POV Community Engagement & Education Discussion GuiDe

Enemies of the People A Film by Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath

www.pbs.org/pov PoV Letters from the fiLmmakers

My father, a middle-class farmer, was killed by the in 1974, when he refused to give them his buffalo. My mother, forced to marry a Khmer Rouge militiaman after my father’s death, died in childbirth in 1976. My eldest brother disappeared in 1977. i later found out that he’d been killed in a party purge in our area.

When the Khmer Rouge fell in 1979, i — 10 years old at the time — escaped to a refugee camp on the Thai border. i learned english from American mis - sionaries and eventually started working as a location scout and translator for media organizations in in the 1990s.

Throughout that time, i never really understood what had happened under the Khmer Rouge. i read history books — almost all by Westerners — but it still didn’t make sense to me: Why were so many people killed? it could not be just because the Khmer Rouge were “bad people.” in 1998, through my work as a journalist, i got to know the children of some senior Khmer Rouge cadres. For the next four years, and much to my wife’s annoyance, i spent most weekends visiting the home of the most senior sur - viving leader, nuon chea, aka Brother number Two.

But he never said anything other than what he had told Western journalists: I was low-ranking. I knew nothing. I am not a killer. Then one day he said to me, “sambath, i trust you. You are the person i would like to tell my story to. Ask me what you want to know.” For the next five years, he told me the truth, as he saw it, including all the details of the killings.

Throughout this time, i also took pains to find Khmer Rouge killers who would talk to me. There are thousands of such people in , but none had ever confessed, and finding them is like looking for a needle in the sea. Director/Producer Thet sambath Photo courtesy of 'enemies of the People' My last group of sources was the plotters, the people who were trying to overthrow and nuon chea. Without them, you cannot understand the . But in this group, too, none of the survivors had ever talked.

My sources are country people. The Khmer Rouge were all country people. They don’t talk to people from the city, let alone foreigners. i am a country person. i think that’s why, in the end, they talked to me. i am one of them. in 2005, i started to plan a book. But i worried no one would believe me, so i began tape-recording all my interviews. Then i worried that people still might not believe it. so, in 2006, i began videotaping my interviews and meetings.

That same year, i met Rob Lemkin and we decided to make this documentary film about my work and the secrets of the Khmer Rouge. some may say no good can come from talking to killers and dwelling on past horror, but i say these people have sacrificed a lot to tell the truth. in daring to confess, they have done good, perhaps the only good thing left that they can do. They and all killers like them must be part of the process of reconciliation if my country is to move forward.

Thet Sambath , , co-director/co-producer

DISCUSSION GUIDe Enemies of the People |2 PoV Letters from the fiLmmakers

Ten years ago i made a BBc documentary called The Undeclared War , about a mysterious Malaysian revolutionary named chin Peng. chin Peng came to London for the premiere, and in a taxi back to the airport afterward, he told me that in 1975 chairman Mao had sent him to stay with Pol Pot. He told me the real Pol Pot was very different from the popular image of him. He said Pol Pot was like a deer in the headlights and admitted to him that he was out of his depth after seizing power. chin Peng thought that was why the “killing fields” had happened.

This image of a caused by chaos and inexperience stayed with me. in 2006, i visited Phnom Penh and met Thet sambath. i discovered we shared the investigative journalist’s inherent suspicion of common wisdom. i also dis - covered we were on the same path to the heart of the killing fields, only he was much further along than i was, and for him, finding out what had hap - pened was a deeply personal matter.

My own personal connection to cambodia is non-existent. But my connection to genocide is not: Many members of my father’s family died at the hands of the nazis, and a rather remote relative of mine, Raphael Lemkin, even coined the term “genocide.” i see sambath as a man trying to make sense of the nightmare of his child - hood. When he finally understands the genocide, as he says he does, he achieves inner peace and coherence because he is able to situate his personal loss in the wider sweep of history. i also see him as a representative of cambodia’s second generation after the genocide, working to ferret out the truth from the first generation in order to convey the meaning of history to the third generation. in this sense, this story Director/Producer Rob Lemkin could be from Germany, south Africa, northern ireland, Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Photo courtesy of 'enemies of the People' iraq or sudan.

Rob Lemkin , , co-director/co-producer

DISCUSSION GUIDe Enemies of the People |3 PoV tbabCLkeG orof uCnodn tinefnotrs mation Credits

5 Introduction Writer 6 Potential Partners Faith Rogow, PhD 6 Key Issues Insighters Educational Consulting

6 Using This Guide background Writers and editors

7 Background Information Kristine Wilton 7 Cambodia 9 Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge Guide Producers, PoV 11 Extraordinary Chambers in the eliza Licht Director, Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) Community Engagement & Education, POV 13 Selected People Featured Jamie Dobie in Enemies of the People Coordinator, 15 General Discussion Questions Community Engagement & Education, POV 16 Discussion Prompts Design: Rafael Jiménez 18 Taking Action Copy editor: Natalie Danford 19 Resources 23 How to Buy the Film thanks to those who reviewed this guide:

Sara Cohan Education director, The Genocide Education Project ellen Kennedy, Ph.D. Executive director, World Without Genocide at William Mitchell College of Law Rob Lemkin Co-director, Enemies of the People Thet Sambath Co-director, Enemies of the People

DISCUSSION GUIDe Enemies of the People |4 PoV introduCtion

nuon-chea aka Brother-number-Two in the wake of the , the Khmer Rouge oversaw Photo courtesy of 'enemies of the People' the deaths of nearly 2 million people. At the time, the bru - tality of the , often referred to as the “killing fields,” was nearly incomprehensible. Decades later, those who were traumatized and those who have tried to heal and rebuild still yearn for explanations and justice. enemies of the People helps viewers gain a deeper under - standing of genocide by providing insight into the experi - enter Thet sambath, an unassuming, yet cunning, investiga - ences and motivations of the executioners. As an outreach tive journalist who lost his family in the genocide. sambath tool, it is a thought-provoking examination of the human ca - spent a decade gaining the trust of the men and women who pacity for atrocity, survival and healing. perpetrated the massacres. enemies of the People (93:00 min.) documents the fruits of his labor. Through astounding interviews with foot soldiers who slit throats, and even with Pol Pot’s right-hand man, the notorious Brother number Two, hidden aspects of genocide are slowly revealed. Artful cinematography amplifies the shocking testimony as viewers see peaceful present-day landscapes that belie the terrors buried beneath their surfaces.

DISCUSSION GUIDe Enemies of the People |5 PoV PboaCteknGtrioauL nPda rintfnoerms ation key issues

enemies of the People is well suited for use in a variety of enemies of the People is an excellent tool for outreach settings and is especially recommended for use with: and will be of special interest to people looking to explore the following topics: • your local Pbs station • Groups that have discussed previous Pbs and PoV • Cambodia films relating to human rights, Cambodia or • Genocide genocide, including The Flute Player, Lost Boys of • human rights Sudan, Inheritance, The Betrayal (Nerakhoon) and • Journalism Discovering Dominga • Justice • Groups focused on any of the issues listed in the key issues section • khmer rouge • high school students • military history • faith-based organizations and institutions • oral history • Cultural, art and historical organizations, • Peace studies institutions and museums • Perpetrators of violence • Civic, fraternal and community groups • Political science • academic departments or student groups at • Psychology colleges, universities and high schools • sociology • Community organizations with a mission to • tribunals/international law promote education and learning, such as your • truth and reconciliation local library • Vietnam War • organizations that work with immigration issues

usinG this Guide

This guide is an invitation to dialogue. it is based on a belief in the power of human connection, designed for people who want to use enemies of the People to engage family, friends, classmates, colleagues and communities. in contrast to ini - tiatives that foster debates in which participants try to convince others that they are right, this document envisions con - versations undertaken in a spirit of openness in which people try to understand one another and expand their thinking by sharing viewpoints and listening actively.

The discussion prompts are intentionally crafted to help a wide range of audiences think more deeply about the issues in the film. Rather than attempting to address them all, choose one or two that best meet your needs and interests. And be sure to leave time to consider taking action. Planning next steps can help people leave the room feeling energized and optimistic, even in instances when conversations have been difficult.

For more detailed event planning and facilitation tips, visit www.pov.org/outreach

DISCUSSION GUIDe Enemies of the People |6 PoV baCkGround information

Thet sambath at his farm Cambodia Photo courtesy of 'enemies of the People' With a population of approximately 15 million, present-day cambodia struggles to overcome a history of political insta - bility. Most cambodians trace their roots to the Khmer em - pire, which ruled a significant part of southeast Asia until the year insurgency, Pol Pot and communist Khmer Rouge 13th century. invaders, whose descendants now constitute forces captured cambodia’s capital city of Phnom Penh and, majority populations in and Vietnam, staged a in celebration of ethnic nationalism, named their new state seven-month siege on Angkor, the capital of the empire, . A Vietnamese invasion that lasted leading to a period often referred to by historians as the from 1978 to 1979 eventually drove out the Khmer Rouge, “dark ages”. but not before almost 2 million cambodians had died in what came to be known as cambodia’s “killing fields.” When French explorers arrived in cambodia in the early 1860s to expand their commercial interests, cambodians Rather than stabilizing the country, the ongoing Vietnamese welcomed protection from continued civil wars and rebel - occupation sparked a 13-year civil war. Many cambodians lions. However, protection soon turned into extensive polit - fled and escaped to refugee camps in neighboring Thailand. ical and economic control, and cambodia declared its More than 100,000 refugees later resettled in the united independence in 1953, creating a constitutional monarchy. states, where over 250,000 people of cambodian descent live today. The cambodian communist movement emerged from the country's struggle against French colonization. instability The 1991 Paris Peace Agreement officially ended the war, surfaced as the region found itself in a clash between though skirmishes continued. Two years later, the united na - communist china and the containment tions aided cambodia in conducting national elections that policies of the united states. in 1975, after a five- established a multiparty democracy led by King sihanouk

DISCUSSION GUIDe Enemies of the People |7 PoV baCkGround information

Thet sambath on the road in cambodia and Prime Minister , a former Khmer Rouge military Photo courtesy of 'enemies of the People' commander. in 1999, after continued factional fighting and more disputed elections, the last of the Khmer Rouge were captured and the movement collapsed. in 2004, King si - ciA World Factbook. “cambodia.” hanouk abdicated and his son Prince norodom sihamoni https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world- succeeded him. subsequent years have seen minimal vio - factbook/geos/cb.html lence during elections and some degree of stability, though Frontline . “cambodia — Pol Pot’s shadow.” the nation still struggles economically and is heavily de - http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/cambodia/didyouknow.html pendent on foreign aid. Independent Lens. “War and cambodia.” http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/refugee/war_cambodia.html

Keller, Lucy. “unTAc in cambodia – from occupation, civil War and sources: Genocide to Peace.” Inquiry 9 (2005): 127-178. BBc news. “cambodia country Profile.” Kiernan, Ben. The Pol Pot Regime: Race, Power and Genocide in http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/country_profiles/1243892.stm Cambodia Under the Khmer Rouge, 1975-79. new Haven: Yale cambodia Tribunal Monitor. "Historical overview of the Khmer Rouge. university Press, 2008 http://www.cambodiatribunal.org/history/khmer-rouge-history.html"

The center for Justice and Accountability. “Background on cambodia.” http://cja.org/article.php?list=type&type=447

DISCUSSION GUIDe Enemies of the People |8 PoV baCkGround information

Throat-slitting Demo Pol Pot and the khmer rouge Photo courtesy of 'enemies of the People' in the aftermath of World War ii, many former european colonies declared independence, seeking to express more authentic national identities than was possible under colo - nial rule. Disputes quickly arose between those who believed As Pol Pot rose to power, the united states became mired their future would be best served by aligning with the West in the conflict in neighboring Vietnam, picking up where the and communists, who rejected any ties to the West. French left off trying to destroy Ho chi Minh’s communist forces. The war began to spill over into neutral cambodia, Pol Pot (saloth sar) came of age in the 1950s, as his coun - where Ho chi Minh’s Vietcong army had set up bases. The try, along with many others, struggled to define itself. He united states launched secret bombing campaigns on these studied in Paris, where he came to believe that a strongly bases beginning in 1969; 540,000 tons of bombs were nationalistic approach to communism offered cambodia its dropped, killing somewhere from 150,000 to 500,000 peo - best chance at a classless society. When he returned to ple. cambodia, he secretly joined the communist movement, which until then had been heavily influenced by Ho chi Many people attribute the ascendancy of Pol Pot and the Minh’s communist party in neighboring Vietnam. Pol Pot and Khmer Rouge (and, ultimately, the cambodian genocide) to the man who would become his chief ideologist, nuon chea, the civilian casualties and devastation that resulted from the commonly known as “Brother number Two,” were deter - u.s. bombing campaigns. Former New York Times corre - mined to steer their own communist revolution in cambo - spondent sydney schanberg said the Khmer Rouge “…would dia. King sihanouk referred to them and their comrades as point… at the bombs falling from B-52s as something they “Red Khmer,” or, in French, “Khmer Rouge.” This be - had to oppose if they were going to have freedom. And it came the name by which the cambodian commu - became a recruiting tool until they grew to a fierce, inde - nists, led by Pol Pot, were known. fatigable guerilla army.” Former u.s. secretary of state Henry

DISCUSSION GUIDe Enemies of the People |9 PoV baCkGround information

suon Kissinger saw things differently. in his memoir he argued, “it Photo courtesy of 'enemies of the People' was Hanoi — animated by an insatiable drive to dominate in - dochina — that organized the Khmer Rouge long before any To achieve this, city inhabitants were forcibly moved to the American bombs fell on cambodian soil.” countryside and used as labor on collective farms. The During this time, the united states also backed the over - regime considered urban classes “traitors” and “capitalists” throw of cambodia’s ruler, King sihanouk, by his own prime who supported free-market activities; ethnic and religious minister, General . The Khmer Rouge waged guerrilla minorities were also targeted. This agrarian reform, which warfare against Lon nol, and the 1970 u.s. invasion and Pol Pot claimed would raise the standard of living for all, led bombing campaign against cambodia only served to in - to a famine and starvation of thousands. A fifth of the crease sympathy for the Khmer Rouge. The civil war ended country’s entire population perished. in April 1975, when Khmer Rouge forces took control of in the first admission of its kind for a Khmer Rouge leader, Phnom Penh. nuon chea admits in enemies of the People that he and Pol When Pol Pot and his party came to power, they embraced Pot ordered a purge of the party to rid it of a “Vietnamese an ideology that was defined by an amalgamation of com - faction,” people they believed were conspiring with their munism and a fiercely nationalistic distrust of Vietnam. The erstwhile allies to re-establish Vietnam’s historical domi - regime wanted all remnants of the “old society” erased and nance of cambodia. nuon chea clings to the notion that aimed to create a pure, agrarian utopia in which there would killings were targeted and justified by the external threat be no private ownership or anything foreign or modern. The posed by the more powerful Vietnamese. He and Pol Pot be - Khmer Rouge called its first year in power “year zero”; they lieved the killings were justified, he says, because of their be - wanted to return to a peasant economy with no educa - lief that the “Vietnamese conspiracy” had infiltrated not only tional hierarchies or class divisions. everyone would the party, but the entire country. eventually, nuon chea ac - be equal and everyone would be tied to the land. knowledges how extensive the killings became.

DISCUSSION GUIDe Enemies of the People |10 PoV baCkGround information

sources: extraordinary Chambers in the Courts cambodian Genocide Group (cGG). “The Genocide.” of Cambodia (eCCC) http://www.cambodiangenocide.org/genocide.htm in 2006, after 10 years of international negotiations, the Frontline . “cambodia — Pol Pot’s shadow.” united nations and the cambodian government set up a http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/cambodia/didyouknow.html unique hybrid tribunal to try the senior leaders of the Khmer

Independent Lens . “War and cambodia.” Rouge for international crimes. They called the tribunal the http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/refugee/war_cambodia.html extraordinary chambers in the courts of cambodia, or eccc for short. According to David scheffer, former u.s. Jackson, Karl D., ed. cambodia, 1975-1978: Rendezvous with Death. Princeton, n.J.: Princeton university Press, 1989. ambassador-at-large for war crimes issues, the creation of the eccc took longer than the creation of any other inter - Kiernan, Ben. The Pol Pot Regime: Race, Power and Genocide in national or hybrid criminal tribunal in the post-cold War era. Cambodia Under the Khmer Rouge, 1975-79. new Haven: Yale university Press, 2008 in september 2007, the eccc ordered the arrest of nuon

Loy, irwin. “30 Years After Khmer Rouge, Killing Fields, cambodia chea. He was charged with crimes against humanity and war Grows new Generation of Art conservators.” The Christian Science crimes. in 2009, the charge of genocide was added to his in - Monitor, June 12, 2010 dictment, as well as to the indictments of three other former http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-news/2010/0612/30-years- senior leaders of the Khmer Rouge. Later in 2009, 30 years after-Khmer-Rouge-killing-fields-cambodia-grows-new-generation-of-a after the end of the Khmer Rouge regime, the eccc rt-conservators processed its first case: the trial of Kaing Guek eav (more

POV. “Discussion Guide: The Flute Player.” commonly known as Duch), the prison chief at Tuol sleng http://www.pbs.org/pov/film- detention center, who was charged with the deaths of over files/resources_guide_action_discussion_file_0_2.pdf 10,000 prisoners in Phnom Penh. in July 2010, Duch was sen -

POV. “Press Release: enemies of the People.” tenced to 35 years in prison. http://www.amdoc.org/pressmaterials/2011/pov_enemiesoft - Meanwhile, preparations continue for the second eccc trial, hepeople_release.pdf which will involve nuon chea and three former senior lead - short, Philip. Pol Pot: Anatomy of a Nightmare. new York: Holt, 2005. ers. As of this guide’s publication, the trial is set for June 27, u.s. Department of state. “cambodia.” 2011. The film enemies of the People is expected to play a http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:o98Xk5ooTu part in the proceedings. in the years since the Khmer gJ:www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2732.htm+cambodia+%2B+independen Rouge’s reign of terror there have been many books and ce+%2B+trained+by+Vietnam&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&source=ww films on the subject, most of them told from the point of w.google.com view of the victims, but the true motives and experiences of

Yale university. “Bombs over cambodia.” the perpetrators have remained largely unexplained. http://www.yale.edu/cgp/Walrus_cambodiaBombing_ocT06.pdf some observers think the trials may hide more than they will reveal, and they doubt members of the current government, themselves former Khmer Rouge, will allow the whole truth to come out. Many concerns have been voiced over the in - clusion of cambodian judges in the tribunal, with the chief concern being that they may have an allegiance to the cam - bodian government’s political agenda. cambodian prime minister Hun sen has articulated a common sentiment, say - ing, “We should dig a hole and bury the past.” Hun sen has also said that he will not allow any additional prosecutions beyond those already under indictment. He has been ac - cused of concealing evidence to protect senior figures in his party from being held accountable. The open society Jus -

DISCUSSION GUIDe Enemies of the People |11 PoV baCkGround information

tice initiative, an international legal watchdog group, says sources: the court ultimately may decide to strike a deal with the gov - “cambodians ‘Know Little About Khmer Rouge Trial.’” Agence France- ernment, agreeing to end later cases in exchange for full co - Presse, January 1, 2000. operation from the government and witnesses in the http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hMicey5JeJz upcoming trials of nuon chea and the three surviving Khmer n4YQjcbyy29vZ0ZFA?docid=cnG.f25da1025c94c576d7e84ff5e360651 Rouge leaders. a.8f1

The trials are taking place in former military headquarters a cambodia Tribunal Monitor. “civil Party Participation at eccc: half-hour’s drive outside the city, and, according to Agence overview.” France-Presse, nine out of 10 cambodians are unable to http://www.cambodiatribunal.org/blog/2009/11/civil-party-partici - name the Khmer Rouge suspects going to trial. According pation-at-eccc.html to researchers from the university of california, Berkeley, a Dilger, Patrick. “Back to the Killing Fields.” Yale Alumni Magazine , April quarter of respondents in a survey of 1,000 cambodians re - 1996. ported knowing nothing about the tribunal. While this figure http://www.yalealumnimagazine.com/issues/96_04/cambodia.html is down from 39 percent in 2008, one of the university of eckel, Mike. “Groups Fear May Halt Trials.” california researchers said that educating cambodians , May 4, 2011. about the upcoming trials would be “a key challenge” for the http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/may/04/groups-fear- court. As the only war crimes court in the world to try its khmer-rouge-tribunal-may-halt-trials/ suspects in the country where the crimes took place, one of enemies of the People. “Press Kit.” the court’s main goals is to get cambodians involved and in - http://enemiesofthepeoplemovie.com/index.php/contact/press/ terested in the trials. Mydans, seth. “Trial Begins for Khmer Rouge Leader.” The New York According to the u.s. Department of state, donor countries Times, February 16, 2009. have provided over $100 million to date in support of the http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/world/asia/17cambodia.html?pa united nations-backed tribunal, including $6.8 million from gewanted=2 the united states. . “Khmer Rouge.” http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/k/ khmer_rouge/index.html

scheffer, David. “The extraordinary chambers in the courts of cambodia.” in International Criminal Law , cherif Bassiouni, Boston: Martinus nijhoff, 2008

u.s. Department of state. “cambodia.” http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:o98Xk5ooTu gJ:www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2732.htm+cambodia+%2B+independen ce+%2B+trained+by+Vietnam&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&source=ww w.google.com

DISCUSSION GUIDe Enemies of the People |12 PoV baCkGround information

Selected People Featured in Enemies of the People

thet sambath is a senior reporter for the Phnom Penh Post, cambodia’s premier english-language newspaper. He is widely regarded as one of cambodia’s best investigative reporters and his stories have been syndicated all over the world.

sambath has worked for the American Refugee committee as a paramedic on the Thai- cambodia border, as police interpreter for the united nations Transitional Authority in cambodia (unTAc) and as a human rights investigator for LicADHo, a cambodian human rights non-governmental organization. since 1994 he has worked as producer, translator and camera operator for many world broadcasting organizations, including BBc, WGBH, nHK and nBc. in 2002 he traveled to the united states on a Jefferson scholarship.

nuon Chea (brother number two) was born in 1925 in Battambang, cambodia and studied law at in . chea joined the Khmer resistance in 1949, leading the urban underground in Phnom Penh in the 1950s. He was appointed deputy secretary of the communist Party of Kampuchea (cPK) in 1960, and he was the deciding vote in the appointment of Pol Pot as secretary of the cPK in 1962. He left the Khmer Rouge as it collapsed in 1998.

Arrested in september 2007, chea was charged with interna - tional crimes, crimes against humanity and, eventually, genocide by the united nations-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal. chea is in prison in Phnom Penh, where he is awaiting trial. The trial is expected to begin on June 27, 2011.

DISCUSSION GUIDe Enemies of the People |13 PoV baCkGround information

Selected People Featured in Enemies of the People

suon joined the Khmer Rouge military wing in 1970 and in 1975 became militia commander in a cooperative in northwest cambodia. He admits to killing more than 200 cambodians designated enemies of the people between 1976 and 1978. since 1979 he has lived as a peasant farmer in northwest cambodia.

khoun joined the Khmer Rouge military wing in 1970. He admits to overseeing the killing of nearly 3,500 people during Khmer Rouge rule. Briefly arrested in 1979 for mass murder, he was released for lack of evidence. He has lived as a peasant farmer in northwest cambodia since 1979.

sister em joined the Khmer Rouge political wing in 1973. she worked as a district chief in northwest cambodia from 1975 to 1979 and, in that role, was responsible for ordering many thousands of deaths of suspected enemies of the party. she now lives and works under another name elsewhere in cambodia, where she is a senior politician in local government.

DISCUSSION GUIDe Enemies of the People |14 PoV GeneraL disCussion Questions

suon Immediately after the film, you may want to give people a Photo courtesy of 'enemies of the People' few quiet moments to reflect on what they have seen. If the mood seems tense, you can pose a general question and give people some time to themselves to jot down or think about their answers before opening the discussion. • describe a moment or scene in the film that you found particularly disturbing or moving. What was it Please encourage people to stay in the room between the about that scene that was especially compelling for film and the discussion. If you save your break for an ap - you? propriate moment during the discussion, you won’t lose the feeling of the film as you begin your dialogue.

One way to get a discussion going is to pose a general Note: If you can provide an update regarding the question such as: trials, it might be helpful for the audience to hear about the efforts to bring about justice at this point • if you could ask anyone in the film a single question, in time. For the latest news on the trials, visit the who would you ask and what would you ask him or Cambodia Tribunal Monitor (cambodiatribunal.org) her? and the official site of the Extraordinary Chambers in • What did you learn from this film? What insights did the Courts of Cambodia (www.eccc.gov.kh/en) it provide?

DISCUSSION GUIDe Enemies of the People |15 PoV disCussion PromPts

Thet sambath investigation Photo courtesy of 'enemies of the People' • sambath says, “My project is to find out why so many people died in the killing fields.” Was his project a success? What answers did he find? What questions remain? understanding the killing fields • What was your reaction to the investigative methods sambath used to gain information? What ethical standards • What is the relevance of the film’s title, enemies of the should apply to a journalist in sambath’s situation? People ? Who are/were the enemies of the cambodian peo - ple? How might sambath, suon or Brother number Two • can you imagine yourself in sambath’s shoes, develop - (nuon chea) answer that question? ing a relationship with the man responsible for the murder of your family and the genocide of your people? How do you • What do you learn from the film about the precondi - think that effort would affect your life? tions for genocide? What types of circumstances trigger the capacity of human beings to kill one another? Were there • While sambath’s efforts make an invaluable contribu - any particular factors present in cambodia that you think tion to the preservation of cambodian history, they also take precipitated the commission of the atrocities? Do you see a significant toll on his family. Who in your community is those factors present in any other places in the world today? asked to sacrifice family, safety or financial security in order if so, what should/could be done to ensure that genocide to pursue justice or community well-being? What support does not occur? could you offer those people? • A rice field worker says, “Frankly, without the wine we • Pol Pot is no longer in power (or alive), so why would wouldn’t dare to kill people.” What role does alcohol play in it be dangerous for sambath to try to uncover the his - enabling people to commit atrocities? tory of the Killing Fields?

DISCUSSION GUIDe Enemies of the People |16 PoV disCussion PromPts

• When nuon chea begins to talk about why people healing were killed, he says that people who couldn’t be “re-edu - • Former executioners point to places where bodies have cated” or “corrected” had to be “solved.” What is the impact been buried as the camera shows roads and placid rice fields of these word choices? Why does language matter? — an ordinary cambodian landscape. How do scattered • sambath says that Pol Pot and nuon chea wanted to mass burial sites complicate land use policies? in its efforts be “more communist than china.” How did they link policies to heal the country, what options might cambodia consider like the nationalization of all private property, forced reloca - in terms of land use and honoring burial sites? tions and marriages and the arrest of dissenters (and their • sister em says, “if we didn’t obey the order, we would families and associates) with their goal of empowering the have been killed.… We felt pity for the victims, but what poor? How did such policies create “criminals” and “enemies could we do? We had no choice.… so should we go to of the people” who then needed to be — in nuon chea’s prison?” How would you answer her questions? How should words — “killed and destroyed”? people of low rank who were passed orders to kill be held • The methods of execution, including killing parents and accountable? children in front of one another, seem particularly cruel. in • suon says, “our victims’ families have a right to be terms of helping a regime accomplish its goals, does the angry.” He is afraid that if people knew what he did they method of killing matter? Why or why not? would take revenge. How might a formal justice process for • nuon chea considers himself a patriot. He says, “if i those who committed atrocities help assuage aggrieved have to choose between the nation and the individual, i families or alleviate suon’s fear? choose the nation.” under what circumstances, if any, is it • officially, the cambodian constitution prohibits the appropriate to demand or impose individual sacrifice in serv - death penalty. in your view, should the constitution be ice of the greater good? can you think of other examples of amended to allow the execution of Khmer Rouge leaders? governments that were willing to sacrifice the lives of some Why or why not? in order to preserve protection of the nation for others? What differences are there between what those nations did • suon says, “i don’t know what i’ll be reborn as in the and what the Khmer Rouge did? next life,” but he is fairly certain it won’t be something good. How might widespread belief in reincarnation influence how a nation or culture comes to terms with a history of atroci - ties?

• What happens to those who believed they were killing in the name of a just cause when their top leaders deny or - dering — or even knowing about — the executions?

• sambath’s wife is concerned about his involvement in this project. What does sambath gain by completing it? At what cost?

additional media literacy questions are available at: www.pbs.org/pov/educators/media-literacy.php

DISCUSSION GUIDe Enemies of the People |17 PoV takinG aCtion

Thet sambath (left) and Rob Lemkin, • identify local organizations or local chapters of national co - Directors/ Producers organizations working to preserve human rights (and/or fa - Photo courtesy of 'enemies of the People' cilitate reconciliation efforts) and find out how you can help. see a list of human rights and international justice organiza - tions in the Resources section of this guide. • convene a study group on cambodian history and cul - ture. use what you learn to examine u.s. foreign policy to - • initiate an oral history project in your own community wards cambodia and share your insights with your elected that focuses on identifying people who lived through injus - representatives, as well as with people in your community. tices or atrocities and create safe spaces (either virtual or physical) in which they can tell and preserve their stories. consider arranging for the stories to be presented in class - • stay informed about ongoing tribunals regarding past rooms, religious organizations, libraries, youth programs crimes against humanity, genocide and other human rights and/or online. atrocities. • invite a panel of journalists to talk about the role of re - porters in a democracy, the risks they take and what they think of sambath’s work to uncover cambodian history.

DISCUSSION GUIDe Enemies of the People |18 PoV resourCes

FILM-RELATED WEB SITES What’s Your POV? ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE Share your thoughts about Enemies of the People http://enemiesofthepeoplemovie.com by posting a comment on the POV Blog www.pbs.org/pov/blog or send an email to [email protected]. Visit the filmmakers’ website to learn more about the film, the filmmakers, cast and crew and upcoming screening events.

khmer rouge tribunals Original Online Content on POV Interactive (www.pbs.org/pov) CAMBODIA TRIBUNAL MONITOR cambodiatribunal.org PoV’s Enemies of the People companion website Run by the northwestern university school of Law and the www.pbs.org/pov/enemies Documentation center of cambodia, this site includes tran - The companion website to enemies of the People offers scripts, footage, commentary, interviews and more from the exclusive streaming video clips from the film and a wealth trials of top Khmer Rouge leaders, including nuon chea. of additional resources, including a Q-and-A with filmmaker Rob Lemkin (also available via podcast), ample opportuni - ExTRAORDINARY CHAMBERS IN THE COURTS ties for viewers to "talk back" and talk to each other about OF CAMBODIA (ECCC) the film and the following special features: eccc.gov.kh/en

Photos from Enemies of the People This official site of the extraordinary chambers in the courts of cambodia (the Khmer Rouge Tribunal) is available in eng - check out our slideshow of still images from the film. lish, French and Khmer. it includes summaries of the people Timeline: The Khmer Rouge & Thet Sambath’s who have been indicted, the accusations against them and Cambodia related legal decisions. Refresh your knowledge of cambodian history with this interactive timeline that also features information on FroNtliNE . “POL POT’S SHADOW” characters from the film. pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/cambodia The website for a 2002 Frontline episode about Pol Pot in - Film Update: The Khmer Rouge Tribunals cludes links to general information about cambodia, the David scheffer, former u.s. Ambassador at Large for Khmer Rouge, genocide and human rights. War crimes issues, provides an update on the Khmer Rouge Tribunals. YALE UNIVERSITY CAMBODIAN GENOCIDE PROGRAM yale.edu/cgp Live chat with filmmakers on Wednesday, July 13 at 10 AM ET This website provides a variety of documents related to the and the Khmer Rouge, including maps Filmmakers Thet sambath and Rob Lemkin talk with and links to tribunal documents in both english and Khmer. viewers online on PoV website.

Enemies of the People Video Streaming on the POV Website Watch the entire film online or browse by chapter FoR FRee, from July 13 through Aug. 12, 2011.

DISCUSSION GUIDe Enemies of the People |19 PoV resourCes

Cambodia today human rights organizations

CAMBODIAN INFORMATION CENTER AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL Cambodia.org http://www.amnesty.org cambodians who favor democracy maintain this site to pro - Amnesty international is a worldwide movement of people vide current information about cambodia and help those in - who campaign for internationally recognized human rights terested in cambodia to network. to be respected and protected for everyone. The organiza - tion’s website provides updated news and country profiles HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH regarding its campaigns, as well as ways to get involved as “WORLD REPORT 2011: CAMBODIA” activists in the fight for justice. hrw.org/en/world-report-2011/Cambodia THE CENTER FOR JUSTICE AND ACCOUNTABILITY The annual report of this international watchdog and advo - (CJA) cacy organization provides an overview of the current status of human rights protections in cambodia. http://cja.org/article.php?list=type&type=86 The center for Justice and Accountability (cJA) is an inter - KHMER INSTITUTE national human rights organization dedicated to deterring KhmerInstitute.org torture and other severe human rights abuses around the This resource provides information from a Khmer perspec - world and advancing the rights of survivors to seek truth, tive on cambodia-related events, issues and culture. justice and redress. cJA uses litigation to hold perpetrators individually accountable for human rights abuses, develop PHNOM PENH POST human rights law and advance the rule of law in countries phnompenhpost.com transitioning from periods of abuse. in addition to news articles (including articles by Thet sam - THE CENTER FOR MEDIA, CULTURE AND HISTORY bath), this newspaper’s website includes a blog on the http://www.nyu.edu/gsas/dept/media/ Khmer Rouge tribunal. it is available in english and Khmer. The center for Media, culture and History is a collaborative ROYAL EMBASSY OF CAMBODIA project at new York university, drawing on faculty from the embassyofcambodia.org Africana studies program and the departments of anthro - The website of the royal embassy of cambodia includes links pology, cinema studies, comparative literature, history and to the country’s constitution, as well as links to the websites religious studies. it addresses issues of representation, so - of the parliamentarian institutions and royal government. cial change and identity construction embedded in the de - velopment of film, television, video and new media worldwide. TRAVEL DOCUMENT SYSTEMS. “CAMBODIA” in addition, it focuses on the role that these media play in traveldocs.com/kh/index.htm shaping perceptions of history and culture; in forging indi - vidual, collective, national and transnational identities; and This website offers a general overview of cambodia, includ - in mediating the direction and character of social change. ing culture and history from a u.s. government perspective.

THE ENOUGH PROJECT http://www.enoughproject.org The enough Project aims to build a permanent constituency to prevent genocide and crimes against humanity. The group’s official website hosts a blog that features informa - tion on upcoming events, information on nations experienc - ing and ways for people to take action against injustice and join the project.

DISCUSSION GUIDe Enemies of the People |20 PoV resourCes

FACING HISTORY AND OURSELVES of law and justice. its website provides a link to all of the http://www.facinghistory.org group’s publications and other electronic resources from its library. Founded in 1976, Facing History and ourselves is an inter - national educational and professional development non - COMMITTEE ON CONSCIENCE AT THE UNITED STATES profit organization with a mission to engage students of HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM diverse backgrounds in an examination of racism, prejudice www.ushmm.org/genocide/about and anti-semitism in order to promote the development of a more humane and informed citizenry. The committee on conscience provides information on cur - rent genocides and on possible genocidal activities today. it THE GENOCIDE EDUCATION PROJECT collects resources on the history and definition of genocide. www.GenocideEducation.org The website has resources specifically designed for educa - The Genocide education Project is a nonprofit organization tors and students. that assists educators in teaching about human rights and CENTER FOR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS (CCR) genocide, particularly the Armenian genocide, by developing http://ccrjustice.org and distributing instructional materials, providing access to teaching resources and organizing educational workshops. Founded in 1966 by attorneys who represented civil rights movements in the American south, the center for constitu - HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH tional Rights (ccR) is a nonprofit legal and educational or - http://www.hrw.org ganization committed to the creative use of law as a positive Founded in 1978, Human Rights Watch is a human rights or - force for social change. ccR uses litigation proactively to ganization composed of researchers who conduct fact-find - advance the law in a positive direction, to empower poor ing investigations into human rights abuses around the communities and communities of color, to guarantee the world. Find the latest reports on progress and setbacks in rights of those with the fewest protections and least access human rights, as well as yearly reports, by searching through to legal resources, to train the next generation of constitu - the different geographical regions and nations featured on tional and human rights attorneys and to strengthen the the organization’s website. broader movement for constitutional and human rights.

WITNESS GENOCIDE WATCH http://www.witness.org www.genocidewatch.org WiTness uses video and online technologies to open the Genocide Watch “exists to predict, prevent, stop, and pun - eyes of the world to human rights violations. The organiza - ish genocide and other forms of mass murder.” it is led by tion empowers people to transform personal stories of the most noted scholars in the field of genocide studies. The abuse into powerful tools for justice, promoting public en - website has resources that can easily be modified for edu - gagement and policy change. This website features a media cational use, including a pledge and a description of the archive containing many films related to international justice eight stages of genocide. and social issues. GLOBAL KIDS http://www.globalkids.org international Justice Global Kids is committed to educating and inspiring urban youth to become successful students, as well as global and AMERICAN SOCIETY OF INTERNATIONAL LAW community leaders. using interactive and experiential meth - http://www.asil.org ods to educate youth about critical international and foreign The American society of international Law looks to foster policy issues, Global Kids provides students with opportuni - the study of international law and to promote the establish - ties for civic and global engagement. ment and maintenance of international relations on the basis

DISCUSSION GUIDe Enemies of the People |21 PoV resourCes

INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF GENOCIDE CAMBODIAN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT INC. (CCDI) www.instituteforthestudyofgenocide.org http://www.ccdinc.org What kinds of actions and institutions could prevent geno - Built with funds raised by concerned community members, cide? The institute for the study of Genocide advances and cambodian community Development inc. (ccDi) became reviews such research. its officers and members advise the first cambodian volunteer-based organization in oak - media, governments and intergovernmental organizations land, providing assistance in overcoming social, cultural and concerned with early warning and prevention. The group’s economic barriers and building capacity for self-sufficiency. website includes archived newsletters, a list of conferences and papers and a list of available books on the subject. THE CAMBODIAN COMMUNITY HISTORY AND ARCHIVE PROJECT (CAMCHAP) INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE http://www.camchap.org (ICTJ) The cambodian community History and Archive Project http://www.ictj.org (camcHAP) documents the history of the cambodian com - The international center for Transitional Justice (icTJ) as - munity of Long Beach, california. sists countries in pursuing accountability for past mass atrocity or human rights abuses. icTJ works in societies KHMER HEALTH ADVOCATES emerging from repressive rule or armed conflict, as well as in http://www.cambodianhealth.org established democracies where historical injustices or sys - Khmer Health Advocates is a cambodian-American organi - temic abuse remain unresolved. zation with a mission to care for the survivors of the cam - bodian holocaust and their families through programs for THE NATIONAL SECURITY ARCHIVE direct service, education, research and advocacy. http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/nsa/the_archive.html An independent non-governmental research institute and li - PACIFIC ASIAN COUNSELING SERVICES (PACS) brary located at George Washington university, the national http://www.pacsla.org security Archive collects and publishes declassified docu - Pacific Asian counseling services (PAcs) provides caring, ments obtained through the Freedom of information Act. compassionate counseling services to low-income children, The national security Archive also serves as a repository for adults and families with severe and/or chronic mental illness. government records on a wide range of topics pertaining to The agency has expertise in working with immigrant and the national security, foreign intelligence and economic poli - refugee Asian and Pacific islander populations. cies of the united states. SEATTLE-SIHANOUKVILLE SISTER CITY (SEA-SIH) http://www.seasih.org Community organizations The mission of seattle-sihanoukville sister city (sea-sih), a APPLIED SOCIAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF CAMBODIA nonprofit charitable organization, is to develop cultural (ASRIC) awareness and other ties between the people of the cities of seattle, Wash., and sihanoukville, cambodia. http://www.apa.nyu.edu/ASRIC

Applied social Research institute of cambodia (AsRic) is a UNITED CAMBODIAN COMMUNITY (UCC) nonprofit organization devoted to advancing cambodian http://www.ucclb.org cultural identity and to restoring, distributing and imple - united cambodian community (ucc) was founded in 1977 menting procedural justice for victims and survivors of the to help transition refugees who settled into the Long Beach Khmer Rouge. area during the reign of the Khmer Rouge.

DISCUSSION GUIDe Enemies of the People |22 hoW to buy the fiLm PoV

To order enemies of the People for home or educational use, go to enemiesofthepeoplemovie.com

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Front cover: Thet sambath (right) with nuon-chea aka Brother-number-Two Photo courtesy of stillPhotographer

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