Khmer Rouge admission 'a key step'

By Clare Arthurs BBC News

The head of an organisation which collects evidence of genocide by the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia says there are signs that leading members of the former regime are positioning themselves to face charges, 30 years after the end of Pol Pot's rule.

The former Cambodian President, Khieu Samphan, has publicly admitted the regime was responsible for killings, but denied any personal responsibility.

More than a million people died under Khmer Rouge rule

A range of people in Cambodia, including legal and social activists and academics, have reacted with surprise that he should speak up now, so long after Pol Pot took his forces back to their jungle strongholds.

Khieu Samphan made his admission earlier this week, after reportedly watching a film about S-21, the torture centre where thousands of people were held before being taken to the Killing Fields.

But although many say his revelation is hollow, Khieu Samphan has taken a significant step.

Chhang Youk, head of the Documentation Centre in the capital Phnom Penh, points out that the admission of the horrors of the Khmer Rouge comes from a very senior figure.

It could indicate he is preparing to testify at the tribunals.

And it is more evidence that after years of doubt that the controversial tribunals could ever be set up, they are now close - perhaps just months away.