Second Quarterly Report, April - June 2005

Second Quarterly Report:

April - June 2005

This report describes the Documentation Center of Cambodia’s (DC-Cam) activities for the second quarter of 2005 (April to June). It also cites challenges to our work and our responses to them, and provides indicators of our performance.

1. PROJECT ACTIVITIES

We have grouped DC-Cam’s activities into five main categories. Our progress in each area for this quarter is summarized below.

Documentation. We have entered 33,186 records in an Access List this quarter, and keyed in 9,296 records into our database in Khmer and English. In addition, we microfilmed 15,332 pages of our documents. Last, we conducted 14 interviews for a new photo-archive book and mounted a new exhibition at Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum to mark the 30^th anniversary of the fall of Phnom Penh to the Khmer Rouge.

Promoting Accountability. We interviewed 65 survivors, 35 of whom were cadres. We transcribed 2,042 pages. Our pretrial outreach plans for forums on sexual abuse during Democratic Kampuchea and the dissemination of information by student volunteers are taking shape.

Public Education and Reconciliation Outreach. We made preparations for legal training on defense counsels, which will be held in July-September. While we slowed the pace of interviews for the Victims of Torture Project, we increased the number of interviews transcribed; they will be analyzed by our interns. This project also received much international attention in the second quarter. Last, we continued to plan for our pre-trial outreach activities and met with the groups who will volunteer to distribute materials for us.

Research, Translation, and Publication. One monograph was published in English this quarter. Two others are in advanced stages of editing. In addition, we helped prepare for publication a translation in Khmer of the French book, Histoire du Cambodge.

Magazine and Radio. We have kept pace with the production of both the Khmer and English editions of our magazine, as well as our recently expanded radio broadcasts.

1.1     Documentation

1.1.1      Cataloguing and Database Management

Our documentation work has entailed collecting and cataloguing documents, and managing two major databases: the Cambodian Genocide Bibliographic Database (CBIB) and the Cambodian Genocide Biographical Database (CBIO). Both databases were developed by a team of academics, technicians, and documentation specialists at Yale University, DC-Cam, and the University of New South Wales. They hold information on both Khmer Rouge personnel and their victims. These databases also facilitate our program of family tracing, whereby survivors of the Democratic Kampuchea (DK) era can search for information on lost loved ones. Because they are Internet-accessible and available on CD-Rom, expatriate Cambodians can also utilize them.

In 2004, we completed the cataloguing of our D collection. It contains general Khmer Rouge documents: notebooks, biographies, confessions, reports, and execution logs, as well as the Anlong Veng (a Khmer Rouge stronghold until 1996) collection of such post-1979 Khmer Rouge materials as school textbooks, minutes of meetings, and reports. This quarter, we began keying D collection records into our database, completing 9,296 records in Khmer and English. The database fields vary depending on the type of document. For example, some of the fields for execution logs include the document’s title and number of pages, while those for cadre biographies include names, dates, personal background, rank, date of arrest, number of pages, and source of information.

We also catalogued 472 “R” (Renakse) documents this quarter. These are petitions made in the 1980s to the successor government (the Peoples Republic of Kampuchea) to oust the Khmer Rouge from their seat at the United Nations. Signed by millions of people, they include accounts of horrific crimes and describe mass burial pits, prisons, and other evidence of Khmer Rouge terror. In addition, DC-Cam has catalogued 406 books, documents, and periodicals on the Khmer Rouge, law, justice and reconciliation between April and June.

In a parallel effort, we have entered 33,186 records into a Microsoft Access List, a program intended to facilitate public inquiry and research.

Finally, since late 2003, our documentation team has been preparing a printable index for our CBIO database, which contains 10,612 biographies of Khmer Rouge cadres and the general population. So far, we have worked on the field layout and design (name, gender, place and date of birth, names of mother and father). The index contains 2,800 pages at present, and will continue to grow as our Promoting Accountability and Victims of Torture teams add information. We have updated over half of the book.

Last quarter marked our final decision to enter information from our documents into a new, more user-friendly database with increased capacity and a new format/field design. International experts from our Affinity Group (see Section 3.3.1) are now assisting us on the design and development of the database. A local company, Lemon Computers, has been working on putting our data into the MySQL program and has nearly completed. This is a much more user-friendly program than our current database. The company has agreed that it will not take any reimbursement for its work until DC-Cam is satisfied with the product.

1.1.2     Microfilming

Our Microfilming Project aims to preserve historical documents related to the Khmer Rouge. Microfilming allows researchers and legal investigators to access our archival information without handling original documents, many of which have become fragile with age. Last year, we completed microfilming the primary documents from our R, D, L, I, K, and J collections. This year, DC-Cam has begun to microfilm documents from its Promoting Accountability Team’s interviews.

*During 1998-2005, we produced 497 reels of documents from our D, I, J, K, L, and R collections. The numbers above reflect progress on the new database only.

In 2005, we began sending copies of our microfilmed materials to Rutgers University’s campus in Newark, New Jersey, where we recently opened an office. Last quarter, we sent a set of 93 microfilm reels and other materials available at DC-Cam to this office. In addition, we have made our microfilm available to the public, who can order it from DC-Cam. This quarter, we received requests for copies from France.

1.1.3     Photo Exhibitions

Since 2002, DC-Cam has been mounting exhibitions at Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum to describe the Cambodian genocide and learn from visitors’ views, as well as to facilitate reconciliation between victims and perpetrators. This quarter, we mounted an exhibition from our monograph Stilled Lives: Photographs from the Cambodian Genocide. It contains photographs and brief stories on 17 former Khmer Rouge. The exhibit’s opening on April 17, 2005 marked the 30^th anniversary of the Khmer Rouge’s takeover of Cambodia.

We also contributed photographs to an exhibition that Germany’s Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Foundation mounted at its headquarters in 2005. The exhibit, entitled “The Trauma of Terror and the Challenges of Coming to Terms with the Past,” was followed by a symposium, which was attended by DK rape survivor Taing Kim and a Cambodian Buddhist monk. A booklet accompanied the exhibition: DC-Cam and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Kambodscha 1975-2005.

We also provided photographs and other materials to a film project directed by Alice Miceli; the film was screened on April 30 at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival 2005. Its synopsis reads, “The video shows images of people who were imprisoned and murdered by the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia during the 70s. The pictures, taken at their detention, are projected on a veil of falling sand, the projection time being proportional to the individuals’ suffering in prison.” The screening was preceded by Ms. Miceli’s exhibition of relevant photographs in February.
 

1.1.4     Digital Photo Archiving

Last quarter, we began to interview individuals and collect photographs for a new monograph. It will be similar in structure to Stilled Lives: Photographs from the Cambodian Genocide, which was published late last year and told the stories of 51 men and women who joined the Khmer Rouge. The new book will be based on the lives of new people (those the Khmer Rouge evacuated from the cities).

The interviews conducted to date reveal that most of the people who were evacuated from Phnom Penh were born in the provinces and had moved to Phnom Penh for safety or economic reasons.

While most of the photographs collected for Stilled Lives were contributed by our Promoting Accountability teams after their trips to rural areas, we are obtaining photographs for the new book from personal contacts, those who contributed to a Khmer Writers Association/DC-Cam essay contest held in 2003, and public announcements.

1.2     Promoting Accountability

On June 21, 2005, the Royal Government of Cambodia announced that all of the funding for the tribunal of senior Khmer Rouge leaders had been obtained, thus greatly increasing the prospects that the tribunal will begin soon. In anticipation, we are working on a number of programs to ensure access to our documents and to keep the public informed.

1.2.1     Public Access to DC-Cam Archives

DC-Cam’s archives are of great historical interest and may provide important evidentiary materials in any accountability process relating to Democratic Kampuchea. The over 600,000 pages of documents we have amassed include:

     §  Documents dating from the DK era: Communist Party of Kampuchea correspondence, confession transcripts, committee minutes and reports, Khmer Rouge biographies, foreign documents, media materials, cadre diaries and notebooks, and documents from foreign countries.

 

     §  Post-DK documentary materials: survivor petitions, 1979 trial documents, interview transcripts taken from survivors of the regime, scholars’ interviews with former Communist Party of Kampuchea officials, mapping reports, and photographs.

Guidelines for Access. In order to provide the court and other authorized officials with full access to our documents, we have been working with our legal advisors to develop and issue a set of rules and guidelines for viewing them as the tribunal process begins. The guidelines are designed to ensure that our documents remain both available for review and as secure as possible. As the tribunal process unfolds, we will develop a more specific set of guidelines to ensure that we assist the proceedings as effectively as possible. We have provided copies of those procedures to the appropriate UN and Cambodian authorities. This quarter, we also updated the guidelines and sent them to our advisors for comment.

A Response Team for the Tribunal. In late 2003 we began to plan for a tribunal response team. This team would comprise Cambodian and non-Cambodian lawyers, political scientists/historians. Two of these experts would work on the team full time and be assisted by shorter-term personnel on an as-needed basis; they would be supervised by a DC-Cam staff member familiar with our Center’s documentary holdings. This independent and neutral team will be in a position to help tribunal and other officials (as well as the public) carry out research and documentary reviews as needed. Also, Center staff will translate additional documents into English in advance of the tribunal. We are also in the process of seeking support to bring one or more experts from within Cambodia and/or overseas (e.g., historians, document preservationists) to work closely with our response team before and during the tribunal. We will formalize the structure and composition of this team when a date for the tribunal has been set.

Public Information Room. To meet the anticipated need for documentation materials at the tribunal, in late April 2004 DC-Cam informally opened its Public Information Room (PIR). Access is given to legal personnel (representing both the defense and prosecution), scholars, reporters, and the general public. DC-Cam’s response team of documentation specialists, translators, and others provide assistance in searching for and interpreting documents.

The PIR also functions as a library and educational forum. In this quarter, we received 621 visitors, hosted guest lectures and training, screened 5 films on the regime, and provided office space for our Victims of Torture Project staff.

Our PIR became busier this quarter due to the arrival of legal training interns and volunteer students on the pre-trial outreach project (Section 1.2.3). The PIR provided space to legal training interns, DC-Cam researchers, meetings for guests, film screenings, readings, Internet usage, our Microfilm Project, and database volunteers. We also provided space for five forums and training sessions conducted by or with the National Museums of World Culture, Peace Forum, German Development Service, and Global Youth Connect (see Section 3.3).

A visitor from Global Youth Connect attended a screening of S-21: The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine and wrote us:

The movie was hard to watch and make sense of the atrocities that happened in Tuol Sleng. It poses a good argument as to viewing the perpetrators as victims of the KR regime as well, but it disturbs me that they seemed so apathetic, desensitized of their actions. It was upsetting to feel that they didn’t have remorse or felt they didn’t do anything wrong.

Following his visit to DC-Cam, Brian Ostrowski (resident director of the Council on International Educational Exchange, Vietnam National University) proposed bringing North American students and faculty for study trips to Cambodia. He wrote:

All these groups have been quite interested in DC-Cam’s work and in particular are grateful for the recent opening of DC-Cam’s Public Information Room. We are already planning our two upcoming academic visits to Cambodia: A May 2006 visit by around 15 U.S. college students and a July 2006 visit by around 15 North American university faculty. We would be very interested in bringing these groups to visit the Public Information Room and, if possible, arranging a guest lecture and/or relevant site visit with DC-Cam staff.

The PIR also provided space to pre-trial outreach and other training for staff and student volunteers, and DC-Cam planning meetings. The training included sessions on the DC-Cam library, a variety of the Center’s projects, and the Khmer Rouge Law.

1.2.2     The Promoting Accountability (PA) Project

This project aims to draw a picture of subordinate-superior relationships during Democratic Kampuchea, to identify a pool of survivors (victims and cadres) that may be helpful to the Khmer Rouge tribunal, and to build the historic record on DK.

This quarter, our PA team operated from field offices in Kampong Chhnang and Prey Veng provinces.

* This activity was slow due to staff allocations to other work, but is expected to pick up later in 2005 with the recruitment of additional volunteers.

Other activities on this project include:

     §  A forthcoming manuscript by Dr. Stephen Heder, based on his analysis of nearly 2,000 interviews (30,000 pages) DC-Cam conducted with former Khmer Rouge cadres. Specifically, he sought to determine if the interviews provide information relevant to the cases of the former Khmer Rouge officials most likely to stand trial: Ieng Sary, Mok, Duch, Khieu Samphan, Nuon Chea, Ieng Thirith, and Mam Nai (deputy prison chief of S-21). Dr. Heder prepared English summaries of the historically salient points in selected interviews, while preparing the materials for legal analysis and presentation to the Extraordinary Chambers. He completed his manuscript last year; it will be analyzed by our legal advisor during 2005.

 

     §  A filing system that includes transcripts, biographies, photographs, relevant documents such as confessions and execution lists, and audio tapes. So far we have filed 4,907 folders and 2,080 audio tapes. The files completed are: Kampong Cham: KCI0001-1295, Kandal: KDI0001-1138, Takeo: TKI0747, Kampot: KPI0001-KPI0483, and Pursat: PTI0001-PTI0053. Those to be completed include: Kampong Thom: KTI0001-1076, Kampong Speu: KSI0001-0014, and Kampong Chhnang: KHI0001-0042.

1.2.3     Pre-trial Outreach (part of the Living Documents Project)

To engage people in the tribunal process, we have been meeting with nearly 400 Cham Muslim leaders (hakem) from all parts of the country, 32 Buddhist nuns, and members of 12 youth and student associations since 2004. They have been given an introduction to the tribunal and asked to reflect on its importance and their participation.

We also have two projects that work with the Cham community. The first is an oral history project. Through hakem, we have developed and distributed 30 questionnaires to 336 Cham villages throughout the country. They include 24 questions asking about the communities’ roots and their experiences during the Khmer Rouge regime. So far, we have collected 106 completed questionnaires, which will be used in a new magazine about the Cham. The second project aims to disseminate information about Cham history, livelihoods, and other relevant aspects through the development of an Internet web page. The website will enable members of this community to communicate with academics, interested members of the public, and other Muslim communities worldwide.

Next quarter, we plan to hold three meetings with hakem to collect questionnaires and distribute the pre-trial outreach materials. We will also interview villagers in towns where our questionnaires have not been completed.

Plans for nuns to organize a march for peace and justice in Phnom Penh were finalized this quarter. We anticipate that at least 500 nuns from throughout the country will participate. The nuns would also participate in 44 public forums hosted by DC-Cam (forums will be held in two villages in each of 22 provinces; villages will be selected based on their proximity to killing and prison sites). The forums will bring together victims and perpetrators to discuss sexual abuse during Democratic Kampuchea and their impacts today. We will film the forums and interview participants, and plan to prepare radio broadcasts on the forums.

The student groups we met with plan to go door-to-door in several areas of Cambodia to explain the process, activities, and benefits of the tribunal to citizens. Nearly 200 students who applied picked up project materials for study before coming to a test at DC-Cam. Last quarter, students were selected for a two-month period of voluntary service. In this quarter, they were given four days of training on the project materials, watched documentary films, and visited Tuol Sleng. Other training sessions included meetings with DC-Cam researchers on how to interview victims and perpetrators, and with Cambodian officials involved in legislation and negotiations for the tribunal. Logistics for the field trips have also been prepared. During mid-July and mid-September, the students will travel throughout the Cambodian countryside distributing 40,000 copies of project materials (e.g., Khmer Rouge Tribunal Law, KR Law Amendment, UN/Royal Government of Cambodia Agreement, debates) to villagers. Students will record questionnaire responses from every villager who receives materials. The villagers will be asked to describe their lives under the Khmer Rouge and express their views on the tribunal. In turn, students will record their personal observations of every villager.

On June 30, H.E. Mr. Sean Visoth, executive secretary of the Task Force of the Cabinet Ministers, spoke to DC-Cam’s student volunteers about the law on the UN-Cambodia Agreement on the establishment of the EC. Also, H.E. Mr. Maonh Saphan of the Parliament spoke on the Extraordinary Chambers Law. DC-Cam rented a private school for this event, which was attended by about 180 participants. Many questions were raised on these documents.

1.2.4         DC-Cam Overseas Office

In the fall of 2004, we set up an office in the United States at Rutgers University to collect and disseminate information on Khmer Rouge history, with a particular emphasis on assisting the Cambodian North American community. It also: serves as a forum for reciprocal exchanges between DC-Cam and Rutgers’ students and faculty, internships/externships, research and training, exhibitions and seminars. In addition, our PIR personnel locate information and provide translations for people interested in the upcoming tribunal.

This quarter, we continued to stock our archives with DC-Cam monographs, books on the Cambodian genocide, our monthly magazine, microfilms, films, maps, posters, and photographs. Our other ongoing and planned activities include:

Oral History Program. This program provides opportunities for students at Rutgers to do research on the Khmer Rouge regime. Twenty honors students will join this program in September 2005. They will interview members of the Cambodian-American community in Philadelphia (many of its 100,000 members are survivors of the Khmer Rouge regime).

Exhibition Program. Next year, exhibitions on the Khmer Rouge regime will be mounted at Rutgers’ Dana Library and Robinson Hall.

Lecture Program. Vannak Huy, author of Division 703, gave a lecture on “what is Khmer Rouge” to Rutgers students.

Internship Program. This summer, Janet Lee from Rutgers University Law School is a summer legal associate at DC-Cam.

News Clips. To keep abreast of developments on the Khmer Rouge tribunal, we have compiled 120 news clips to date and filed them chronologically.

This quarter, we also began planning to build our archives at Rutgers. The archives will contain microfilm, films, etc., and will be the largest collection of such documents on the Khmer Rouge in the United States.

1.3     Public Education and Reconciliation Outreach

1.3.1     The Legal Training Project

We will hold a second legal training course this summer, sponsored by the US State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, and focusing on the defense counsel. This quarter, we hosted several North American law students who will be our summer legal associates, and confirmed a number of local and international guest lecturers.

The project will involve three intensive two-week courses in Phnom Penh for selected Cambodian officials, university professors, NGO leaders, and journalists.

Each two-week course deals with different aspects of international criminal law and criminal defense relevant to the upcoming tribunal in Cambodia:

     §  An introduction to the upcoming KRT

     §  The rights of the defendant

     §  The role of the defense counsel before the KRT

     §  Potential challenges for defense counsel before the KRT

     §  Rights and duties of defense counsel before the KRT

     §  Types of defense

     §  Defense motions and closing arguments.

This quarter, our legal team focused on preparing training manuals for the course.

The courses will be taught, coordinated, or assisted by the following team:

In addition, we will recruit four law students from Cambodia to assist on the project.

1.3.2     The Victims of Torture Project

We began this two-year project in late 2003 with the Transcultural Psychosocial Organization (TPO). It involves counseling for people who suffered abuse under the DK regime (both victims and perpetrators) and are traumatized today. Our primary role is to assist the TPO in identifying subjects for care.

This quarter, we continued interviews in Kampot and Kandal provinces.

*This figure is constant because these activities were conducted for the same clients.

Two staff members participated in the 40^th Congress on Psychiatry in a Changing World conference organized by The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Center on May 22-26. As a result of this conference, ABC Radio Australia interviewed VOT team member Dr. Sotheara Chhim, psychiatrist and managing director of TPO-Cambodia on “Healing Genocidal Trauma: North Meets South,” which was aired on May 28 and June 1 (http://www.abc.net.au/rn/science/mind/). In addition, the Khmer language website, Community Information Web Portal Cambodia, published two articles written by a VOT staff member this quarter. For this and other media coverage on the VOT Project, see Section 3.

Client Feedback. We received many comments from the project’s beneficiaries this quarter. For example, many of our clients in Takeo province complained that the project’s counseling and other services were ending too soon. In response, TPO has requested that the provincial hospital offer psychological services.

We also observed that since we began the project, most of our interviewees – particularly victims – are much more at ease in sharing their suffering under the Khmer Rouge with us and wanted their stories to be published for future generations. It also seems that the more time we give them to share their experiences, the more emotion they are able to release.
 

Last, many of our patients in Kandal and Takeo provinces expressed satisfaction with their treatment. At our final counseling groups there on June 9-10, we asked clients to visit their pagodas, offer food to the monks and nuns, and invite monks who survived Democratic Kampuchea to talk about their experiences during the regime and the Buddhist ways of dealing with trauma, and to give blessings to our clients.

Volunteers. In late June, two interns from Global Youth Connect (an international organization for youth working to promote and defend human rights around the world), Iam Saroeun and Megan Whittaker, arrived to work as volunteers for our project this summer. To date, they have accompanied our VOT team to interviews in Kandal province. Their suggestions have included: 1) notifying interviewees in advance about who the team is and what it will be doing, 2) conducting second interviews to obtain missing or more detailed information, and to build more trust, 3) following up to see if people’s lives have changed as a result of the project, 4) giving villagers copies of the publications in which their stories appear, and 5) making audio-visual tapes of interviews.

1.3.3         Genocide Education

For the past 25 years, formal education about the Khmer Rouge has ranged from near-complete political propaganda to an incomplete history. Since 2002, history books for Cambodian high school students have not contained any text on Democratic Kampuchea.

This two-year project (2004-2006) aims to provide the Ministry of Education with a short, accurate, and unbiased text on Khmer Rouge history for high school students. We anticipate it will be incorporated into history books by the Cambodian government or published as a supplementary text.

This quarter, our team worked on three main activities. First, to test the knowledge and attitudes of students on the Khmer Rouge regime, we held hour-long tours of Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum for over 100 Cambodian students (most are in their first year at local universities). Before the tour, students were asked 17 questions about Democratic Kampuchea. Next, they were brought to DC-Cam to view our archival holdings and learn about our work. While there, a second 10-question survey was administered to see if the students’ knowledge or attitudes had changed after the tours and lectures. Our information technology staff have devised a simple program for coding and analyzing the responses, and we aim to complete an evaluation of the questionnaires next quarter.

Second, we have now completed the third draft of the text on Democratic Kampuchea, which is divided into three sections: general background (the early Communist movement through the establishment of the Communist Party of Kampuchea and its adversary political movements), the DK regime (covering conditions under the regime and a general history), and border conflicts with Vietnam and the fall of DK. We are working closely with historian David Chandler to complete the text. It will be reviewed by Cambodian and international experts, as well as by a panel of students. We anticipate that the final text will be ready for review at the end of next quarter.

Last, we have nearly completed our selection of survivors’ stories and Khmer Rouge slogans, which will be published concurrently with the history text. To date, 19 stories have been selected for inclusion. They include stories of new and base people, as well as military personnel.

In September, Boly Dy will audit courses on genocide education at Carleton University in Montreal, Canada. While there, Professor Frank Chalk and Sonia Zylberberg (director of education at the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre and an educator from the US Memorial Holocaust Museum) will review and comment on his text on Democratic Kampuchea prepared as part of our Genocide Education Project

1.3.4     Film Project

The 30-minute documentary The Khmer Rouge Rice Fields: The Story of Rape Survivor Tang Kim was one of five films nominated for a Grace Heritage award. It was screened at the US-ASEAN film festival in Washington, DC on May 1, 2005. DVD productions of the film have earned US $1,097 to date, which is being used to support the education of Taing Kim’s children. It was also screened this quarter at a university in Indonesia and the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore. The film will be shown over 50 village forums in 22 Cambodian provinces as part of our pre-trial outreach program.

In April, Tang Kim visited Germany, where she participated in programs, photo exhibitions, museum tours, and speaking engagements. Her visit was sponsored by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Institute. After her return home, she has shared her experience with other nuns at her pagoda in Kampong Chhnang.

A number of people have written to us about the film:

     §  Retired King Norodom Sihanouk. “I would like to express my profound thanks and warm appreciation for your effort in conducting research of the inhuman Khmer Rouge crime.”

     §  Senior Minister of Education, Youth and Sport Kol Pheng. “I believe that this essential film will be reached out to the people, teachers, students, and intellectuals to further understand hardships during the Khmer Rouge.”

     §  Sisowath Panara Sirivuth. “I whole-heartedly thank and appreciate you and the colleagues of the Documentation Center of Cambodia who have made untiring effort to research evidences for collating documents and producing films of historic importance of the Khmer Rouge time.”

1.3.5     Web Site Development (www.dccam.org)

This quarter we updated the website with a few DC-Cam views about KR memorial issues and the tribunal process. We also continued to explore a number of issues surrounding the use of foul or defamatory language on our site in anticipation of hosting a public forum on the Internet. Once we have formulated a policy and determined if we can successfully block such language, we will open the forum, which the public can use to exchange views on DK, the tribunal, and other issues.

In addition, the Highest Council for Islamic Religious Affairs Cambodia is now helping us to collect data (number of people in villages, number of males/females, number of children attending school, means of livelihood, economic conditions) on Cambodia’s Cham Muslim community. We will use these data to develop a webite for this community.

1.4     Research, Translation and Publication

1.4.1     Historical Research and Writing

Our Research Project aims to develop an historical understanding of the DK era and to build the capacity of our staff to produce quality writing and research. We also publish the work of international scholars who conduct extensive research at DC-Cam. Our main products are the short monographs in our Documentation Series.

This quarter we published:

 

     §  The Chain of Terror: The Khmer Rouge Southwest Zone Security System by Meng-Try Ea, a DC-Cam staff member who is currently working on a PhD at Rugters University.

Two manuscripts are now in the final stages of editing:

     §  Tum Teav: A Study of a Cambodian Literary Classic by George Chigas, who teaches at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell

     §  The Winds from the West: Khmer Rouge Purges in Mondul Kiri, by Sara Colm of Human Rights Watch, with DC-Cam staff member Sorya Sim.

In addition, we have been helping several university students from Cambodia and abroad in their research. Our assistance has included the provision of materials, advice, and responses to inquiries:

     §  Sera, L’eau et la Terre, France: Delcourt Mirages, 2005

     §  Michelle Elizabeth Rose (an artist from Canada)  who is working on a project related to arts and genocide

     §  Mary Odile Lognard (Institut de Demographie, Universite Catholique de Louvain) who is working on her PhD thesis in demography.

1.4.2     Monographs in Preparation

DC-Cam staff member Osman Ysa’s monograph, The Cham Rebellion, has been written and translated into English. The editing of his manuscript will begin next quarter.

In mid-2003, we began working with Dr. Ian Harris of Oxford and Lancaster Universities (UK) on a study of Buddhism under the Khmer Communists from 1970 to 1990. So far, he has made six research visits to Phnom Penh, Kampot, Kandal, Battambang, Kampong Speu, Takeo, Kompong Cham, Kratie, and Stung Treng provinces (this quarter). He is also conducting archival work at DC-Cam, the National Archives of Cambodia and the Buddhist Institute as well as field interviews. Last quarter, Dr. Harris also visited Chau Doc, Southern Vietnam (where some ethnic Khmer monks are now living). To date, he has conducted over 60 interviews with key informants. Next quarter, Dr. Harris plans to conduct fieldwork and interviews in Kampong Thom and Svay Rieng. The project will result in a published manuscript in our Documentation Series.

In 2003, John D. Ciorciari (former Wai Seng Senior Research Scholar at Oxford University) began work on a short book dealing with the relations between the People’s Republic of China and the Khmer Rouge regime. We assisted him in conducting field research. We plan to combine his text with an introductory guide to the Khmer Rouge tribunal that Mr. Ciociari wrote with members of our legal training course staff. We anticipate that it will be published in 2005.

Last, Dr. Stephen Heder returned to DC-Cam this quarter to continue his interview analyses (see Section 1.2.2). We anticipate that DC-Cam will publish his work as a monograph in 2006.

1.4.3     Translation and Publication of Foreign Books

One book was translated and published by DC-Cam this quarter:

     §  Adhemard Leclere, Histoire du Cambodge, Paris: Librairie Paul Geuthner, 1914 (translated by Tep Meng Khean)

Four books have been translated by DC-Cam and are ready for publication:

     §  When the War was Over, by Elizabeth Becker, translated by Tep Meng Khean and Irene Sokha

     §  Lucky Child, by Loung Ung, translated by Rachana Phat

     §  Brother Enemy, by Nayan Chanda, translated by Tep Meng Khean

     §  Journey to Light, by Ronnie Yimsuth, translated by Kok-Thay Eng.

1.4.4     Research Forum: Preserving the History of the Khmer Rouge Regime

This quarter, DC-Cam intended to announce the winners of the essay context we are co-sponsoring with the Khmer Writers Association. However, we decided to delay until to April 2006 in order to receive a larger pool of submissions. This quarter, we received three essays and a poem, bringing the total to date to 17 (including two essays were submitted by survivors in France and the United States).

1.5     Magazine and Radio

            1.5.1     The Magazine Project

Khmer Edition. This quarter, we produced three issues of Searching for the Truth, which contained 47 articles/letters/editorials and 75 photographs. Our editorials discussed the final process of the upcoming tribunal.

     §  The documentation section contained seven confession summaries, a text on diplomatic relations, and a list of victims.

 

     §  The history section had 11 articles describing the lives of cadres and victims during DK.
 

     §  The legal section carried two articles related to sexual abuse during DK and some recommendations to address such issues in the Extraordinary Chambers (EC).

     §  The debate section’s 10 articles were mostly statements of the Cambodian government, NGOs and the UN on the process of establishing the EC, Cambodian peace and reconciliation, and lessons from the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).

     §  The family tracing section contained 14 life stories, family queries and responses, and excerpts from Stilled Lives.

Readers sent in 26 articles and letters this quarter. They covered requests for the magazine and photographs, expressions of appreciation for DC-Cam’s provision of documents on missing relatives, and comments on our magazine.

LICADHO, PADEC, TPO and PED continued to help us distribute our magazine. We sold 110 copies of the Khmer edition and distributed 20,890 free of charge. Our field teams also carried copies of magazines to villagers.

Special Quarterly English Edition. Our second quarter edition contained:

     §  Documentation section: Two confession summaries and a DC-Cam appeal for the release of archival materials for the Khmer Rouge tribunal.

 

     §  History section: Articles on a Vietnamese-Khmer couple under the Khmer Rouge, the recollections of two survivors, and the controversy over the need to preserve forensic evidence vs. Buddhist cremation.
 

     §  Legal section: An article on the lessons the EC can learn from the ICTR.
 

     §  Public debate section: An article on the history and causes of the Rwanda genocide, a statement of the Royal Government Task Force on security for witnesses and victims at the EC, and NGOs’ view on witness protection.
 

     §  Family tracing section: Letters from readers discussing the tribunal, and queries and responses to searches for missing family member.
 

     §  Announcements and responses: State Department press release on US involvement in the tribunal and comments on the recent “privatization” of the Choeuk Ek genocide site.

1.5.2     Radio Broadcasts

The table below shows a history of our broadcasts.

We have increased the cost-effectiveness of our production by completing the setup of a new studio housed at DC-Cam. We continue to send pre-recorded tapes to local radio stations.

2.       Challenges AND RESPONSES

DC-Cam is facing three main challenges as the Khmer Rouge tribunal approaches. We have taken steps to address all of these.

2.1     Translation Capacity

This quarter, we have attained adequate translation capacity. In addition, the Cambodian Royal Government Task Force has begun a nationwide recruiting campaign for translators to work at the tribunal. This should ease the anticipated translation burden for DC-Cam. We will refer any qualified candidates we encounter to the Task Force.

2.2     Security

As the tribunal draws near, security is of concern. To protect our data and computer system, we have separated our computers with access to the Internet from those we use for normal office work. To protect our documents, we sent copies of our microfilms to Rutgers University this quarter. Our original documents are stored in water- and fire-proof cabinets. All of our male team leaders are required to stay at the Center one night per week in order to improve security.

We have also held preliminary discussions with a private Phnom Penh company (Computer Security and Training & Consulting) on computer and network security. The discussions centered on the need to protect our data by setting up our main server in an outside location and assigning staff skilled in computer maintenance to update anti-virus programs and clean viruses from our computers daily.

2.3     Public Outreach

Many NGOs in Cambodia are working on programs related to the Khmer Rouge tribunal. This will result in challenges in terms of maintaining accurate information for the public. DC-Cam is investigating the best methods of ensuring the integrity of information produced for the public.

3. PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

The impacts of our projects have been felt in five major areas this quarter: heightened community awareness of the need for justice and reconciliation, media and academic coverage of the center’s activities, our cooperation with overseas organizations and NGOs, conferences and presentations, and staff development.

3.1     Community Awareness

Virtually all of DC-Cam’s projects are intended to encourage community awareness of history, justice, and reconciliation. Our community awareness work under the Living Documents Project and with NGOs providing public services for the Khmer Rouge tribunal is described in Sections 1.2.3 and 3.4, respectively. This section discusses our community awareness efforts for members of the public and institutions.

            3.1.1     Services Provided to the Public

In addition to implementing broad programs to increase public awareness, DC-Cam strives to assist individuals in their search for information. Some of our assistance this quarter included:

     §  Three confessions (Koy Thuon, Chan Chakrey, and Hou Nim) were copied and provided to researcher Heng Sinith.

     §  A notebook and Khmer Rouge drawings of weapons were provided to filmmaker Rithy Panh.

     §  A Cambodian living in France was given a copy of Chek Brahim’s confession.

     §  We provided a visitor from Kampong Chhnang with a photograph of his brother, who disappeared during Democratic Kampuchea.

     §  We gave a Cambodian named Bou Khil a photograph of his relative Bou Khann, who disappeared during Democratic Kampuchea.

     §  We sent Nhem Buthan, a Cambodian-Australian, information on former secretary of the Northwest Zone Committee Ros Nhim, who was sent to S-21 prison.

     §  We conducted an unsuccessful search of our database on two Khmer Rouge, Peang Voar and Huy Vann, who were related to Dit Sokh Thy, a history student at the Royal University of Phnom Penh.

     §  For Khmer-Canadian Kuch Ky Heng, we also searched for information on Chao Preung, who was held at Tuol Sleng. This search did not yield any results.

     §  A 73 year-old resident of Meas Sarun village in Kampong Chhnang province asked our Promoting Accountability teams for information on former teachers Hem Maly, Bung Bengly and Mam Lee. We were able to locate biographies for, and confirm the arrests of, the first two.

     §  Michelle Rose, a designer and painter from Toronto, joined a PA team trip to Kampong Chhnang. She observed our field activities as input to a series of paintings she will create to convey her personal views of the Cambodian genocide.

     §  Our Magazine staff provided 11 students and other individuals with CDs of Khmer Rouge songs.

3.1.2         Institutions

DC-Cam has also provided research and other assistance to members of the press, academia, and private and non-government organizations:

     §  We helped the Southeast Asia correspondent from Radio RTL (France) get a better picture of how ethnic minority people in Ratanak Kiri were treated by the Khmer Rouge. We answered questions on the treatment of various groups, their membership in the KR, etc.

     §  Osman Ysa was interviewed by a professor from Thailand’s Mahidol University for an article to be published in Thai and Malaysian newspapers. In addition, he met with a journalist from BBC TV who took some photographs of our PA team, which will be used in a film.

     §  We assisted Hans Christian Post, a graduate student at the University of Copenhagen, who was pursuing research related to memory and culture in Cambodia. He is planning to do extensive work at DC-Cam for his research project.

     §  Twenty Royal University of Phnom Penh students who were about to pursue master’s degrees in Japan visited DC-Cam to learn about the tribunal. Their professor said, “I believe it is important for them to have this experience prior to leaving for Japan and the possible questions that they will face from their colleagues on the KR tribunal and the genocide.”

     §  Fifteen students from Lycee Francais Rene Descartes in France made a study tour of DC-Cam. The school’s leaders are seeking to give students “as much information as possible about the trial of Khmer Rouge so they will be able to understand the history of Cambodia and the people of this country.”

     §  Based on VOT project reports posted on our homepage, a senior behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation, Dr. Grant Marshall, contacted us to learn more about the types of questions TPO-Cambodia uses to collect normative data in Cambodia.

     §  Alexander Linklater, deputy editor of Prospect Magazine, was interested in the VOT Project’s trauma counseling and treatment activities. On May 17, he came to Cambodia and observed our field interviews in Kandal province. We introduced him to two TPO-Cambodia clients who have received counseling. He interviewed these two clients about the importance of TPO’s services.

     §  With the agreement of TPO-Cambodia, three journalists from Cambodge Soir accompanied us to Kandal province on April 7 to observe the process of psychological intervention. As a result, an article (“La déshumanisation, une licence pour tuer”) was published in a special issue of Cambododge Soir in April.

 

     §  Anna Catherine de Laine of the Danish Institute for International Studies (www.diis.dk) asked for pictures from our website to post on her website (www.folkedrab.dk), which contains sections on the history of the Cambodian genocide, the roles of children and women as perpetrators, Danish connections to the Khmer Rouge, and transitional justice.

     §  53 photos were given to researchers and journalists from the Open Forum of Cambodia, Cambodge Nouveau, Cambodia Daily, and Cambodian Scene Magazine.

3.2     Media and Academic Coverage

This quarter, at least 162 news items on Khmer Rouge issues appeared in 36 local and international publications Some examples from these publications include:

Khmer Rouge Tribunal

     §  UN News Center, “Agreement Between UN and Cambodia on Khmer Rouge Trials Takes Effect,” April 29, 2005

     §  Kaleej Times Online, “UN Says Khmer Rouge Tribunal Can be Staffed,” April 30, 2005

     §  BBC News, “Khmer Rouge Law Gets Go-Ahead,” April 30, 2005

     §  AP, “Cambodia Welcomes UN Go-Ahead to Organize Khmer Rouge Tribunal,” April 30, 2005

     §  AP, “Money in Hand, UN Sets Cambodia Genocide Tribunal in Motion,” April 30, 2005

     §  ABC News Online, “Cambodia Welcomes Khmer Rouge Trial Funds,” April 30, 2005

     §  AFP, “Cambodian Government Welcomes UN Go-ahead for Khmer Rouge Tribunal,” May 1, 2005

     §  Lee Berthiaume and Pin Sisovan, “UN: Funds in Place to Start KR Tribunal,” Cambodia Daily, May 2, 2005

Fundraising for the Tribunal

     §  Kate Woodsome, “Cambodia Asks for Help to Cover its Share for Khmer Rouge Tribunal,” Voice of America, May 30, 2005

     §  “Local Businessmen May Help Pay for KR Trial,” Cambodia Daily, June 6, 2005

     §  Lee Bertiaume and Thet Sambath, “Buzz Around Capital? Let Gov’t Fund Tribunal,” Cambodia Daily, June 7, 2005

     §  Cheat Khemary, “Hun Sen Said Opposition Opinion over People Fundraising is Impossible,” Oudomkate Khmer, June 9, 2005

     §  “Cambodian Leader Discourages Donations for Khmer Rouge Tribunal,” The International Herald Tribune, June 9, 2005

     §  Kuch Naren and Lee Bertiaume, “PM Rejects Fundraising to KR Trial,” Cambodia Daily, June 9, 2005

     §  Kaven Doyle and Lor Chandara, “Japan Seeks Way to Find More Trial Funds,” Cambodia Daily, June 11-12, 2005

     §  Pin Sisovann and Lee Berthiaume, “KR Tribunal Fully Funded, says Minister,” Cambodia Daily, June 22, 2005

     §  Kate Woodsome, “Cambodia Accepts Japan’s Offer to fund Khmer Rouge Tribunal,” Voice of America, June 22, 2005

     §  So Vises, “Youk Chhang Asks the Government to Announce the Opening Day of the Khmer Rouge Trial,” Oudomkate Khmer, June 23, 2005

     §  Lee Berthiaume, “Germany Gives More Funds to Khmer Rouge Tribunal,” Cambodia Daily, June 28, 2005

April 17: Anniversary of the Khmer Rouge Coming to Power

     §  “Khmer Rouge: 30 Ans apres a quoi Peut Servir le Proces?” Cambodge Soir, April 2005

     §  “Reflecting on the Fall: April 17,” Phnom Penh Post, April 8-21, 2005

     §  “The Fall of Phnom Penh: 30 Years after the Khmer Rouge Rise to Power,” Cambodia Daily, April 16-17, 2005

     §  “The Aftershocks of the Khmer Rouge,” The Boston Globe, April 17, 2005

     §  “17 April 1975: La Prise de Phnom Penh?” Cambodge Nouveau, April 17, 2005

     §  Radio Free Asia, “Scholar Describes Fall of Phnom Penh, 30 Years Later,” April 18, 2005

     §  Tum Somalai, “Thirty Years after April 17 Justice Still Not Found,” The Voice of Khmer Youth, April 19, 2005.

The Privatization of Choeung Ek

     §  Ek Madra, “Cambodia Privatises Killing Fields Genocide Site,” Reuters, April 4, 2005

     §  Ker Munthit, “Japanese Firm Wins Contract to Manage Cambodian Killing Fields Site,” AP, April 5, 2005

     §  Kuch Naren, “Official Linked to Choeung Ek Tourism Deal,” Cambodia Daily, April 5, 2005

     §  AP, “Genocide Researcher Urges Cambodian Premier to Scrap ‘Killing Fields’ Privatization,” April 5, 2005

     §  Kuch Naren, “Choeung Ek Chief Asked to Cease Disclosures,” Cambodia Daily, April 6, 2006

     §  Kuch Naren, “City Stands Firm on Choeung Ek Privatization,” Cambodia Daily, April 7, 2005

     §  Koh Santepheap, “Public Opinion Around Development of Choeung Ek Center,” April 8, 2005

     §  Kuch Naren, ‘Ministers Declares Details of Choeung Ek Lease,” Cambodia Daily, April 8, 2005

     §  Council of Ministers, “Statement on the Plan for Conservation and Improvement of Choeung Ek Genocide Center,” Rasmei Kampuchea, April 9, 2005

     §  “Government Denies Plans for Choeung Ek Access Road,” Cambodia Daily, April 9-10, 2005

     §  Ronnie Yimsut, “Choeung Ek Sale an Insult to Victims of the Khmer Rouge,” Cambodia Daily, April 13, 2005

     §  Christine Chaumeau, “Cambodia: A Window for Japanese Diplomacy,” JusticeTribune.com, April 14, 2005

     §  Hin Sarun, “Letter on Choeung Ek,” Rasmei Kampuchea Daily, April 21, 2005

     §  Ratana, “Choeung Ek Genocide Center Offered to JC Royal Company Officially,” Rasmei Kampuchea Daily, April 22, 2005

     §  Kuch Naren, “Choeung Ek Signed Over to Japanese Firm,” Cambodia Daily, April 22, 2005

     §  Kuch Naren, “Japan Embassy Denies Link to Choeung Ek Deal,” Cambodia Daily, May 13, 2005.

DC-Cam Staff Articles/Letters

     §  Youk Chhang, “Japan Missed Chance to Aid Cambodians,” Cambodia Daily, April 17, 2005

     §  Chy Terith, “Agreement between UN and Royal Government to Establish an Extraordinary Chamber Comes into Effect,” Rasmei Kampuchea Daily, May 1-2, 2005

     §  Meng-Try Ea, “Khmer Rouge Survivor Willing to Contribute to Trial Funding,” Cambodia Daily, June 10, 2005

     §  Vannak Huy, “Gov’t Should Let People Participate in KR Fund-Raising,” Cambodia Daily, June 16, 2005

     §  Youk Chhang, “Asean Nations Can Play Important Role in Khmer Rouge Trial,” Cambodia Daily, June 23, 2005.

Trauma from Democratic Kampuchea

     §  Chheang Bopha, “Des Psychothérapies pour Sortir du Cauchemar Khmer Rouge,” Cambodge Soir, April 22-24, 2005

     §  “Psychotherapies for Leaving Behind the Legacies of the Khmer Rouge,” Somne Thmey-Kampong Cham, May 2005

3.3     Cooperation with Overseas Organizations and NGOs

3.3.1     Overseas Organizations

Affinity Group. Together with the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), DC-Cam led the development of an “Affinity Group” of documentation centers from around the world (the former Afghanistan, Guatemala, Iraq, Thailand (working on human rights issues in Burma), and the former Yugoslavia to share information and techniques, and address the constraints shared by its members. The group, which plans to meet three or four times per year, would also call in international experts to help think through solutions to various technical documentation problems.

In the first meeting in Phnom Penh on March 1-5, 2005, the Affinity Group participants discussed strategic and technical issues. This quarter, the second meeting was held at the Humanitarian Law Center in Belgrade on June 20-25, 2005. It covered: 1) the ownership and custodianship of documents, 2) evidentiary questions, 2) information management systems, 4) documents and memory, 5) information preservation and dissemination, and 6) documentary collections. The technical subjects addressed included document protection, digitalizing videos and documents, evaluations of databases (DC-Cam, ICTJ, and the Iraq Memory Foundation), model information systems, and manuals and guidelines. DC-Cam’s database team leader Ros Sampeou attended the meeting (see Section 3.5.1).

German Development Service. On June 29, 2005, DC-Cam hosted part of a regional Civil Peace Service conference organized by the German Development Service (GED) of the German Ministry for Cooperation and Development. Civil peace experts from Asia exchanged experiences and strategies at the conference. At DC-Cam, participants learned about our role in the coming Khmer Rouge tribunal and viewed the Khmer Rouge Rice Fields: Story of Rape Survivor Taing Kim.

Global Youth Connect. On June 23 we hosted a study group of 24 Americans and Cambodian-Americans who watched S-21: The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine and toured DC-Cam. Researcher Meng-Try Ea participated in a discussion on “Accountability and Reconciliation for the Cambodian Genocide and the Impact of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal on Human Rights in Cambodia.”

National Museums of World Culture. From April 25-28, 2005, DC-Cam hosted a workshop for the National Museums of World Culture’s Southeast Asia Cultural Cooperation Program, whose aim is to promote development through cultural diversity and access. At the workshop, 20 museum representatives from Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Sweden worked to identify and articulate problems as well as priority areas for cooperation (museology training/research, community relations and cooperation, collections research and methodology, interpretation and display, and management training). DC-Cam researchers Sorya Sim and Dany Long shared their experiences on collecting and disseminating information on and to ethnic minority communities.

Youth for Peace. On June 23, 2005 Meng-Try Ea told this visiting delegation about DC-Cam activities and answered their questions.

3.3.2        Non-Government Organizations

ADHOC. On May 25, 2005, DC-Cam’s director Youk Chhang met with Ms. Krisni, an ADHOC representative to discuss the selection process for the tribunal judges. At that meeting, Mr. Chhang proposed that efforts to make the selection process for both Cambodian and foreign judges should be as transparent as possible.

On June 6, Dara Vanthan participated in an EU-supported ADHOC workshop on international best practices and standards of freedom of information. Held to gather comments in preparation for a proposal to the Cambodian government on a draft law on freedom of information, the workshop included guest speakers from the government, World Bank, EU, UNCOHCHR, National Assembly, and Forum-Asia.

Cambodian Center for Human Rights. On June 3, Sochea Phann spoke at a CCHR round table with Khiev San, a member of the Legislative Committee of the National Assembly; Son Chhay, a parliamentarian from the Sam Rainsy party; and Ouk Vithon, a member of the Supreme Court. The discussion was broadcast live on Radio 105, Phnom Penh.

Center for Social Development. On April 26, 2005 Dara Vanthan attended a CSD workshop on the Impacts of and Attitudes toward Corruption in Cambodia.

The Committee for Free and Fair Elections. On June 10, Mr. Vanthan attended the CFFE’s Our Comments Forum, which discussed an appeal of an investigating judge’s decision on the draft code of criminal procedures.

Khmer Institute of Democracy. On May 3, 2005, Sorya Sim met with Thon Sokunthy and Nou Va from KID and gave them advice on writing about the Khmer Rouge regime, policies, leaders, and institutions. KID will use these texts as part of its short lectures for the Democracy and Justice Training Program on the Khmer Rouge Tribunal. KID’s project is funded by the Open Society Institute. On May 20, 2005 Thon Sokunthy came to DC-Cam to ask for advice on preparing video spots and lectures on Khmer Rouge history and the tribunal.

In addition, Youvathana Sok, a Cambodian American student living in Virginia, contacted DC-Cam director Youk Chhang after bought two domain names, KhmerRouge.com and KhmerRouge.org. Mr. Sok stated that he interested in sharing these names, free of charge, with Cambodian NGOs that are working on the Khmer Rouge. Mr. Chhang recommended he contact KID and Youth for Peace. KID has already contacted Mr. Sok.

Open Forum of Cambodia. On April 27, we printed out biographies of Khmer Rouge leaders from our database and gave a copy of a DC-Cam-produced map of the killing fields to OFC. Representatives of this Cambodian NGO also discussed with us the possibility of producing databases that will provide information to the public in preparation for the forthcoming Khmer Rouge trials.

Youth for Peace. On June 3, 2005, DC-Cam researcher Meng-Try Ea made a presentation on the Khmer Rouge tribunal to 23 NGOs. He, Dara Vanthan, and Rachana Phat discussed DC-Cam activities, showed a film, and provided copies of the Royal Government Task Force’s Introduction to the Khmer Rouge Trials.

Human Rights NGOs. On April 28, 2005 Dara Vanthan attended the Media Conference on Human Rights Defenders in Asia organized by the International Federation for Human Rights, World Organization Against Torture, Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association, and Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights.

3.3.3        Activities with Governments

Cabinet of Ministers. On June 30, H.E. Mr. Sean Visoth, executive secretary of the Task Force of the Cabinet Ministers, spoke to DC-Cam’s student volunteers about the law on the UN-Cambodia Agreement on the establishment of the EC. Also, H.E. Mr. Maonh Saphan of the Parliament spoke on the Extraordinary Chambers Law. DC-Cam rented a private school for this event, which was attended by about 180 participants. Many questions were raised on these documents.

Council of Ministers. DC-Cam director Youk Chhang wrote to the Council proposing the names of eight local judges to be nominated to serve on the Khmer Rouge tribunal.

Ministry of Interior. On May 1, 2005 DC-Cam sent a letter to the Ministry, asking permission for volunteer students to distribute documents relevant to the tribunal. We received permission to work in the provinces with the Ministry’s security support.
 

On June 2, 2005 DC-Cam sent a letter to H.E. Mr. Em Sam-An, secretary of state of the Ministry of Interior, to follow up on issues related to the land the Royal Government provided to DC-Cam.
 

Royal University of Phnom Penh. On June 3, 2005 six members of DC-Cam’s legal training team met with Mr. Bun Honn, secretary general of the Legal Training Center at the university’s Faculty of Law and Economics to discuss general practices involving the application of Cambodian law regarding criminal defense. Two of our staff members met with Mr. Bun again on June 9 to discuss the topic he will present at DC-Cam’s legal training course.
 

3.4     Conferences and Presentations

            3.4.1     Conferences

Sochea Phann was a guest speaker at a roundtable discussion at the Comfrel Organization in Phnom Penh on April 22. The Khmer Rouge Tribunal process was discussed and broadcast on FM 105. Other participants included Dr. Lao Monghai (chief of the Law Department at the Center for Social Development), Ms. Pong Chhvkek (director of Lichado), and moderator Mr. Kul Pahna (director of Comfrel).

            3.4.2    Presentations

Youk Chhang, “A Role for ASEAN in the Forthcoming Khmer Rouge Tribunal,” Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore, June 25, 2005.

Sophearith Chuong and Dr. Sothera Chhim (TPO), “Trauma and Reconciliation in Cambodia,” The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists’ Psychiatry in a Changing World40^th Congress, Sydney, May 22-26, 2005.

Farina So, “The Study of the Qur-An vs. Modern Education for Islamic Women in Cambodia,” State Islamic University, Indonesia, June 2005.

3.5     Staff Development

Staff member Farina So was given a scholarship for a course on Islam, Gender, and Reproductive Rights organized by the Center for Women’s Studies, State Islamic University in Indonesia from June 4-25, 2005. She wrote a paper on “The Study of the Qur-An vs. Modern Education for Islamic Women in Cambodia,” and presented it during the course.

Sochea Phann attended a training course on Institutions for International Crimes Investigation at Leiden University in The Hague from April 4-15. The topics covered: international humanitarian law and International Criminal Court rules, sexual violence in armed conflicts, witness statements, interpretation, ethics, information gathering, intelligence, child soldiers, mission planning, witness protection, evidence, oral briefings, and investigation management. Practical training was also given at Amersfoort Military Garrison.

Prepared by

Sorya Sim and Wynne Cougill