Detained former Khmer Rouge leader hospitalised

Phnom Penh: One of the five former Khmer Rouge leaders being held for trial by Cambodia's UN-backed genocide tribunal has been hospitalised for the treatment of a urinary tract problem, officials said on Tuesday.

Leng Sary, former Khmer Rouge foreign minister, was rushed from his detention cell at the tribunal to a hospital Monday after urinating blood, his lawyer said.

It was the second time in the past 10 days that the 82-year-old Sary, who has a history of heart trouble, has been taken to a hospital, said tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath.

"We try our best to take care of all the defendants without thinking about the costs ... so that they remain healthy to confront the law," Reach Sambath said.

Sary was taken to hospital just hours after another former Khmer Rouge leader demanded "international standards" of justice and asked for release on bail in his first appearance before the tribunal on Monday.

Nuon Chea, the Khmer Rouge's former ideological leader, has been detained since September 19 on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.