention others who’ve done it, but they were all very bad men whose crimes were far worse than a silly animal right’s activist. I’m okay with animal rights, as long as those who promote them use common sense and integrity in their reportage. As for PETA, I don’t need to read someone else’s beliefs to formulate my own. I have eyes, education, and experience on my side. You should try to acquire the same if you plane on being any kind of a journalist. In the mean time, why don’t you let us professionals do the work.
“if you plane on being any kind of a journalist.”
Yeah ok loser. Enough said!
blah, blah, as for Peta, as for Blinders….yeah anything that exposes the TRUTH, you don’t want to hear about. What about the carriage horse that was just saved from the slaughter house? What’s your take on that, genius? I’m sure you work for a legitimate publication..NOT!
And what kind of ethical job do YOU have? What makes you YOUR money, and who or what do you exploit to make your living? What is embarrassing is listening to someone talk as though they know what they are talking about, but don’t. YOU don’t know what you are talking about.
For your information – I don’t exploit anything, never have, never will. Why don’t you go away? What are you doing on this group anyway? It’s for people who LIKE animals. Go away turd!
And wearing metal shoes poses even more of a risk to the horses because why? Are you not aware that the hoof wall has no nerve endings, and shoes are often fitted to the foot while still hot from the forge? If you are to jump on this hysterical band wagon then my suggestion would be to get your facts straight. Hot asphalt is NOT hard on a horse wearing metal shoes. Metal shoes were designed to PROTECT horses’ feet.
Didn’t expect an honest answer from you. Ha. If you don’t want confrontation when you tell lies, then stop circulating lies in a public forum. i will NOT go away!
Take a hike! Do you know how dumb you sound? hoof wall has no nerve endings? It’s HOT period. Temps are higher 100+degrees higher on the asphalt than what is actually recorded. Shut up animal abuser!
Hey Sun Fun, does it hurt when your clip your fingernails? A horse’s hoof wall is the same thing as your fingernail, only much stronger and thicker. I’ll assume from your comment you must know something the farriers and veterinarians do not know, even though they work with horses FULL TIME.
And I suppose horses in the wild NEVER experience hot weather, out on those temperate Great Plains. Have you ever been out west? It’s not exactly air conditioned. But perhaps we should speak to the BLM and have portable cooling stations for the mustangs. While they’re at it, they can provide blankets for when it’s cold outside. I’m sure the mountain lions will be happy to launder them on a regular basis.
By the way, love the maturity of your response. Good one.
To the same old anonymous: It is ridiculous to read that you are “OK with “animal rights. You obviously do not understand the philosophy since you use animals to make a living. You exploit them. You force them to work on hot humid days if the temperature is under 90 just because you can wring a few rides out of these horses. You force them to work in downpours and lightning storms. You force them to work in the bitter cold as long as the ASPCA officers are not around to stop you. You cheat customers. You overload your carriages if you think no one is looking. You go into areas that are off bounds if you believe you can do it without anyone catching you
It is obvious that you look at the horse as a commodity — something to use and abuse to make a buck. This is unethical.
Anyone with any compassion would see that horses on the streets of New York City are not a good idea. They are mixed in with a lot of traffic. They stand for hours on end between the shafts of their carriage — bored out of their minds. All one has to do is take a walk up Central Park South to know this. They have no stimulation in their stables or stalls where they are stored.
To always bring Peta into this is absurd. This debate is about the carriage industry and how it uses and abuses horses. It is not about Peta. It is not about who knows what about horses. That does not matter.
This industry will come to an end I am convinced because it is morally and ethically wrong. The average person who has an ounce of compassion can see the truth. People are not giving up because it is the right thing to do. Never in its history has this issue garnered more attention.