Funeral of ‘First lady’ of Khmer Rouge draws hundreds

PHNOM PENH: Hundreds of former Khmer Rouge cadres on Monday attended the funeral of the one-time “first lady” of the murderous Cambodian regime, but victims expressed sadness she would now escape justice.
Between 200-300 people attended religious rites and prayers for Ieng Thirith, who was charged but never fully prosecuted for crimes against humanity by a UN-backed tribunal. She died on Saturday aged 83.
Her trial in 2012 for genocide and crimes against humanity was suspended due to ill health.
The body was cremated late on Monday in Pailin, a former Khmer Rouge stronghold on the Thai border where many regime leaders settled after they were ousted by a Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia in 1979.
Ieng Thirith was among only a handful of people ever brought to court over atrocities during the Khmer Rouge era. The suspension of her trial was a bitter blow to many who survived the regime.