Khmer Rouge prosecutors seek jail term for Duch

Prosecutors called on Tuesday for the former Khmer Rouge prison chief to get a lengthy jail term, saying he embodied the ruthless efficiency of the regime behind the "Killing Fields" atrocities.

Photo released by the Extraordinary Chamber in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) shows former Khmer Rouge prison chief Kaing Guek Eav -- also known as Duch. Prosecutors have called for Duch to get a lengthy jail term, saying he embodied the ruthless efficiency of the regime behind the "Killing Fields" atrocities.

Kaing Guek Eav -- better known as Duch -- has apologised repeatedly and admitted responsibility for his actions under Pol Pot's blood-soaked communist movement, which killed up to two million Cambodians in the 1970s.

But prosecutors giving their final arguments to the UN-backed Khmer Rouge war crimes court said Duch "was the personification of ruthless efficiency" and the "perfect candidate" to run the regime's main torture centre.

"It is simply inconceivable that anything other than a lengthy sentence of imprisonment should be imposed on him," Cambodian prosecutor Chea Leang said.

Prosecutors said Duch had a privileged position within the Khmer Rouge security apparatus -- rejecting defence claims that his actions during the 1975-1979 regime were out of fear for his own safety and that of his family.

"The accused was neither a prisoner, nor a hostage, nor a victim. The evidence proves the contrary," Australian prosecutor Bill Smith said. The court has a mix of local and foreign prosecutors.

"It clearly demonstrates he was an idealist, a (Khmer Rouge) revolutionary, a crusader who was prepared to sacrifice everything for this cause."

The former maths teacher, 67, faces a maximum life sentence as the tribunal cannot impose the death penalty. A verdict is expected in March next year.

Since proceedings began in February, Duch has begged forgiveness for overseeing the murders of around 15,000 men, women and children at the S-21 or Tuol Sleng prison, a former high school in the capital Phnom Penh.

The prosecutors' arguments were cut short Tuesday because of problems with the court's audio system. Court spokesmen said they would resume addressing judges Wednesday morning, and would be followed by the defence.

Duch has been detained since 1999, when he was found working as a Christian aid worker in the jungle, and was formally arrested by the tribunal in July 2007.

The court was established in 2006 and this is its first trial.

A Tuesday report by a court monitor, however, said the troubled tribunal risked losing credibility unless it addressed accusations of government interference and allegations that local staff paid kickbacks for their jobs.

The Open Society Justice Initiative report said the tribunal had made progress in Duch's trial, but expressed concerns that statements against the court by senior government members influenced local staff to limit its scope.

The process has often been hit by allegations that Cambodian premier Hun Sen's administration has attempted to interfere in the tribunal to protect former regime members who are now in government.

Hun Sen has made fiery speeches warning further prosecutions could plunge Cambodia back into civil war.

Hun Sen hailed Duch's trial in a Tuesday speech, saying he watched the live broadcast of proceedings from home, but he called on Western governments to take responsibility for their past support of the Khmer Rouge.

The regime was ousted by Vietnam-backed forces in 1979, which Hun Sen defected to from the Khmer Rouge in 1977.

"Now it is time that they should express their regretfulness, and at least, take moral responsibility. Otherwise, there is no need to try Khmer Rouge," Hun Sen said.

The Khmer Rouge continued to be recognised as the government of Cambodia at the United Nations until 1991, largely due to support from Western countries and China, which did not want a Vietnamese-backed government in power.

Led by "Brother Number One" Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge was responsible for one of the worst horrors of the 20th century, wiping out nearly a quarter of the population through starvation, overwork and execution.

Pol Pot died in 1998. The joint trial of four other more senior Khmer Rouge leaders is expected to start in 2011, while the court is considering whether to open cases against five other former Khmer Rouge cadres.