Mechanics of Building a Case: 101

Iljas Baker's piece as mentioned earlier also offers a startling insight into some extraordinary steps being taken to prepare for the tribunal.

Youk Chhang, director of the Phnom Penh based Documentation Centre of Cambodia, one of the major NGOs working for the establishment of an independent Khmer Rouge trial and preparing documentation of mass crimes, has reported receiving ``indirect threats''. The centre has felt it necessary to improve security at its offices and has taken the precaution of shipping 70% of its evidence overseas.

There is also mention of work in preparing people for the trial. As denoted earlier there is some uncertainty as to whether the experience will be a catharsis effect oe merely cruelly reopen old wounds.

There are also fears of a renewal of violence instigated by former Khmer Rouge leaders who feel threatened by the trial. These fears are shared by the rural population and the educated urban classes alike, and they are by no means groundless.
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Fears of triggering psychological trauma associated with having to ``relive'' the Khmer Rouge era are also at the forefront of people's concerns and are beginning to be addressed by government organisations and NGOs before the trial gets under way.