Reconciling Peace with Justice:
Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. in Cambodia
Theary C. Seng
Helmut Stern Auditorium, University of Michigan
7 P.M. Thursday, 13 January 2011
Filmed for broadcast on Michigan public television.
While in central Sweden as a "resource person" (trainer/facilitator) on Justice and Forgiveness sessions of the Folke Bernadotte Academy, Ms. Seng Theary encountered many questions from the participants regarding the tension between Peace and Justice.
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| Theary Seng, contemplating turning 41 in January and in constant awe of the Kew-Kew, Kew-Kew! (Kingdoom of Extraordinary Wonders or "Kew", pronounced "coo" and when in great excitement, the re-iterations above!) |
CONCLUSION
In sum, only hindsight and a bit of distance will allow us to really assess the legacy / implications of this ECCC for Cambodia and for international law. However, we know enough of where we need to shape or re-direct the process in order to bring about POSITIVE legacies/impacts from this very flawed construct that is the ECCC.
One area we can impact the greatest change and bring about positive legacies is in the “court of public opinion”, where the people are the “judges” and are not inhibited by rules of procedure, evidentiary rules or the archaic, arcane legal language, preserved for the understanding of a few.
I’ve been emphasizing the importance of the ECCC in the court of public opinion. These benefits come from the fact there is a court of law. As such, there are several novel and challenging issues of legal nature which are being grappled by this Court. As the legal legacy is still being written, we should all weigh in from our respective fields and from whatever part of the world we find ourselves.
For the last 30 years since the end of the Khmer Rouge regime, we have had a fragile peace in the absence of war or tension. Some have argued that we need to preserve this peace by doing away with justice, for legal prosecution will break this peace.
However, we know that there are times when “creative tension” is necessary to bring about positive change. In Cambodia, we have this “creative tension” in the form of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal in helping us to reconcile our past with our present, to reconcile peace with justice – a peace that is more just the absence of war but embraces “creative tension” and a justice that goes beyond legal accountability to embrace social justice, poetic justice, horizontal/vertical justice and other transitional justice mechanisms and values such as healing, reconciliation and forgiveness.
Simply put: ‘Peace’ or ‘justice’ is a false choice. It is peace with justice.
The legacy of the reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in all of this is not only his giving eloquence to these values but it is a living legacy that reverberates in the lives of generations since the Civil Rights movement and not limited to America but all over the world, even as far away as the killing fields of Cambodia.
There is hope in the despair and the challenges.
Thus, I conclude with this encouragement, in the words of Dr. King: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice."
17 comments:
Judging Khmer rouge without judging yuons is just a joke because youns are mastermind of Khmer rouge and the killing field. Yuons are the real murderers. Letting yuons get out of the crimes committed against Khmer is another crime against humanity and the DENY of justice for the victims of yuons’s atrocity and crimes. Internal community must STOP TO BE ACCOMPLICE of hanoi crimes by deny yuon Hanoi crimes and atrocities against Khmer and other weak and innocent people in SEA.
1:01AM! because Shihanouk and ah Kwack Hun Xen not gave all power to International Court that why we end up can not jude ah youn Vietnamese!
1:01AM! because Shihanouk and ah Kwack Hun Xen not gave all power to International Court that why we end up can not judge ah Youn Vietnamese!
So let catch motherfucker ah Youn Hor Nam Hong and ah Youn Kiet Chorn and more!
VIETCONGS/VIETNAMS ARE MASTERMIND OF KHMERS ROUGE AND KILLING.
THEARY SENG, DOESN'T KNOW ANYTHING.
some pple, in this seminar, are pretending understanding english, in fact they don't even know what the hell she is trying to make her point.
I agree to the commented above.
...THEREFORE CAMBODIA WILL NEVER HAVE PEACE BECAUSE CAMBODIA HAVE NO JUSTICE. SUCH AS LAND GRABBING, CORRUPTION, BORDER ISSUE, SOCIAL AND YOUN IMMIGRANTS AND SO ON...
LOGICALLY, THE REVOLUTION IS ON THE WAY SOON OR LATER.
She's too nervous, yet quite uncomfortable. Lots of 'umm,'ahs,' and 'ands.' Overall, she's doing a fine job.
THEARY, I APPLAUSE YOUR COURAGE, YOUR DEVOTION, YOUR BRAVERY, AND YOUR RELENTLESS ENTHUSIASM, THIS IS SUCH AN ENORMOUS ENDEAVOR FOR ANYONE'S TASK. I PRAISE FOR YOUR SUCCESS AND ACCOMPLISHMENT. I AM SURE THIS IS NOT THE ONLY MATTER THAT CONFRONTED YOU, WE NEED MORE THEARY SENG IN OUR SOCIETY[A DOER NOT A TALKER]THAT WE EXTREMELY LACK OF, WE MANY CHALLENGES FACING OUR COUNTRY AND PEOPLE. OUR BORDERS ON ALL SIDES AND OUR MARITIME BORDERS OF ALL SIDES BEING TAKEN AWAY AT TIME WHEN WE ARE WEAK AND VULNERABLE, THESE ARE MUST BE THE VERY TOP PRIORITY ON OUR NATIONAL AGENDAS.
OUR FEW INTELLECTS IS BEHIND YOU.
kew, coo, koo. in Khmer mean companion.
Since Ms. Seng turn 41yrs. She need to juy or make love.
6:41 AM
No wonder she has so much tension in her speech; yet quite nervous. I'm sure it must the case. Yes, she needs a Cambodian man help her release that pressure. Also, she's not a good public speaker at all based on her performance. I think she tries too hard.
Some words of wisdom for you Therary:
Don't wait for the train that may never come. Life is incomplete without an intimate companion.
9:08 AM
Why don't you spend a little time to listen or read what she has said instead of going off the subject?
And how do you know Ms. Theary Seng is not married? She is already married just that she is down to earth, does not broadcast her private life to others that's all.
Her prince may be a Khmer-French gentleman who has carried a PhD from France.
If Ms. Theary Seng is elected as PM of Cambodia she will be 3 years younger than Yingluck Shiwanatra who is 44. About the look they both are not far apart. Yingluck is rich has money and God knows how many times she has a face lift or Botoz. If Theary Seng can do the same she can be looking good like Yingluck.
One thing I wish Theary Changes her expression when she talks, she needs to stop moving her mouth left and right like that looks funny and aweful too.
But she does good for Cambodia I must say and support her for that.
I don't understand what is wrong with her mouth whenever she starts to open her mouth talking. May be she is sick from some kind of nerve twisting like that.
STOP PICKING ON HER YOU DUMB FUCKS!! IF YOU THINK YOU CAN DO BETTER THEN HER GO OUT THERE AND DO IT!!
Fucking bunch of idiots. She is as old as your mum or sisters, do you have any sense of brain at all? fucking IDIOTS!!! Sure she got flaws, she isnt perfect, but she tries... and she tries for her country.
FUcking morons.
Theary Seng, thank you for your hard work. Please continue, and dont listen to this losers.
3:30 PM
I realize that "English" is not your native language. I'm glad, however,you have taken some ESL course. Although your writing is deplorable, yet it's understainding.
"yet it's understainding."
Hahahahaha hahaha hahahaha
Loser? teach yourself before you try to teach others. okay! Mr English native tongue. Hahaha hahaha hahaha. Are we here to talk about my english or your English? Isn't this a forum about politics? Did you also dropped out of high-school like Hun Sen and other CPPs?
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