Q+A: The Khmer Rouge tribunal

By Darren Schuettler

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodia's "Killing Fields" tribunal begins its first trial of a senior Pol Pot cadre on Tuesday, 30 years after the fall of the ultra-Maoist regime blamed for the deaths of 1.7 million people.

Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch, faces charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity while chief of the S-21 torture centre, where at least 14,000 died from 1975-79.

Now a Christian, Duch has confessed to atrocities, but insists he was acting under orders. His testimony is expected to be vital to securing the conviction of other senior cadres.

Below are some questions and answers about the tribunal:

Q: Why has it taken so long for the trials to start?

A: Cambodia asked the United Nations and the international community to help set up a tribunal more than a decade ago, but the government sought to retain control of the court. The plan languished for years, with draft laws flying back and forth.

The U.N. gave the go-ahead for the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, as the joint tribunal is known, in 2005.

However, the three-year, $56.3 million (39.5 million pound) court was delayed by bail hearings, appeals and pre-trial machinations. The tribunal has asked donors for a $143 million budget to run until 2010, and raised about $100 million so far.