CAMBODIA: BODY OF POL POT EXAMINED TO CONFIRM HIS IDENTITY скачать в хорошем качестве

CAMBODIA: BODY OF POL POT EXAMINED TO CONFIRM HIS IDENTITY

(17 Apr 1998) Natural Sound The body of Pol Pot was subjected to medical tests on Friday to verify that it is indeed the corpse of the former Khmer Rouge leader. Pol Pot is said to have died of a heart attack on Wednesday in a jungle hut where he had been detained under loose house arrest by a handful of hardline Khmer Rouge fighters. A five-man Thai military team travelled into the jungle to examine the corpse, which still lay in the hut in which he died, and took samples of his hair and photographed his teeth to confirm his identity. A five man Thai military team took samples from Pol Pot's body on Friday in the humid and airless hut in which he died barely 300 metres (275 yards) from the Thai border. The team of officials methodically examined the corpse, taking hair and fingerprint samples. The team, which did not include a doctor, was sent by the Thai authorities to verify that this was indeed the body of Pol Pot, the man held responsible for the deaths of 2 (m) million Cambodians. To counteract the high temperatures they placed ice around his head and feet and wrapped the corpse in a green tarpaulin. Thai military sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the United States had been pushing for a full autopsy but Thailand was reluctant to move the body onto Thai soil. Some Cambodians still don't believe Pol Pot has died and others are questioning whether he might not have been killed to avoid being captured and tried. This might have caused embarrassment to nations like Thailand and China which allegedly aided his movement. Pol Pot's death dashed the hopes of millions of Cambodians and others that he might finally be brought to justice for crimes against humanity. The United States was thought to be very close to apprehending Pol Pot and bringing him to trial at an international tribunal. The Khmer Rouge hardliners who were holding him under house arrest in the jungle were reportedly on the verge of handing over their former leader. The death of Pol Pot has deprived the Khmer Rouge leaders of a bargaining chip that may have secured them a peace deal with the government. The hunting down of hardline Khmer Rouge commanders, such as the ruthless Ta Mok, also known as 'The Butcher', will now be the prime objective of the Cambodian government. Under the Pol Pot regime, the Khmer Rouge turned Cambodia into a vast killing field and slave labour camp during their years in power. When the Khmer Rouge overthrew the U-S backed government 23 years ago to the day, and captured the capital Phnom Penh, Pol Pot declared it to be "Year Zero". In the resulting purge nearly one in five Cambodians died of overwork, starvation, disease and in systematic executions before the Khmer Rouge were toppled by an invasion from Vietnam. The dwindling and fragmented Khmer Rouge is more fragile than ever and their leaders, some of whom are responsible for the atrocities of the Killing Fields, are now Cambodia's most wanted. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...