129 Teaching Genocide in Cambodia: Challenges, Analyses, and Recommendations KHAMBOLY DY I asked myself whether or not the young generation of Cambodians believe that the Khmer Rouge crimes did exist in Cambodia. Do they believe what their parents and grandparents have told them about their suffering at that time? Has any author or historian written about this history for of- ficial school curriculum yet? his is the sorrowful impression of Soh Seiha, a female Cham Muslim com- munity leader from Kratie province of Cambodia after visiting the former Khmer Rouge (KR) central security center called Tuol Sleng and the killing fieldsT at Choeung Ek . Some members of her family were killed or had disappeared during the 1975-1979 reign of the Kr . Her concern about the young generation of Cambodians raises a question: Should young people in Cambodia study the history of genocide, crimes and grave human rights abuses in formal classroom settings? Genocide education is the only effective standing the important historical events enables way to prevent future genocide and other grave people, especially the young generations, to human rights violations, foster reconciliation participate in the process of the Khmer Rouge among victims and perpetrators, and continue Tribunal1 that helps to promote accountability to address the question of justice in countries for the abuses of that period . that have experienced genocide . Cambodians However, this vitally and emotionally sensi- cannot talk about justice and reconciliation tive issue remains largely absent from school when the suffering of the victims has not curriculums in Cambodia . The obstacles to been acknowledged . In order to fight against introducing genocide education into class- the possibility of future genocide and other rooms appear in several critical aspects: social, crimes against humanity, young generations economic, political, and pedagogical . of Cambodians have to understand how and During the 1980s, Cambodian school chil- why the genocide happened, to learn about its dren were taught about the KR genocide in effects and consequences . Genocide education politically charged, propagandistic ways, which also helps to preserve the memory of the KR sought to instill in them a desire for violence, atrocities, promote moral and civic values, and hatred and revenge . Because the Cambodian advance democracy and rule of law in a culture society at that time prioritized basic economic long accustomed to impunity . Moreover, under- recovery, the suffering of the Cambodian 129 130 HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS people under the KR became a folktale for Social and Economic Challenges young Cambodians who were born after the regime collapsed . After peace was restored in The KR regime that controlled Cambodia 1993, the volatile issue of KR genocide was from April 1975 to January 1979, destroyed removed from the school curriculum for the almost all of the country’s infrastructures, sake of reconciliation and political stability . In economic system, public and private properties, 2002, the Cambodian government ordered the and the education system . The regime viewed withdrawal of a section of Cambodian modern education through schools and universities as a history (Cambodia from 1953 to the 1998 waste of time and useless for the revolution and national elections), which included the KR his- the development of the country . As a result, the tory, as a result of the conflict between the two KR regime closed all educational institutions main political parties over the issue of the 1993 from primary to higher education . Teachers, national elections . Research shows that young doctors and other intellectuals (including those generations know very little about the history who wore glasses and spoke foreign languages) of the KR, and many young Cambodians do not were systematically killed since they were re- believe that their parents and relatives experi- garded as bad elements that brought injustice, enced such hardship and unspeakable suffering corruption and exploitation into society and during that period . In addition to this political made the country fall into foreign colonization dispute, the Cambodian Ministry of Education, and imperialism . Youth and Sports (MoEYS) claims that it lacks All children, instead of being sent to schools, resources to teach the history of the Cambodian were forced to labor and attend indoctrination genocide . Moreover, teachers who are capable sessions . The KR claimed that the “hoe is your of conveying the history are few in number, pen; the rice field is your paper . If you wish to and they lack the training to teach effectively get a baccalaureate, you have to get it at dams about genocide . and canals .” The absence of genocide education is a The results were devastating . As many as two sign that the specter of genocide continues to million people were put to death by execution, haunt Cambodia . Giving a full picture of what starvation, forced labor, torture, and sickness happened, why it happened, how it happened without proper medical treatment . The regime and what the consequences were will provide a left tens of thousands of widows and orphans foundation for students to share what they have in complete poverty and illiteracy . Several other learned at school with their parents, relatives hundreds of thousands of Cambodians fled and friends . Genocide education will also help the county and became refugees . The country to alleviate the suffering of survivors by enabling after 1979 was in complete unrest since people them to share their experiences with their chil- were moving around in search of their lost dren and thereby ensure that their suffering will relatives . Civil war among Cambodian factions be remembered and acknowledged . Since the intensified . The KR left almost no foundation absence of genocide education makes it more upon which succeeding regimes might begin likely that future generations will suffer similar to rebuild education in the country . circumstances, this paper examines the social, The presence of the Vietnamese forces in economic, political, and pedagogical obstacles 1979 ended the KR terror and restored a new to teaching about genocide in a country that regime: the People’s Republic of Kampuchea has recently emerged from tragedy . (PRK) . People received certain basic rights and they were able to own houses, cattle and agricultural tools . Although people still farmed Teaching Genocide in Cambodia:Challenges, Analyses, and Recommendations 131 collectively in “mutual aid teams or solidarity during the KR regime severely traumatized all groups,” and had no right to claim ownership Cambodians . Most teachers could not concen- on their land, many farmers viewed the condi- trate on their careers since they worried about tions in the PRK as considerably better than the whereabouts of their family members and those under the KR regime . With assistance their activities for day-to-day living . Having from Vietnam and cooperation from local suffered from KR persecutions and received people, education was restored and primary poor training, teachers mostly conveyed the KR schools were rebuilt throughout the country . history in emotional terms . In addition to the Basic education subjects, including education poor teaching qualifications, the country faced on the KR atrocities, were introduced . Teacher the problem of a lack of teaching materials, training schools were reopened throughout the educational infrastructure, teacher resources country and some educators were sent abroad and textbooks . In higher education, about a to study in socialist countries, especially Viet- hundred students received scholarships to study nam and the former Soviet Union .2 in several socialist countries, such as Vietnam, However, under the PRK Cambodia con- the former Soviet Union, the former East Ger- tinued to face a severe crisis in education . many and Cuba . The recruitment of students Many surviving educators fled the country to was very selective and carefully monitored . the border of neighboring country . The PRK’s Generally, the development of education Ministry of National Education consisted of a during the PRK regime was a slow process . The small number of unqualified officials who had regime not only struggled to put children in little experience in education and few special- schools, but also fought illiteracy among adults ized skills . The regime did not have professional and older people, in addition to many other experts to develop the curriculum . The PRK social problems, including daily incursions from depended heavily on Vietnamese advisors to KR factions as well as international economic train and recruit teachers as well as to develop sanctions . Due to the international political the curriculum at all levels . The structure and tension and the influence of the Cold War, the the management of education were identical to PRK neither got the seat for Cambodia in the those of the Vietnamese . The curriculum intro- United Nations, nor received international aid . duced “political morality” study that aimed at The regime received only limited humanitarian instilling in children the socialist concept in an aid from international organizations, such as effort to turn Cambodia into a socialist state . UNICEF and the International Committee of In the attempt to recruit more teachers, the the Red Cross . However, those agencies could PRK appealed to all educators nationwide to not do much to help the existing mis-oriented