Source: Deutsche Welle
150 former Khmer Rouge gathered last week at the compound of their last leader, the late general Ta Mok, on the outskirts of Anlong Veng in northwestern Cambodia.
Anlong Veng was the last stronghold of the Khmer Rouge and only came under government control in 1998. Some of the Khmer Rouge’s most notorious leaders are still highly regarded here.
The former cadres came to the gathering to give their opinions on what reconciliation and justice mean to them, and to discuss the psychological trauma from decades of war.
Preventing atrocities in future
Daravuth Seng, who heads the Center for Justice and Reconciliation that organized the meeting, said that despite the trauma of the Khmer Rouge’s four-year rule – when up to two million people died – and the subsequent two-decade long civil war, precious little reconciliation work had been done in Cambodia.
“People in general are very much social animals, and they want to come back into the fold,” Seng said while explaining the background for the gathering. “So we have to be really careful in not putting them into a context where they are saying things they don’t necessarily mean, but yet leaving the language open enough so that meaningful reconciliation can happen.”
A Cambodian-American who trained as a lawyer in the United States, Seng added that another reason for the gathering, which was funded by the German development service, was to try to understand why the Khmer Rouge cadres had followed the path they did.
Knowing this could help prevent future atrocities of a similar kind, he explained.:“If we are to say never again, we really need to understand both sides, to understand the way these folks perceive the world.”
Concern about UN-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal
The participants told the meeting that when it comes to justice, they believe the UN-backed war crimes tribunal that is underway in Phnom Penh should try only the five former senior Khmer Rouge who are currently in custody.
“We should only try those top revolutionary leaders. We should not try those middle or lower ranking officers because they are only the followers of the leaders,” one former cadre said in clear reference to recent news that the tribunal is looking to prosecute five more suspects.
Some people in this former stronghold worry that they could end up being among the five. They have warned that the tribunal could destabilize the reconciliation process.
Remorse is a sign of hope
Unsurprisingly, most of the participants of the gathering rejected the term “former Khmer Rouge”, which has become synonymous with murder and persecution. They said it unfairly tainted their children’s future prospects.
Overall, Daravuth Seng said the event had gone better than he had originally hoped. People had turned up and spoken about what they wanted and what they feared.
He said that one woman had even cried and told him she regretted some of her acts. The fact that her remorse seemed genuine was a sign of hope, he added.
Anlong Veng was the last stronghold of the Khmer Rouge and only came under government control in 1998. Some of the Khmer Rouge’s most notorious leaders are still highly regarded here.
The former cadres came to the gathering to give their opinions on what reconciliation and justice mean to them, and to discuss the psychological trauma from decades of war.
Preventing atrocities in future
Daravuth Seng, who heads the Center for Justice and Reconciliation that organized the meeting, said that despite the trauma of the Khmer Rouge’s four-year rule – when up to two million people died – and the subsequent two-decade long civil war, precious little reconciliation work had been done in Cambodia.
“People in general are very much social animals, and they want to come back into the fold,” Seng said while explaining the background for the gathering. “So we have to be really careful in not putting them into a context where they are saying things they don’t necessarily mean, but yet leaving the language open enough so that meaningful reconciliation can happen.”
A Cambodian-American who trained as a lawyer in the United States, Seng added that another reason for the gathering, which was funded by the German development service, was to try to understand why the Khmer Rouge cadres had followed the path they did.
Knowing this could help prevent future atrocities of a similar kind, he explained.:“If we are to say never again, we really need to understand both sides, to understand the way these folks perceive the world.”
Concern about UN-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal
The participants told the meeting that when it comes to justice, they believe the UN-backed war crimes tribunal that is underway in Phnom Penh should try only the five former senior Khmer Rouge who are currently in custody.
“We should only try those top revolutionary leaders. We should not try those middle or lower ranking officers because they are only the followers of the leaders,” one former cadre said in clear reference to recent news that the tribunal is looking to prosecute five more suspects.
Some people in this former stronghold worry that they could end up being among the five. They have warned that the tribunal could destabilize the reconciliation process.
Remorse is a sign of hope
Unsurprisingly, most of the participants of the gathering rejected the term “former Khmer Rouge”, which has become synonymous with murder and persecution. They said it unfairly tainted their children’s future prospects.
Overall, Daravuth Seng said the event had gone better than he had originally hoped. People had turned up and spoken about what they wanted and what they feared.
He said that one woman had even cried and told him she regretted some of her acts. The fact that her remorse seemed genuine was a sign of hope, he added.
13 comments:
Khmer rouges, if you win the next revolution, you kill all of CPP members and supporters, you commit the same error :(
KR: dig up grass you must uproot it
Yuon: kill 1 you raise 10 ennemies
Give justice a chance! come out and tell the thruth! Your children and grand children will see that you are not the killers but were braine wash and confusede! Let the court bring more educated members who have braine and education not suppose to follow blind order for the better of their lives! to reveal the crime!
The real CRIMINALS are the the YUON regime which ran the show behind the scene. They should be brought to JUSTICE by the KR Tribunal.
i agree with the article. i mean, how long are we going to keep on hating each other; isn't that's why god teach us forgiveness and reconciliation? i mean if they feel remorse and ashame, and they better themselves by becoming reformed minded, etc, i think people ought to give them all a chance. the human species are resilient, believe it or not. of course, we grieve for a while, but with time and some compensation, etc, we heal as well, at least the majority are, although there will always be a handful of people who will grieve and grieve due to some personal reason. yes, it will require a lot of psychological intervention from experts in that field. KR victims need help for sure; they can't do it alone. god help them all.
ជាការពិតណាស់ រាល់អំពើសម្លាប់ប្រល័យពូជសាសន៍នេះជាការរៀបច
មុន ទោះជាយើងមិនអាចរកឃើញភស្តុតាងក៏ដោយ ក៏យល់ពេកណាស់ថា ជាអំពើរបស់យួនហាណូយដែរ ព្រោះក្រុមប៉ុល ពតបានចេញមកពីហាណូយ ហើយដឹកនាំជាមេធំគឺយួនពិតប្រាកដ តែដល់ពេលប៉ុល ពតបានអំណាច ហើយបានដឹងពីគំនិត អាចោយួនចង់យកស្រុកខែ្មរ និងលាវជាចំណុះ តាមបន្តាំកញ្ចាស់ហូជីមិងនិងដូនតាវា ទើបប៉ុល ពតបែរទៅប្រឆាំងអាចោយួន ទើបពួកអាយួនវាធ្វើគ្រប់ល្បិចកលកំចាត់ប៉ុល ពត ថែមទាំងជ្រៀតចូលបន្លំសម្លាប់ខែ្មររាប់លាន !
ប៉ុល ពតហ៊ានងើបប្រឆាំងអាចោយួននៅពេលបានដឹងគំនិតវា គ្រាន់បើជាងជនដែលពួកអែបអបសីុពែរលើកដំកើងខ្ពស់ផុតលេខ គឺជាហ៊ុន សែនជនដឹកនាំដ៏ខ្លាំងរបស់ខ្មែរដែលលូនក្រាបក្រោមបាតជើងអាយួនហាណូយដែរ លោកវិរះបុរសអំណាចលើសព្រះករុណានេះទោះជាដឹង ឃើញថាអាយួនវាព្យាយាមគ្រប់យា៉ងដើម្បីលេបស្រុកយើងហើយគាត់មិនហ៊ានងើបឡើងប្រឆាំងយួនឡើយ ខ្លាចអស់អំណាច! ចាញ់ក្រុមបនបុ៉ល ពតផង!
សុំទោសដោយនិយាយតាមត្រង់!
Let be NO reconciliation, Khmer needs to get rid off these bastard Khmer Rouges Leaders. The longer the lingering in Cambodia, the LONGER Khmer people are suffered.
No reconciliation is JUSTICE and PEACE!
You killed 2M of Khmers, you say sorry, no, not enough, you must be jailed.
Pol Pot and friends, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Khiev Samphan.. are not good, never been good, will never be good, they proved..after 1975 war they killed Khmers, they killed until 1979, they killed after 1979, they will kill again if they could.
There is no reconcilliation with Khmer rouges, they will never change, they are not Khmers, they are not humains, they are nothing..
Daravuth Seng,
What is your intention? To me you sound like you try to protect Hun Sen and his top lieutenants in CPP regime.
You ask KR tribunal to trial only the 5 KR in custody, not others. Are you nut? You must work for Hun Sen. Hun Sen and his lieutenants like Heng Samrin, Chea Sim, Hor Nam Hong, etc... need to stand trial too. They're all KR killers who participated killing Khmer people during Pol Pot regime.
For those who worked under KR regime, How come you asked not Khmer people not to call you KR. No matter how hard you try; you're still Khmer Rouge because you committed a crime against your own people. If you're a killer, raper or thief, can we label you as innocent people?. The answer is no. In America if you're a raper of underage children, you will be listed in internet for people to see. Why don't you pardon innocent people during your regime not to kill them? So why we pardon you if you have killed one or more of our family. Can't forgive and forget.
2 million. I shall be living in the better life during 1970, but KR destroyed my childhood. Can't forget how they tortured me and my family. Only people who have no brain or conscious forget the past.
Hitler's criminal people around the world are still looked for by international court of justice. Why not KR?
To get rid of the Khmer Rouge once and for all you must destroy the CPP whom are all made up of power hungry Khmer-murderers whom were actually INVOLVED in killing their own kind to this day.
6:56 AM,
Good view!
Khmer people are so dull and unimagible dumbfounded! especially, older people particularly males. Looking at the Cambodian civil society that they have created. It is a KISS ASS society! Slavery society! Status qoute,! and Buddhism that derives young, and energetic males who at their peak that can perform works to better Cambodia economically but instead to be fully ordained monks. All of these have negative impacts on Cambodian society! What good is it for the 21st Century? Now, come to asking for a reconciliation....because Khmer people have implanted Buddhism in their head. It is so easy for most to for give and forget what had happened from 1975-80, and at the present under Hun Sen's unsighted rule! If Khmer people are willing to do so,....Like hun sen once said, "if you don't understand the rule of laws, you are no better than wild aninmals."
Willingness to be forgiven and forgetten....bases on the circumstance of consideration, but KH is not one of them! IT IS TO FAR OF A FETCH TO EVEN THINK OF THE WORD "reconciliation." Such word under such event during the KR...it is generally meant NO PEACE OF MIND! IF IT IS NO PEACE OF MIND, HOW COULD ONE EXPECTS JUSTICE TO BE SERVED TO THE ORDINARY CAMBODIANS!
HUN SEN understands the weakness of Cambodian people....in what they have believed in! That is the reason why, hun sen kept implanting all over Cambodia....that some have said, he is the soul of King Korn who reincarnated....if he says longer enough,! Cambodian people might believe in him....and instead of turning against him, they will protect him. This is how dumb some Cambodians are...especailly, older and older generation!
2:05 PM, you are stupid to belive that, Khmers old and young are not as stupid as you, Hun Sen is not as bad as that, the only one bad thing is, he becomes dictator, idiot.
don't complain here; the last i checked there's no term limit law in cambodia. anybody can run and still run for office unlimited. so, whining does no good here, really! untill people start introducing term limit law; that's when it matters, you know!
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