Khamboly Dy, a book writer of 'A History of Democratic Kampuchea', makes a final check on his book at the printing house, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Sunday, April 22, 2007. A history book written for the first time by a Cambodian author about the murderous Khmer Rouge regime will soon be available for the country's high school students, a leading genocide researcher said Sunday. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith) 
Khamboly Dy, a book writer of 'A History of Democratic Kampuchea', makes a final check on his book at the printing house, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Sunday, April 22, 2007. A history book written for the first time by a Cambodian author about the murderous Khmer Rouge regime will soon be available for the country's high school students, a leading genocide researcher said Sunday. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)Sunday, April 22, 2007
The Associated Press
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: The first history book written by a Cambodian author about the Khmer Rouge will soon be available in the country, in a step toward educating Cambodian youths about the murderous regime, a leading genocide researcher said Sunday.
Khamboly Dy's "A History of Democratic Kampuchea," will be released on April 25 said Youk Chhang, director of Documentation Center of Cambodia, an independent group documenting the Khmer Rouge crimes. Cambodia was named Democratic Kampuchea during the 1975-1979 Khmer Rouge rule.
"Cambodians are at last beginning to investigate and record their country's past," he said, adding that books about Cambodian history have been written almost exclusively by foreigners.
During its four-year rule, the Khmer Rouge implemented radical policies that led to the death of some 1.7 million people from starvation, disease, overwork and execution.
Cambodian schools currently teach very little about the Khmer Rouge, mainly because the subject is so sensitive among Cambodian political groups and high-profile individuals who used to be associated with the now-defunct communist movement.
No Cambodian history scholar has previously written about the Khmer Rouge period because of fears of reprisal, Youk Chhang said.
The education ministry in January approved the book's release as a "core reference" material writing history textbooks, but not as a history textbook for general education, Youk Chhang said.
Despite the limited status imposed by the government, Youk Chhang said the book "is a major step showing that Cambodians are capable of telling their own history."
By taking responsibility for teaching Cambodians through books such as this, the country can go forward and ensure that the seeds of genocide never again take root in our country," he said.
The Khmer Rouge was driven from power by a Vietnamese invasion in 1979 and finally collapsed eight years ago. None of its leaders, however, has ever been brought to trial.
Cambodia and the United Nations have jointly created a tribunal aimed prosecuting surviving Khmer Rouge leaders for genocide and crimes against humanity. The trials, expected to convene this year, have been delayed by disputes over local bar association fees foreign lawyers have been ordered to pay.
Khamboly Dy's "A History of Democratic Kampuchea," will be released on April 25 said Youk Chhang, director of Documentation Center of Cambodia, an independent group documenting the Khmer Rouge crimes. Cambodia was named Democratic Kampuchea during the 1975-1979 Khmer Rouge rule.
"Cambodians are at last beginning to investigate and record their country's past," he said, adding that books about Cambodian history have been written almost exclusively by foreigners.
During its four-year rule, the Khmer Rouge implemented radical policies that led to the death of some 1.7 million people from starvation, disease, overwork and execution.
Cambodian schools currently teach very little about the Khmer Rouge, mainly because the subject is so sensitive among Cambodian political groups and high-profile individuals who used to be associated with the now-defunct communist movement.
No Cambodian history scholar has previously written about the Khmer Rouge period because of fears of reprisal, Youk Chhang said.
The education ministry in January approved the book's release as a "core reference" material writing history textbooks, but not as a history textbook for general education, Youk Chhang said.
Despite the limited status imposed by the government, Youk Chhang said the book "is a major step showing that Cambodians are capable of telling their own history."
By taking responsibility for teaching Cambodians through books such as this, the country can go forward and ensure that the seeds of genocide never again take root in our country," he said.
The Khmer Rouge was driven from power by a Vietnamese invasion in 1979 and finally collapsed eight years ago. None of its leaders, however, has ever been brought to trial.
Cambodia and the United Nations have jointly created a tribunal aimed prosecuting surviving Khmer Rouge leaders for genocide and crimes against humanity. The trials, expected to convene this year, have been delayed by disputes over local bar association fees foreign lawyers have been ordered to pay.
8 comments:
You can find this and other publications from DC-Cam as free pdf- download on their Homepage:
http://www.dccam.org/Publication/Monographs/Monographs.htm
Thanks for that - it is very helpful!
I hope that this History book is not going to tell those Khmer-Students thank to January 7th of Yuon's invasion.
I hope the author will impartially write the story about the KR. don't let Hun Sen put his nose in.
You are right, because in Cambodia you can find Hun Sen everywhere. The Chiefs of Pagoda, the directors of State and Private Universities(most of them are purely mercantile and can deliver Doctorate diploma to senior cPP), the directors of all institutions are CPP activists or forced to be so. It 's real communist regime.
I hope this book would write in Khmer point of view and hope that the Yuon didn't change anything in there.
Dr Ros Chantraboth is the author of Sdech Korn's saga.
Dr Ear Meng Try is also the Co-Author of this new Book in English.
Both are the tool of CPP's propaganda machine.
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Histories in any given countries or generation are told or written from the perspective of the victors, and as such they are inherently biase. Nonetheless,given the extraordinary experience and the consequences afflicting Khmers of the current generation both abroad and within Kambuja,any documentations pertaining to that experience, whether it is biase or not, is worth disseminating. Any student of history with any degree of intelligence will certainly question the validity of any documented facts pertaining to modern Kambuja.
Any scholars of any race may write about Khmer..., however, as they penned words onto paper, one universal truth about Khmer must be recognize absolutely...
Khmers maybe weak or poor, but no matter what life has throw at them, they will absorpt the punishment,and walk tall.
These are evidenced in the U.S.. When Khmer first arrived in the U.S. in 1982, the majority did not speak any English. Nearly 30 years later, these same people are sending money back to Kambuja to help their relatives...
The same story can be found in Canada, Australia, France or anywhere there is a Khmer.
Will historians document these gestures of generosity...within the hearts of Khmers? Or will they simply be too interested in promoting division by highlight negative aspects within the Khmer psychic?
ONLY EACH OF YOU WRITE YOUR OWN BOOK, YOU WILL THEN NO LONGER LIVING WITH SUSPECIOUS!
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