KR songs make comeback

People participate in an arts performance during the rule of the Khmer Rouge in Democratic Kampuchea, sometime between 1975 and 1979. The performance was likely for a visiting foreign delegation. (Photo Courtesy of the Documentation Centre of Cambodia)

Kay Noeun (left) and two other women sing a Khmer Rouge song in Kampong Thom province’s Kampong Svay district last year. (Photo Courtesy of the Documentation Centre of Cambodia)

Friday, 26 August 2011Vong Sokheng
The Phnom Penh Post

Lyrics from the past

LYRICS: We the Youth are Committed to Following Revolutionary Kampuchea
Forever

After one thousand years, the mighty Kampuchea has now liberated the people held in darkness… men and women have been liberated completely.

Because the revolutionary Kampuchean Angkar is robust, it has led us to persevere together to fight against the evil capitalist regime.

To indoctrinate the ideology of great revolution, the political consciousness of Angkar’s strategy, with sturdy hands in every respect.

Revolutionary Angkar understands and knows clearly the friend and enemy, knows good and bad, knows wrong and right. Revolution reveals the great prosperous road.

Furthermore, Angkar has torched the blazing hot fire in which to battle, to fight the capitalists until it collapses. Its servants big and small are to be destroyed completely.

The successful fallen years continued by Angkar, to indoctrinate and solidify, the revolution is prepared to fight.

SOURCE: DC-CAM

“I think listening to them can be informative. However, a steady diet of these songs as a norm of entertainment raises concerns as the lyrics in many of these songs glorify blood and gore, violent revolution and class warfare,” she said. “I hope it is just plain curiosity, which is healthy.” - Theary Seng, President of Center for Cambodian Civic Education

Sat in a coffee shop on Phnom Penh’s Street 240, by the fence of the Supreme Court, 53-year-old Chan Dara played several forgotten songs composed during the Khmer Rouge era to a dozen assembled friends.

As music echoed through the cafe, the supporter of King Father Norodom Sihanouk and collector of Khmer Rouge songs spoke passionately about the tunes he first listened to as a teenager after the downfall of the Lon Nol Era.

Just a few days after the Khmer Rouge soldiers took over Phnom Penh in April 17, 1975, Dara heard the music of the regime played through loudspeakers. The songs, at first, helped him to understand Communist ideology and installed in him a commitment to work hard and belief that the corruption of the past government was over.

Khmer Rouge trials will not bring justice

April 15, 2009
By Chak Sopheap
Guest Commentary
UPI Asia Online

Niigata, Japan — It is not surprising that many foreigners know the details of the Khmer Rouge regime, which ruled Cambodia from 1975-1979, while the young generation of Cambodians may not even know that this inhuman regime ever existed. Cambodian schoolchildren are taught almost nothing about this dark period of their country’s history. Even 30 years after the Khmer Rouge committed its atrocities against the Cambodian people the subject is still sensitive among political groups.

Fortunately, “A History of Democratic Kampuchea,” written by Cambodian author Khamboly Dy and published in 2007, helps to fill in the gap and educate the nation about the murderous regime. The Education Ministry has approved the book as a "core reference" for history classes, but not as part of the core curriculum.

Still, the scope of the textbook is limited and it is controversial in its naming of only certain individuals involved in the regime, its characterization of the massive movement against the Khmer Rouge, and its unclear interpretation of a long-standing political debate in Cambodia over whether Vietnam “liberated” or “invaded” the country when it ousted the Khmer Rouge. Therefore, the young generation is still skeptical about the truth concerning the Khmer Rouge.

When the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, popularly known as the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, was established, many Cambodians hoped it would bring justice, truth and reconciliation for the victims and survivors of the regime. This new hybrid, national-international tribunal was expected to accomplish three things:

• First, it should bring justice to those who died and help those who survived to release their suffering.
• Second, it should strengthen the rule of law by judging and punishing the criminals in fair and open trials. It should be a model marking the end of impunity and the beginning of law enforcement in Cambodia, and serve as a deterrent to all who contemplate such inhuman behavior in Cambodia or in the world.
• Third, it should educate the people of Cambodia and raise awareness about this darkest chapter in the country's history, especially among the young generation. Ultimately, this would lead to the reconstruction of the society as a whole.

However, it is questionable whether these expectations will be met. The claim that the Khmer Rouge Tribunal will benefit Cambodians could turn out to be merely a myth – such a tribunal may not be the best option for national reconciliation.

For one thing, the scope of the tribunal is limited to senior regime leaders who planned its actions or gave orders, as well as those most responsible for committing serious crimes. The foreign countries that supported the Khmer Rouge, or acted as the main catalyst for the emergence of this cruel regime, will not be brought to court. The tribunal’s regulations indicate clearly that only individuals who committed crimes will be tried. This court is not mandated to sentence countries or organizations.

Therefore, only local leaders and a few high-level leaders that were directly involved in the genocide will be sentenced, while many others will go unpunished. It is doubtful if justice and the rule of law will prevail.

Those who support the tribunal may say it is better than nothing, that it is better to accept justice in a narrow sense than to have none at all. But real justice would only be achieved if all who are accused are treated fairly by the court. If the trial procedures do not reveal the root cause of the problem, it is unacceptable.

It is also unclear to what extent these trials can serve as a model for an independent court system in Cambodia, as corruption and nepotism are so widespread, even within this court. Moreover, it is unlikely that the whole truth about the Khmer Rouge regime will emerge through the proceedings of the tribunal. If this tribunal is to be the final page in the Khmer Rouge history, it will be unjust and misleading for future generations.

There are better alternatives to this court setup if justice and national reconciliation are the goals. The funds allocated for the court, which have already exceeded the original budget, should have been used for restorative justice – a healing process – rather than this imperfect retributive justice.

For Cambodian society, real reconciliation will be found only when trust returns between individuals; when they can smile at and trust each other again. Thus, a national dialogue or truth commission should be set up so that people, especially the victims, can fully participate to address their suffering and their needs.
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(Chak Sopheap is a graduate student of peace studies at the International University of Japan. She runs a blog, www.sopheapfocus.com, in which she shares her impressions of both Japan and her homeland, Cambodia. She was previously advocacy officer of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights.)