Nuon Chea is also frail and suffering from blood pressure problems. His breathing is irregular and he is unable to move his right hand. Like Nuon Chea and Ieng Sary, Khieu Samphan is reluctant to speak to journalists, partly for fear of implicating himself in Khmer Rouge atrocities. With plans for a Khmer Rouge tribunal pending, all three have been named as top targets for prosecution. Former colleagues and friends say numerous people have tried to speak to Khieu Samphan, but he always turns them away.
Nobody wants to talk.
Living in the isolated area of Pailin, Khieu Samphan is always eager to hear of what is going on in his country and around the world. When given a newspaper story about King Norodom Sihanouk's recent birthday, he read the issue right away. I'm especially happy to see his picture. Khieu Samphan is often seen by neighbors reading or helping around the house, and he lives a simple life void of politics. I have not seen him in a long time.