A new documentary will ask Khmer Rouge survivors to reenact their memories of the regime.By Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
18 November 2008
A film crew of eight Cambodians and two Germans left Tuesday for Kirivong district, Takeo province, to spend 10 days filming a documentary near the Khmer Rouge stronghold of Phnom Vor.
The crew will film former victims of the Khmer Rouge reenacting, through improvisation, their own memories of experiences under the regime.
The film will allow former victims to express their experiences under the Khmer Rouge and will be related to the upcoming trials for jailed leaders under the Khmer Rouge tribunal, said Chhaya Hong, executive director of the Khmer Institute of Democracy.
The institute has been promoting outreach of information on the tribunal. The film will be dedicated to appeasing the anger of Cambodian victims of the Khmer Rouge in general, he said.
“The film will discuss justice and reconciliation,” Chhaya Hong said. “We want victims to reenact what they’ve experienced. They will speak out about their pasts during the Khmer Rouge, painful problems. But no real actors will appear in the film.”
Once the film is made, it will be used during the institute’s outreach, across nine provinces, to help people vent anger ahead of tribunal proceedings against five jailed leaders of the regime.
The film comes at the hybrid tribunal proceeds, with all of its wards detained for more than one year. Judges said Tuesday they had extended the detention of Khieu Samphan, former figurehead of the regime, another year.
The courts are also set to try the first of the five, Tuol Sleng prison chief Kaing Kek Iev, also known as Duch, early next year.
Chhaya Hong called the trial of Duch “crucial.”
“We have to prevent [violence],” he said. “In order that the victims will not explode in anger and not take vengeance. We don’t want to see such kinds of things happen.”
Tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath welcomed the initiative for its “reconciliation.”
“We think this is a help for the country in the future,” he said.
The film will be finished by the end of December, and after 10 days of filming in Takeo, the crew will travel to Kratie province.
The crew will film former victims of the Khmer Rouge reenacting, through improvisation, their own memories of experiences under the regime.
The film will allow former victims to express their experiences under the Khmer Rouge and will be related to the upcoming trials for jailed leaders under the Khmer Rouge tribunal, said Chhaya Hong, executive director of the Khmer Institute of Democracy.
The institute has been promoting outreach of information on the tribunal. The film will be dedicated to appeasing the anger of Cambodian victims of the Khmer Rouge in general, he said.
“The film will discuss justice and reconciliation,” Chhaya Hong said. “We want victims to reenact what they’ve experienced. They will speak out about their pasts during the Khmer Rouge, painful problems. But no real actors will appear in the film.”
Once the film is made, it will be used during the institute’s outreach, across nine provinces, to help people vent anger ahead of tribunal proceedings against five jailed leaders of the regime.
The film comes at the hybrid tribunal proceeds, with all of its wards detained for more than one year. Judges said Tuesday they had extended the detention of Khieu Samphan, former figurehead of the regime, another year.
The courts are also set to try the first of the five, Tuol Sleng prison chief Kaing Kek Iev, also known as Duch, early next year.
Chhaya Hong called the trial of Duch “crucial.”
“We have to prevent [violence],” he said. “In order that the victims will not explode in anger and not take vengeance. We don’t want to see such kinds of things happen.”
Tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath welcomed the initiative for its “reconciliation.”
“We think this is a help for the country in the future,” he said.
The film will be finished by the end of December, and after 10 days of filming in Takeo, the crew will travel to Kratie province.
6 comments:
STOP REMIND
It is an ecstasy for those who help Vietcong/Khmer rouge to bring genocide against Khmer people to exhibit or laugh at the drama of Cambodian people. It is for this kind of people, an entertainment
The world should aware that, genocide is not problem of Khmer rouge or an African but those who rule it. As long as people like Gunnar still support or consent with vietcong or other criminals of its kind, genocide will continue in Cambodia or elswhere...
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I personally support this move strongly.
Yes it is realy hard to those who had actually experienced it. But for the sake of our next generations, we should produce this kind of reminder. It serves the purpose as a guide of sign to let our future not to be fallen into this mistake again.
I take no hated toward those KR leaders. However, I will have more repect for them if they really realise the true mistake they made and openlly tell us about that.
what is should be a lesson for all is to treat problem to its cause, not only exhibit on a symptoms or superficial sign of its sickness. A reality is also a courage, a sense to look beyond a political scene or something that exposed as superficial or support
As long as yuons Vietcong rule over Cambodia, genocide will continue one way or other till there rest no more Khmer but yuons and yuons crossed bride. Being a crossed bride myself, I strongly support a natural process of human evolution but not the criminal one as yuons led against Khmer . As we saw in Cambodia is not a beauty of human evolution but a CURSE and a Human Disaster
There is one woman who is currently living in Bonnyrigg Australia told a good story of how she was forced to join the Khmer Rouge rebels at the age of 14 in Takeo. I pitied her as she was only an innocent little girl.
TA SIHANOUK’s fault… His collaborations with Vietcong caused the whole nation to go down in modern history. Remember… he has done some good things for the country, but that doesn’t mean he can get away with the crimes of humanity he had committed. He thinks that by supporting the Vietcong, he would get the land back. Instead, he has caused a lot of human lives. He miscalculated his steps big time my, friends. He should be tried for his sinful leaderships or maybe HELL will judge what he has done to his people.
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