Cambodia’s search for peace after genocide

Cambodia’s search for peace after genocide

Back in the summer/fall of 2005, I was working on what was intended to be a
short article for Swindle magazine. It was a piece that was going to look at
the significance of Parallel World’s Cambodian Rocks compilation of
garage/psych-rock from the pre- and post-Vietnam War era. The compilation
featured music performed and recorded by Cambodian musicians channeling the
style of American and British rock acts of the day, mostly to cater to U.S.
servicemen frequenting small clubs and bars on the border between Vietnam
and Cambodia. The recordings were lo-fi but displayed impressive
musicianship and raw energy, not to mention stylistic twists that
foreshadowed a burgeoning rock scene in Southeast Asia.

The 'Cambodian Rocks' compilation captured the creative output of the
country's slain musicians.

But when I began digging into the research for the article and attempting to
track down the artists responsible for the music, I sadly learned that most,
if not all, had likely been slaughtered during the Khmer Rouge regime’s rule
in Cambodia. Going into the article, I was aware of the Cambodian genocide
(mainly as a result of seeing the 1984 film, The Killing Fields), but was
admittedly unaware of just how much misery the regime had inflicted on the
Cambodian people. Fascinated by these musicians who for the most part simply
vanished, I continued digging deeper, and the piece quickly transformed from
a short article about a music compilation to a 5,000 word story about the
embattled survival of Cambodia’s artistic and intellectual communities (see:
“Eve of Destruction,” Swindle).

The most difficult part of the story though was that there was no definitive
ending. Not necessarily for me as a writer, but for the Cambodian people. No
justice had ever been served for the 1.7 million Cambodians who died at the
hands of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. At the time I wrote the article and up
until last year, the international community was still squabbling over the
establishment of a war crimes tribunal to prosecute the surviving members of
the Khmer Rouge, who have dwindled to a mere dozen or so.

This past March, however, the tribunal was convened. And while it has
already been plagued by claims of corruption (read here), the country’s
national nightmare is now, more than three decades later, being put under
the microscope (Note: The New York Times‘ Seth Mydans has been providing
stellar coverage. So too has the Cambodia Tribunal Monitor). Front and
center in the trial is a man named Kaing Guek Eav, aka ‘Duch,’ who was a
torture chief at the infamous Tuol Sleng, or S-21, prison (now a genocide
museum). So far, the most profound aspect of the trial has been Kaing Guek
Eav’s apology for his actions. His apology may be nothing more than
political posturing, but it is the very nature of what this tribunal is
seeking to extract from those on trial. With the lionshare of the Khmer
Rouge already dead, including Pol Pot, the most heinous offender, there will
be no long prison sentences for those who killed and slaughtered their
fellow countrymen. Though the tribunal is being viewed as a serious matter,
it is hard to see it as anything more than a purely symbolic gesture — a
means to give some sense of closure to the Cambodians who lost so many of
their family members in the genocide.

I was curious though how Cambodians and Cambodian-Americans perceived the
tribunal. Was it a sign of progress and final justice? Or was it too long
overdue? I contacted some people who had been helpful to me back in 2005,
and some new people as well. What I found was a mixed reaction to the
proceedings.

“The process is most important for Cambodia and its genocide survivors, so
they can move forward and shape the future,” says Youk Chang, Executive
Director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia, a project begun by the
Cambodian Genocide Center at Yale University. “[The apology] from Duch has
no significance, court is not a forum where a criminal seeks forgiveness.
Cambodians understand this very well. It is time for a conviction and it is
time for a final judgement so they may be able to forgive.”

Youk Chang makes a valid point. Duch made his apology, however strategic it
may have been, but the words of an alleged torture chief who ordered or
committed so many atrocities has little to no weight. Justice is, after all,
the end goal.

“[Cambodians] are all well prepared not to get too excited,” Chang says.
“They [are] reserved: wait and see. They are not only the victims, but also
prosecutors, defense, and judges. They are [now] taking charge of their own
history.”

Prach Ly, a Cambodian-American rapper from Long Beach, tells me the tribunal
is a major topic of discussion in his neighborhood. “The Cambodian people
are more tuned in than ever,” Ly says. “Talk of genocide and ‘the killing
fields’ are everywhere.” But he goes on to say many Cambodians are still
living in fear because they believe members of the Khmer Rouge may still
live among them. “How can you blame them?” he says. “These are the same
people who witnessed their families murdered in front of their eyes.”

Ly says even though more than three decades have passed and most of the
Khmer Rouge are now dead, that doesn’t change the fact that nearly 2
million people were murdered. “That is a reminder of reality and what had
happened,” he says. “The aftermath of the war still lingers over us to this
day. The people want to know what happened, who was involved, and why it
happened.”

Socheata Poeuv, the filmmaker behind the acclaimed documentary New Year
Baby, believes the tribunal is an “opportunity for the country itself to
engage in a much-needed dialogue about the Khmer Rouge genocide.” But she
also admits that she and others in the Cambodian-American community have
their reservations about the overall effectiveness of the tribunal.

“I would characterize reception to the tribunal as a cautious moral
support,” Poeuv says. “Due to the delay, and the allegations of corruption,
many still doubt that the Cambodian government is invested in delivering
justice on behalf of its people. For many survivors, the loss of their
entire family and the trauma they suffered continue to stay with them
regardless of the trial.”

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Canadian prosecutor at Khmer Rouge genocide tribunal resigns
Tue, 2009-06-23 09:13.
By: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
http://www.cjad.com/news/56/948520