A Play's Second Tour Furthers Reconciliation

By Pich Samnang, VOA Khmer
Original report from Takeo province

Around 500 villagers have gathered at a former Khmer Rouge prison camp in
Takeo province to watch the performance. The crowd, at Kraing Ta Chan prison
in Tram Kok district, bursts into laughter as a man acting like a monkey
jumps on stage, but soon, the play turns more serious.

In another scene, a man asks a former Khmer Rouge soldier whether she's
heard of any massacres by the regime. She quickly tells him, "No. There were
no killings in this village."

"You are telling lies!" shouts a victim.

The play, "Breaking the Silence," which encourages Cambodians to speak out
about their experiences under the Khmer Rouge-as victims or soldiers-has
begun a second tour.

The play, a series of skits by six performers from Amrita Performing Arts,
depicts the atrocities of the regime and their impact on modern Cambodia.

"As suggested by its title, the play is aimed at calling people to talk,
talk, and talk about what happened during the Khmer Rouge period," said Suon
Bun Rith, country director for Amrita Performing Arts. "We talk not to
retain anger but to reconcile and find ways to live together in harmony for
the sake of the next generation."

The play, sponsored by the Documentation Center of Cambodia, was first
performed last February in Phnom Penh and the provinces of Kampong Cham,
Kandal and Takeo, ahead of the trial of Kaing Kek Iev, or Duch, by the
UN-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal.

The second tour, from Feb. 3 to Feb. 12, comes as the tribunal prepares Case
No. 002, with a trial of Duch and four senior leaders of the regime expected
to begin later this year.

Youk Chhang, director of the Documentation Center, said the play seeks to
encourage more people pay attention to the tribunal.

"All the scenes are from facts, and we want people to better understand that
Case No. 002 is the most important and historical for them," he said. "And
through the court, we want people to look at how they can reconcile with and
forgive low-ranking Khmer Rouge cadres now living next door."

Annemarie Prins, the Dutch author of the play, said she hoped it would keep
people talking about past ordeals and help them deal with psychological
trauma.

"The big trauma is still with the people who survived, and many of them find
it very difficult to talk about what happened," she said. "And to talk about
trauma, especially genocide, is very important in order to work through the
terrible time for both perpetrators and victims; it's extremely important to
heal and to be able say, 'I'm so sorry,' to somebody you harmed in some way
or another."

Soy Ser, a former prisoner at Kraing Ta Chan, said he felt less angry with
former Khmer Rouge soldiers after seeing the play.

"When they performed in a scene where they try to reconcile, my anger calmed
down a bit," said the 52-year-old survivor, who lives in the same
neighborhood as some of the Khmer Rouge he encountered.

Khim Sochanvireak, a 12th grader from Chea Sim Takeo high school, said the
performance had helped him understand better what happened under the Khmer
Rouge, convincing him the regime was murderous.

"The play makes us understand that Pol Pot killed his own people," he said.
"So we should not let the same thing happen again."