Battambang province has been well-known for its rice production that, most believe, could feed the entire country. It's the very reason that with its total triumph on April 17, 1975, the Khmer Rouge forcefully transferred city dwellers or "17 April" people to this fertile province. Unaccounted people died unnatural death under the regime's terrible work condition and harsh policies. The people suffered until January 13, 1979 when the regime's ranks and files were toppled.

 

Now that several Khmer Rouge leaders are being held accountable for the mass murders, there is a severe limitation of knowledge of how students can find ways to follow the historic judicial developments. For this reason, on July 6, 2012 Cambodia Tribunal Monitor of the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam) commences its first-ever education trip to the province. It aims to host a workshop on Cambodian Tribunal Monitor (CTM) website screening at University of Battambang in an attempt to disseminate the information related to the ongoing development of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, raise awareness among students of the trials of the Khmer Rouge leaders, and to encourage more effective utilization of its website for research purpose.

 

The workshop took place from 8:45-12:00 AM with participation from approximately five hundred students. To achieve a meaningful participation from the participants, CTM team prepares a range of activities, starting with a discussion on the Khmer Rouge history and the reconciliation processes in Cambodia. In addition, the team screens one documentary film “Tuol Sleng Prison” for the students to reflect on the lives and experiences of the victims and survivors under the regime. Most importantly, the team thoroughly presents the key tools necessary to utilize the CTM website for a research purpose. The workshop puts into an end with the floor given to students to ask questions and with a distribution of DC-Cam materials.

 

Funded by Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, and J.B. and M.K. Pritzker Family Foundation, McArthur Foundation, and the British Embassy with core support from United States Agency for International Development (USAID).