Showing posts with label KR victims monument. Show all posts
Showing posts with label KR victims monument. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Statue to commemorate Pol Pot’s victims [proposed by Youk Chhang to Bun Rany Hun Sen]
10 March 2008By Kong Sothanarith
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Luc Sâr
A giant statue, 20-meter high, would be built in downtown Phnom Penh to commemorate the victims of the Khmer Rouge regime. This initiative could become a true symbol of peace in the kingdom.
An art monument dedicated to Pol Pot’s victims, that was what Youk Chhang, the director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam), proposed to Bun Rany Hun Sen, the Red Cross director, on the International Women’s Day.
“This statue would be built in Hun Sen park, in order to attract the attention of all the passers-by on what took place during that era,” Youk Chhang said in a letter he sent to Bun Rany Hun Sen. Holding a child’s hand, the statue would symbolize the memory of the genocide, and also the passing down of history to younger Cambodian generations.
The statue would consist of seven parts, representing the 7 million Cambodians living in the country when the KR came to power. Three of the 7 parts would be buried to remind the 3 million people who died or disappeared. “The face of the statue would face the west, and it would reflect artistic and human characteristics, while leaving aside revenge and grudges,” Youk Chhang said. “On 08 March of each year, this mother and child will bear a message of peace.”
There is no official reaction from Bun Rany’s Red Cross yet. Men Neary Sopheak, Bun Rany’s cabinet director, declined to comment because she did not see Youk Chhang’s letter yet.
At the ECCC, the reactions were positive. Reach Sambath, spokesman for ECCC, indicated that it was a “nice gift for the victims. We congratulate such initiatives.” Kek Galabru, Licadho human rights organization President, had the same reaction and she applauded Youk Chhang’s undertaking.
An art monument dedicated to Pol Pot’s victims, that was what Youk Chhang, the director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam), proposed to Bun Rany Hun Sen, the Red Cross director, on the International Women’s Day.
“This statue would be built in Hun Sen park, in order to attract the attention of all the passers-by on what took place during that era,” Youk Chhang said in a letter he sent to Bun Rany Hun Sen. Holding a child’s hand, the statue would symbolize the memory of the genocide, and also the passing down of history to younger Cambodian generations.
The statue would consist of seven parts, representing the 7 million Cambodians living in the country when the KR came to power. Three of the 7 parts would be buried to remind the 3 million people who died or disappeared. “The face of the statue would face the west, and it would reflect artistic and human characteristics, while leaving aside revenge and grudges,” Youk Chhang said. “On 08 March of each year, this mother and child will bear a message of peace.”
There is no official reaction from Bun Rany’s Red Cross yet. Men Neary Sopheak, Bun Rany’s cabinet director, declined to comment because she did not see Youk Chhang’s letter yet.
At the ECCC, the reactions were positive. Reach Sambath, spokesman for ECCC, indicated that it was a “nice gift for the victims. We congratulate such initiatives.” Kek Galabru, Licadho human rights organization President, had the same reaction and she applauded Youk Chhang’s undertaking.
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