Howes murder case update

More than twelve years after the murder of MAG de-mining specialist Christopher Howes (left) and his translator Houn Hourth, six men are now in custody in Phnom Penh's Prey Sar Prison awaiting trial. Investigations are still taking place so no date for the trial has been announced and even more arrests may be made. The arrests were something I never really expected to happen, so that in itself has been a massively positive step in the right direction in resolving this murder case. The prosecution have had twelve years to put their case together - let's hope its water-tight and that the truth will be told and the perpetrators found guilty. This is one instance where the Cambodian authorities can achieve an outcome that will send a positive message to all that justice can be achieved in Cambodia. I live in hope.

You can read my detailed notes on Christopher Howes and the full story here.

The sixth suspect, Puth Lim was arrested on Friday, in the southern town of Kampot. He has allegedly been in hiding for a number of years in the former Khmer Rouge stronghold of Anlong Veng, though the press have also claimed he was Pol Pot's graveyard keeper, which if true, doesn't ring true with the 'in hiding' claim as the gravesite has been a tourist attraction for quite some time. It's also claimed he was the driver of the car that transported the two de-miners to their death. Puth Lim is the latest to be arrested, following the high profile arrest of three other former KR cadre last November, including the man suspected of supervising the killing, Khem Nguon (pictured), and two others more recently. The names of those in custody today are Khem Nguon, Loch Mao, Chep Cheat, Sin Dorn, Horm Hai and Puth Lim. Horm Hai was arrested recently, though his arrest was not announced by the the deputy director of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, Ke Sakhorn, until sometime later. Sakhorn also explained that the cases have been transferred from the Siem Reap court, where the original application was made, because there were believed to be former Khmer Rouge leaders in Siem Reap who would have made investigations difficult!

For me this murder case is personal. I never met Christopher, who was killed in March 1996 after his abduction, but I was affected by his disappearance, both because he was a fellow Brit in Cambodia - I first visited Cambodia at the end of 1994 and was deeply in love with the country - and also because he came from Bristol, just twenty minutes drive from my own home. I was in contact with his parents at the time and two years later I received an invitation to attend a memorial service in his honour but regrettably I wasn't able to attend. The two de-miners died whilst trying to rid Cambodia of the scourge of landmines - something that upset the KR hierarchy and signed their death warrants - and they deserve justice, even after so long.