Youk Chhang : The Best Practices in Pursuit of Genocide Prevention in Cambodia

This week we remembered May 20, which is the Day of Remembrance in Cambodia. We cannot forget the two million Cambodians who lost their lives during the Khmer Rouge genocide regime, nor can we overlook the incredible sacrifice of the nearly 5 million Cambodian genocide survivors of this regime.

The Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam) was established by Yale University's Cambodia Genocide Program (CGP) under the leadership of Prof. Ben Kiernan on Friday 13, January, 1995. (in the photo) Youk Chhang with his first deputy director (Dr. Im Sothearith) and the villagers of Phum Khmer Loeu in Takeo province, 1995. Source: Documentation Center of Cambodia Archives.

We are in debt to the survivors of the Khmer Rouge regime who rebuilt this country empty-handed since January 1979 so we can live in peace today.

Research, Inquiry and debate

Cambodia’s ability to realize a future without genocide, war, or atrocities depends upon its courage to face the difficult questions and facts about its history. Facing the past requires research, critical inquiry and debate, and the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam) has been promoting these objectives for the past thirty years.

For almost the last three decades, DC-Cam has been working to document, protect, and raise public awareness of the history of the Khmer Rouge genocide regime. DC-Cam has done this through conventional and innovative approaches.

”Documentation, archival management, and education activities are the critical components to any post-conflict society’s development efforts and DC-Cam has been proud to make these the core elements of its mission.”

But DC-Cam has never been hesitant in pursuing creative and multidisciplinary ways to confront the deep-seated and multi-dimensional effects and trauma of the Khmer Rouge genocide period. In addition to its core functions, DC-Cam has engaged in innovative projects such as the protection of cultural heritage, social enterprise activities, access to health services by Khmer Rouge genocide survivors, youth leadership programs and support to the Cambodian arts.

Work with the army

DC-Cam has also interpreted the military to be a critical stakeholder in any post-conflict society’s development.  In fact, education is as important for military officers as it is for civilian students. To this end, we have worked with the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces to preserve military history, military history zones and the role of of military history in genocide prevention.

Altogether, these projects and activities have been critical to not only promoting rigorous research, debate, and inquiry, but ultimately healing and self-reflection. Healing and self-reflection go hand-in-hand, and they are the ultimate objectives in the near-term for post-conflict development because a country that is not self-reflective is not truthful to itself. Without truth, the wounds of atrocity crimes will continue, presenting themselves in different ways, different contexts, and even different circumstances, to instigate the next generation’s cycle of violence, trauma, and genocide. 

“The process for transforming Cambodia and realizing a future without genocide requires work as much on an individual level as a collective level.”

On an individual level, for civil servants, military officers, teachers, and professionals, there must be professional development that centers on understanding and thinking critically about history.  Cambodia’s past is integral to Cambodia’s present and future, so taking time to understand this past will better inform problem-solving, critical thinking, and strategic understanding in all individual, social, and professional endeavors. For Cambodians in other contexts, including students and Khmer Rouge genocide survivors, taking time to understand the past supports intergenerational dialogue, reconciliation, and above all, the preservation of the memory of this period. 

Collective level

On a collective level, Cambodia has made enormous progress thanks to the commitment of Samdech Mohabovor Thipdei Dr. Hun Manet, Samdech Akeakmohasenapadey Techo Hun Sen, His Majesty the King, Her Majesty the Queen Mother, and the entire Royal Government of Cambodia including military and police. We are also grateful to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which has provided steadfast support to DC-Cam.

On a collective level, we still have much work to do to institutionalize the processes of research, critical thinking, and the knowledge of this history. Cambodia’s progress thus far stands out as a model for the world, but we should not rest on our achievements.

“Cambodia needs a genocide museum-research institute that is centered on the entire history of the Khmer Rouge regime.”

This museum-institute must cover the breadth of the history across the entire country and not be narrowly focused on a specific historical event, site, or set of circumstances because the crimes of this regime cannot be fully explained through narrowly focused lenses, dispersed memorial sites, or a disconnected historical narrative. Because of the tremendous impact the Khmer Rouge regime had on Cambodian society, it is only fitting and proper that Cambodia realizes a genocide museum-institute that is of sufficient measure to counteract the trauma of this time period.

Because of the tremendous achievements of the Cambodian Government, namely Samdech Mohabovor Thipdei Dr. Hun Manet and Samdech Akeakmohasenapadey Techo Hun Sen, it is only fitting and proper that Cambodia establishes the premier genocide museum institute in the ASEAN region to represent the extraordinary progress Cambodia has made since 1979.

“Such a premier museum-institute would provide a space for the Cambodian people, including survivors and the youth, foreign visitors, and dignitaries from all over the region, to reflect on, honor, and learn about the history of the regime and its relevance to contemporary Cambodia and the world.”

Although the work we do today is paramount to realizing a future Cambodia without genocide, we must also recognize the fact that our work will also serve the international community as a standard for post-conflict development success.

The Future of Cambodia without Genocide’s conference (May 20-22, 2024) is meant to complement this work by establishing a forum for the sharing of ideas and best practices in pursuit of genocide prevention and response through education, health care, and other disciplines or dimensions relevant to the mission. At the end of this conference, it is my hope that we will have made substantial progress not only in this endeavor but the broader goal of securing a consensus on steps to advance this work and above all secure a solid commitment to realizing a future Cambodia without genocide.