From PRI's The World
As four former leaders of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge regime go on trial, younger generations in the country are told little about past atrocities.
The Khmer Rouge ruled Cambodia for four brutal years in the late 1970s. They were responsible for many atrocities during that time. Former members of the ultra-Maoist movement still live in isolated pockets, and their children know very little about their parents' past.
In the former Khmer Rouge stronghold of Anlong Veng, reporter Irwin Loy interviewed the daughter of a former foot soldier. She says her father only tells her that life in those days was difficult for everyone, but doesn't go into details of the atrocities or genocide.
The government is now preaching reconciliation and has been eager to pave over the memories of the past, Loy reports. Learning about the Khmer Rouge wasn't part of the school curriculum there until 2009.
Loy talked to one former soldier who says that his kids don't ask about the Khmer Rouge, but he says he has nothing to hide. If they were to ask, he says he would respond, "We're all Khmer Rouge here." He's not proud of his Khmer Rouge past, but he's not ashamed either.
Some parents don't want the Khmer Rouge history taught for fear that the children will begin to hate them. Some kids don't want to learn, knowing that their parents were Khmer Rouge. Others doubt the official history.
Many of the former soldiers of the Khmer Rouge are skeptical about claims of how many people were killed under the regime. Many estimate that as many as 1.7 million people, or almost one fourth of the population, were killed. One person told Loy: "Some stories we should believe, others we shouldn't."
10 comments:
Mr. Sam Rainsy!
You said, you will bring PM Hun Sen to world court of justice ( such as American court, Nato court,...) due to his crimes that he have committed but when are you going to do that ?
Please Mr. Sam Rainsy, Don't be delay as 2005, you must act quickly as soon as possible, Sir!
10:22 PM
There is a quicker way, go after Hun Sen yourself, dude stop crying.
You are annoying.
" He's not proud of his Khmer Rouge but he's not ashamed either. "
What did you mean by not ashamed either, comrade? If you were nor ashamed, then you were responsible for the crimes against humanities.
i believe it's the culture thing in cambodia. in cambodia, people do not real talk about the KR period other than with their own family about their personal experience, maybe some friends as well. i think the reason is people in cambodia do not see the benefit of talking about the KR period. it is like they lack confidence, trust, and positive outlook in life about it and the country politics as well. i think unless the court start addressing this cultural aspect, or people who knew nothing about cambodian culture, etc do not understand the way things happening in cambodia or the way people do what they do, etc, etc, you know!
yes, in cambodia, if the leader(s) do no see or understand the importance of having such discussion or talk, then they will avoid going there!
most khmer people know what or why thing happening the way it did during the KR period, unless they see the benefit of talking or bringing it up, they won't talk about it. or if they did they talk about it, it is because they want foreigner, especially western nations to know about it or understand it better and so forth.
because Khmer people are so easy on Kkhmer Roughe. Most comment say that, they want peace for cambodia but dont want anymore war. Also Khmer government are still run by a coward X KR. That why they dont want to do shit to help the country but theirs own personnel business of getting rich.
All KR leaders should be brought to justice for the past crime committed. period.
Cambodia is going through another suffering and genocide. The CPP-HunXen Vietcong regime!
Millions of undocumented vietcongs are occupied Cambodia sea and land.
large number of them are vietcong spies.
Bring KR to justice...BUT never lose sight of the VIetcong.
All KR leaders should be brought to justice for the past crime committed. period.
Cambodia is going through another suffering and genocide. The CPP-HunXen Vietcong regime!
Millions of undocumented vietcongs are occuping Cambodia sea and land.
large number of them are vietcong spies. Vietcong are behind the illegal treaties which result in lost of Cambodia land...involving in land grabbing, human rights abuse, no rule of law, no work rights
VIetcong is a snake, parasite, and terrorist.
Bring KR to justice...BUT never lose sight of the VIetcong.
I'm an old khmer and I would suggest to young khmers to struggle with the Present and Future rather than the Past.
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