By: Ek Tha
PHNOM PENH, Oct. 25, 2012 (PRU) –
Deputy Prime Minister His Excellency Dr. Sok An welcomed the United States
Holocaust Memorial Museum, on Thursday, is seeking cooperation with Cambodia in
archiving the records of the Khmer Rouge’s genocidal regime for public
education. This initiative falls in line with the Royal Government of
Cambodia’s slogan: “remembrance and non-recurrence of the Khmer Rouge genocidal
regime and other parts of the world.”
One of the main purposes by the
delegation’s visit is to learn about the legacies of the Democratic Kampuchea
regime led by Pol Pot who ruled the country from 17 April, 1975 to 6 January,
1979, during which time nearly 2 million people died of starvation, execution,
diseases and forced labor.
The delegation has planned to visit
S-21, the notorious torture centre of Khmer Rouge in Phnom Penh, another mass
grave of Cheung Ek at the outskirt of the capital, visiting the Extraordinary
Chambers within the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), and talking to the survivors of
the Khmer Rouge and meeting with DC-CAM, which is non-profit international NGO
in association with Yale University's Cambodian Genocide Program to document Cambodia's
"Killing Fields".
Michael Chertoff, who led 21-member of
the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, said in the meeting that: “We have
been working with Youk Chhang of DC-CAM on the Khmer Rouge genocide and to
include that Cambodia’s case into the U.S. Museum.”
The Museum is America's national
institution for Holocaust education and remembrance and it was created by
unanimous act of Congress.
“It is very important for us to see
some prospects of Cambodia today to educate American public as our relationship
have been better and better,” Chertoff informed His Excellency Dr. Sok An.
In response, His Excellency Dr. Sok An
said that: “we share the same view and how to make our young generation
understand not to forget the genocide but to remember it.”
Deputy Prime Minister His Excellency
Dr. Sok An, who is also Chairman of the Royal Government's Khmer Rouge Trial
Task Force, said that the ECCC has achieved the five world records.
Those are: speed in carrying out its
work including adoption of internal rules and conducting the first trial; its
relatively low cost; the swift and smooth arrest of all charged persons and the
absence of any fugitives; the extent of public participation and support, and
the involvement of victims in the judicial process.
Other legacies achieved by the ECCC
including dealing with the most important case of the crimes compared with
other tribunals funded by the United Nations. He said referring to the four
suspects, who are the most responsible leaders, are brought for being tried by
the Court.
Another aspect of the Court’s legacy
is the archiving of its records at a documentation centre, where national and
international researchers can access such records in the future. Japan has
pledged its donation for a centre to keep the legal records of Cambodia's Khmer
Rouge tribunal. The documentation centre will store the public records of the
ECCC.
In response, Chertoff said: “
concerning documentation and records of the Khmer Rouge genocide, the U.S.
Museum is willing to help you to do those in preserving the physical evidence
and using Internet for people to access them.”
The Deputy Prime Minister also said
that another legacy of the ECCC will serve as a model for the national judicial
system, especially the court administration and its records management. The
Royal Government of Cambodia is drafting a new law including a chapter
stipulates that the Cambodia national courts should have its administration
office to facilitate their daily judicial operations.
His Excellency Dr. Sok An also informed
Chertoff that Cambodia has become more known to the outside world after this
Southeast Asian nation had fully enjoyed peace, political stability, national
reconciliation and development. Cambodia went through two decades of civil
strife that was ended in 1998 thanks to the wise leadership by Samdech Prime
Minister Hun Sen.
“We, Cambodians, have been proud of
national reconciliation process even the International Conference of Asian
Political Party (ICAPP) talked a lot about Cambodia’s model in terms of
national reconciliation,” said the Deputy Prime Minister.
Chertoff said: “the outside world is
very interested in what happened here in term of national reconciliation so it
is very important for you to speak to the world what you had gone through, and
this also a wonderful opportunity for Cambodia to attract more investments.”
End
