CAMBODIA: "A democratic embryo"
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| Theary C. Seng (Photo: Roland Neveu) |
For human rights activist, Theary C. Seng, education and
reconciliation with the past are integral to building democracy in
Cambodia. Seng will speak at the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum on
June 27 in Bonn, Germany.
"Cambodia is a democracy," said writer and lawyer Theary Seng in an
interview with Deutsche Welle, "but a very immature one". The country's
political leaders are "very reluctant in putting democratic ideals and
principles into practice," which she said is "extremely frustrating and
destructive" for the population.
Seng was born in Phnom Penh, probably in 1971. During Pol Pot's rule
she lived near the border to Vietnam, where the Khmer Rouge regime raged
especially rampantly. Both her parents were killed and as a child she
spent five months in prison. With surviving members of her family, she
emigrated to the United States in 1980. Seng founded the Cambodian Center for Justice & Reconciliation and is the founding president of CIVICUS – Center for Cambodian Civic Education.
"The people of Cambodia need democracy like they need fresh air to
breathe," said Seng. But their hopes are being dashed by the "power and
violence of the leaders". People also "lack opportunities to get
education and jobs, which are key to promoting the growth of democracy".
In Seng's words, "Cambodia is a democratic embryo fighting to survive
so that at some point it can lead a self-determined life".
Seng said the Khmer Rouge tribunal has "turned criminal proceedings
into fraudulent political theater and rewritten history to serve the
powerful interests of individuals, the government party and certain
regional and international forces".
A culture of remembrance and education towards democracy are "extremely
important to re-build a society that is greatly shocked in every way".
Civic involvement and education make that possible, says the human
rights lawyer. They are "two basic necessities in a place like
Cambodia".
At the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum in Bonn, Germany, Theary Seng
will take part in a plenary session on "The Fight for Knowledge -
Opportunities and Risks of Educational Work in Conflict and Crisis
Zones". The theme of this year's international conference is "Culture.
Education. Media. Shaping a Sustainable World".
2012 Deutsche Welle (DW) Global Media Forum
The 2012 Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum takes place under the
patronage of the German Commission for UNESCO. The conference is
co-hosted by the Foundation for International Dialogue of the Sparkasse
(municipal savings bank) in Bonn and also supported by the Federal
Foreign Office of Germany, the European Regional Development Fund, the
Minister of Federal Affairs, Europe and the Media for the State of
North-Rhine Westphalia, the City of Bonn, DHL, the Federal Ministry for
Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Fritz Thyssen
Foundation.
Also full interview at
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