'Tis the season, evidently, for murderous dictators to come clean. The AP reports that Khmer Rouge former head of state Khieu Samphan today acknowledged that his regime committed genocide. Although still a free man in Kampuchea (formerly known as Cambodia), he faces the prospect of a trial for 'crimes against humanity' by a special UN tribunal, if only Kofi Annan can raise the estimated $40 million operating budget for such a forum, and the badly divided Cambodian government agree to final details.

This time, it wasn't the prospect of American military force being applied which caused the former tyrant to see the light. It was a documentary film, about the notorious S—21 prison, recently presented to him by a Cambodian—French filmmaker, Rithy Pan. "When I saw the film, it was hard for me to deny (the killings). There's no more doubt left."

Khieu Samphan appears to be trying to get the best deal possible. He stoutly maintains that he did not participate in the crimes of his regime.

Lest anyone forget, the Khmer Rouge killed 1.7 million Cambodians for such crimes as wearing glasses (indicating literacy, and therefore membership in the privileged intellectual class) courtesy of the American peace movement, and its victory in getting America to withdraw from involvement in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.

Posted by Thomas 12 30 03