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	Call for judges at UN-backed tribunal to investigate more Khmer Rouge crimes by Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia Cambodia   28 March 2008   Co-prosecutors at the United Nations-backed tribunal trying Khmer Rouge leaders accused of mass killings and other crimes in Cambodia in the late 1970s have called for new investigations of possible crimes committed at a security and detention centre in the South-East Asian country during the notorious era.   In a formal submission to co-investigating judges on Wednesday, the co-prosecutors at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) in Phnom Penh, the capital, have requested a probe into allegations raised by civil society groups and victims.   The allegations relate to a security centre where numerous Cambodians were unlawfully detained, subjected to inhumane conditions and forced labour, tortured and executed between 1975 and 1979.   Co-prosecutor Robert Petit said that “these factual allegations, if founded, could constitute crimes against humanity, and violations of the 1956 Penal Code punishable under ECCC law and we have so alleged in our supplementary submission.”   The co-prosecutors have also requested that Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Thirith and Kaing Guek Eav – who are all currently in the custody of the ECCC – be investigated for their involvement in these crimes.   Under an agreement signed by the UN and Cambodia, the ECCC was set up as an independent court using a mixture of Cambodian staff and judges and foreign personnel. It is designated to try those deemed most responsible for crimes and serious violations of Cambodian and international law between 17 April 1975 and 6 January 1979.
	Too often, poor communities have no say in the extraction of resources from their land by Oxfam America   April 2008   Too often, poor communities have no say in the extraction of resources from their land, and receive little information about these projects. Oxfam America is undertaking a new campaign calling on oil, gas, and mining companies to respect the right of communities to participate meaningfully in decision-making and to disclose the money they pay to foreign governments. This information is crucial to ensuring that governments use these funds to reduce poverty and protect human rights.   Oxfam America today announced a new initiative to promote the rights of communities impacted by oil, gas, and mining industries. As oil, gas, and other commodity prices reach record levels, investment in extractive projects is growing. More than 60 percent of the world’s poorest people live in countries rich in natural resources. Many poor communities have no say in the extraction of resources from their land and receive little information about these projects.   “Too often, oil, gas, and mining projects don’t benefit people in countries that are rich in natural resources, but whose population is extremely poor. These extractive projects should not add to poverty and powerlessness – natural resources can and should help communities overcome these challenges,” says Raymond C. Offenheiser, President of Oxfam America. “In order for this to happen, however, communities need to know how mining and energy projects will impact their lives and lands and how revenues from these projects will be used.”   Oxfam calls on international oil, gas, and mining companies to show their respect for:   A community’s right to know by providing complete and timely information about how their work affects communities – environmentally, socially, and economically—and how much extractive industries are paying governments for natural resources;   A community’s right to decide by requiring extractives companies to obtain the free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) of communities affected by oil, gas, and mining operations. For indigenous peoples in particular, FPIC is a critical means of protecting sacred lands and cultural identity.   “Empowered with this information, communities are better able to share in the benefits of extractives projects. Revenues can go to real community needs like education, health care, and jobs, and communities can judge if these projects are a benefit or a burden,” said Offenheiser. “More often, contracts and revenues are kept secret leading to an environment that fosters embezzlement and corruption, which has contributed to the failure of extractive projects to help alleviate poverty.” Visit the related web page
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