The ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) here on Sunday voiced its support for the U.N.-backed trial of the former Democratic Kampuchea (DK) leaders.

The CPP "supports the ongoing process, which is conducted on the correct timing basis, of the special tribunal under Cambodian laws of the crimes committed during the DK," CPP Chairman Chea Sim said in a speech for the party's commemoration of the 28th anniversary of the downfall of the DK regime.

The CPP will continue to support this process on the basis of law and in context of ensuring peace, stability, territorial integrity and development, he said at the ceremony attended by some 10,000 CPP members at the party headquarters in central Phnom Penh.

In addition, "we wish that those entities, who constantly look at the process in a negative way, take a more balanced views on their stands and activities by not trying to blackmail Cambodian judiciary system, sovereignty and national honor and distort the history to serve own political agendas," said Chea Sim, who is also Senate President.

Back to Friday, Prime Minister Hun Sen said in Kampong Cham province that the former DK leaders "must be brought to trial not only to provide justice for the victims but also to serve as a warning to all rulers not to repeat the awful lessons of Cambodian history."

In recent months, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Court of Cambodia (ECCC) has been trying to hammer out a consensus of its internal rules in order to start the trial soon.

The U.N. and Cambodia agreed in 2003 to jointly hold trial after six years of talks. Formal trial is expected to begin in mid- 2007 and the entire process will take three years at the cost of 56.3 million U.S. dollars.

The DK ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979 and was accused of being responsible for the death of 1.7 million people.

Source: Xinhua