(19 Jan 2004) SHOTLIST
Pailin, Northwest Cambodia - 17 January 2004
1. Various of Nuon Chea, former deputy to Pol Pot, standing in doorway of his home
FILE
Phnom Penh - 6 June 2003
2. UN representative Hans Korel shakes hands with Cambodian Interior Minister Sok An after signing agreement to set up special tribunal to try leaders of former Khmer Rouge regime
Pailin, Northwest Cambodia - 17 January 2004
3. SOUNDBITE (Thai): Nuon Chea, former deputy for Pol Pot:
"I will go. I will go to the court to explain to the Cambodian people and to people around the world, to make them understand the past. I'll welcome it."
FILE
Cambodia (no location given), 1978
4. Various of workers in the fields at a vast agricultural project during Pol Pot regime
FILE
Kompong Cham province, 1980
5. Various of skulls and bones in field
Pailin - 3 July 2003
6. Various of Nuon Chea at funeral service for Pol Pot's first wife
Pailin - 17 January 2004
7. SOUNDBITE (Thai): Nuon Chea, former deputy for Pol Pot:
"Even though at that period Cambodia was run by Democratic Kampuchea (the official name of the Pol Pot regime) those who made the suffering of people were not Democratic Kampuchea people. I admit that Democratic Kampuchea played a part in it, but it wasn't at the level that people claim. It was not a genocide. I'm not a war criminal. How can you say that I destroyed a race? I am Khmer. How can I kill off the Khmer race?"
FILE
Sihanoukville - December 1998
8. Nuon Chea walks to van during vacation in seaside town of Sihanoukville
Pailin - 17 January 2004
9. SOUNDBITE (Thai): Nuon Chea, former deputy for Pol Pot:
"We had good intentions, I wanted to free the country and for the people to have well-being. We made a great effort but we didn't use our judgement to check the work and see who was doing things right and who was doing things wrong, that's what we lacked. I accept that error."
FILE
Phnom Penh - December 1998
10. Nuon Chea arrives at news conference, following his surrender to the government
Pailin - 17 January 2004
11. SOUNDBITE (Thai): Nuon Chea, former deputy for Pol Pot:
"I got to serve my country the best that I could. I did my duty as a person. I maintained my virtue. I did nothing that harmed my country and my people."
FILE
Phnom Penh, 13 December 2002
12. Various of Nuon Chea arriving at a court in Phnom Penh to act as a witness in defence of a former Khmer Rouge man, accused of murder
STORYLINE
In a rare television interview, the man who was second-in-command to notorious Cambodian tyrant Pol Pot has said that he welcomes the chance to stand trial.
While admitting to mistakes, Nuon Chea told Associated Press Television News that he was not a war criminal and did nothing to harm his people. Almost two million Cambodians died during the Pol Pot regime. Moves are going ahead to bring the regime's former leaders to trial.
Nuon Chea now lives quietly in the Cambodian border town of Pailin. There's nothing to show that he was once "Brother Number Two", the feared deputy to Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot. Since his surrender to the government in 1998, he spends his days waiting to see if he'll have to answer for the crimes of the ultra-communist regime.
Last year, the United Nations and the government agreed to set up a special tribunal to bring the surviving leaders to justice. Nuon Chea is expected to be top of the list of those indicted, for crimes such as genocide and crimes against humanity. He says he's happy to go.
A year ago, Nuon Chea appeared in a Phnom Penh court as a surprise witness in a murder trial.
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