The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (“The Ministry”) and the Documentation Center of Cambodia (“DC-Cam”) are pleased to inform the public that, on 10 October 2012, 3pm, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) will be signed between the Ministry and DC-Cam at the headquarters of the Ministry of Education. Pursuant to the MoU, the Ministry will transfer to DC-Cam a parcel of land (4,785.61 square meters) on which a permanent center called the Sleuk Rith Institute will be built. The conceded lot, located next to the Royal University of Law and Economics, was the former site of a Khmer Rouge prison.

 

The Sleuk Rith Institute aims to be the leading center for genocide studies in Asia. It will consist of three major pillars: a museum, a research center and a school. The museum will serve as a public archive of the history of Cambodia where locals and visitors can come not only to learn about the history of the Khmer Rouge, but also to enjoy a quiet place for reflection and healing. The research center will allow DC-Cam to continue its work compiling, analyzing and preserving information about the Pol Pot era. It will also welcome scholars from around the world that are interested in studying human rights atrocities in Cambodia and beyond. The school will educate leading Cambodian students about Cambodia's history as well as certain principles of law and human rights in an effort to build a more promising future. For more information about Sleuk Rith Institute, please visit: http://www.cambodiasri.org.

 

DC-Cam’s operations have been generously funded by a number of donors. The United States government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Office of Global Programs Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) of the U.S. Department of State, has provided $5.35 million to DC-Cam in continued support of the Center’s work on documenting the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge regime. Of the $5.35 million, $4 million has gone towards the Center’s endowment. The remaining $1.35 million is supporting the Center’s core operations. These include the continuation of information gathering to support the ECCC’s work; the digitization of over one million Khmer Rouge documents; the publication of a family tracing book containing more than one million names; and the Genocide Education project. The Genocide Education project trains and equips 3,000 high school teachers with the necessary resources and methodologies to teach the history of Democratic Kampuchea to one million high school students.

 

This memorandum of understanding shall be valid for the period of 50 years, starting from the date both parties sign this memorandum of understanding. After the first 50 years of this agreement, the Documentation Center of Cambodia is permitted to request 10-year extensions. This memorandum of understanding cannot be terminated unless otherwise agreed by both parties or pursuant to sections 2.4 or 4.4 below.