Former Khmer Rouge military chief Ta Mok has died at the age of 80. Ta Mok was scheduled to be tried for crimes against humanity for his role in the Cambodian genocide which killed as many as 1.7 million Cambodians between 1975 and 1979.
The death of Ta Mok and the passing of Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot in 1998 leaves only Kang Kek Ieu as a major figure in the bloody Khmer Rouge leadership. Kang Kek Ieu served as the head of a torture center where 'enemies of the state' were imprisoned, tortured and even killed. He is scheduled to begin his trial in January.
Ta Mok had been in poor health. He has been treated recently for high blood pressure, tuberculosis and respiratory complications. The Associated Press reported that Ta Mok was hospitalized last month in Phnom Penh and that he spent the last week going in and out of a coma.
'It's sad news -- it's outrageous,' Youk Chhang, director of the Cambodian Documentation Center told the Associated Press. 'Some people may be happy with this, but not the victims who have been waiting for justice for a long time.'
A group of international and Cambodian judges were sworn in earlier this month to preside over the trials. Many Cambodians fear that other Khmer Rouge leaders will die in captivity before they are put on trial.
