Monday, July 26, 2010

Khmer Rouge Tribunals and a little light reading...

As Leanne posted a couple of days ago, we have been reading and learning about the genocide that took place in Cambodia between 1975-1979. Currently I am reading a book titled Pol Pot: Anatomy of a Nightmare by Philip Short. Even though I studied history at CU, I tend to find history books to be big-time snoozers. However, this book is remarkably well written and is composed like a novel more than a thick history text. I recommend it to anyone interested in the topic or thinking about coming to Cambodia for a visit. We are learning that it is impossible to understand Cambodia's current situation without having a full idea of how the Khmer Rouge defined the last 30 years of Cambodia's history.

This fall and summer, Khmer Rouge leaders will be put on trial for the crimes that they committed during those years. Today, the first of the leaders was sentenced to another 19 years in prison for "crimes against humanity." On our visit to Toul Sleng, the main prison for the Khmer Rouge in Phnom Penh, I learned that the four main contributors to the genocide, including the man who planned the extermination of 1.7 million people, will be put on trial at the end of this year.

It is a tough time for Cambodians, as might be literally unrealistic to find someone in this country who was not impacted directly by the genocide. However, as a Cambodian professor explained to us today, it is time for forgivness and with forgivness comes progress.

Below is a link to a New York Times article about the tribunals and the first sentencing:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/26/world/asia/26cambo.html?_r=1&hp

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