On January 17, 2014, the Cambodia Tribunal Monitor (CTM) Project of the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam) has conducted a workshop at Angkor University, Siem Reap province. The workshop focused on the history of Democratic Kampuchea, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, and the resources provided by the CTM website. The workshop was held from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. with the participation of 70 students. To date, the CTM team has successfully conducted the workshop at more than 40 universities, reaching almost 8,000 students.

Almost three decades after the collapse of the brutal Khmer Rouge regime (1975-1979), a hybrid tribunal known as the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) was established by the Royal Government of Cambodia and the United Nations to address the serious human rights violations and crimes committed under the DK regime. The ECCC continues to prosecute the senior leaders of the DK regime and is helping Cambodians to achieve a measure of reconciliation. Yet, judicial measures alone cannot bring justice to the victims. There is a need to update the public and especially students—who will be the future leaders of this country—on Khmer Rouge history and the legal process for prosecuting the senior leaders most responsible for the horrors committed under the regime.

Siem Reap province is home to hundreds of ancient temples including World Heritage site of Angkor Wat. Unfortunately, with decades of civil wars, and genocidal Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s, most of the cultural heritages in Cambodia were abandoned, while some others were looted. Most of the temples, including Angkor Wat were occupied by the Khmer Rouge communists in as early as 1973, which left the temples unprotected and unpreserved. Even after the regime collapsed, the Khmer Rouge guerrillas remained in control over some cultural sites. Looting of cultural property was one of the main issues during the civil war in Cambodia in the 1980s. With this important site, the CTM hopes to use this workshop as a platform for disseminating information on the history of the Khmer Rouge, the trials of Khmer Rouge leaders, and research tools available for accessing these important topics. It is through this awareness and greater access to resources that the CTM Project hopes to preserve memory and enhance the access to (and understanding of) justice.