UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PEACE Simulation on The Cambodia Peace Settlement This simulation aims at providing participants with a deeper understanding of how societies in conflict have to confront issues of war crimes and human rights violations. Participants role-play negotiators at a peace settlement conference in Cambodia, where, due to international pressure, a weakened government has agreed to negotiate with opposition leaders. Questions that must be dealt with include implementation of the peace settlement and issues of past accountability for genocide and war crimes. Other participants will be asked to role-play a task force composed of representatives from Cambodian and international organizations that has been established to work out recommendations for the negotiators on how to how to proceed with the war crimes and human rights issues. The range of possible recommendations includes convening international or domestic war crime tribunals, limited or blanket amnesties, or the establishment of a truth commission or commission of inquiry. Simulation on The Cambodia Peace Settlement Simulation on The Cambodia Peace Settlement 1 Table of Contents Introduction ...................................................................................... 3 Materials............................................................................................ 5 Scenario ............................................................................................ 6 Background ...................................................................................... 9 Early History..................................................................................................................9 The Khmer Kingdoms: Funan and Chenla ............................................................................ 9 The Angkor Empire................................................................................................................. 9 Foreign Domination................................................................................................................. 9 The Sihanouk Era .........................................................................................................9 Lon Nol and the Khmer Rouge....................................................................................10 The Khmer Rouge Years: 1975-1979 .........................................................................10 Human Rights in Cambodia: 1979-1993.....................................................................12 Peace and the Supreme National Council............................................................................ 13 Cambodia 1993-1997..................................................................................................14 Roles................................................................................................ 17 Group A.......................................................................................................................18 Hun Sen ................................................................................................................................ 19 Ieng Mouly ............................................................................................................................ 20 Prince Norodom Ranariddh .................................................................................................. 21 Sam Rainsy........................................................................................................................... 22 ASEAN Representative Rodolfo Certeza Severino .............................................................. 23 Representative of the United States Government, Ambassador Charlotte Tormey............. 24 Representative of the Chinese Government, Ambassador Wai Cheng ............................... 25 Group B.......................................................................................................................26 Ka Chon, representative, Cambodian Mothers for Justice................................................... 27 Arn Sudvay, Buddhist Monk.................................................................................................. 28 Chea Chorn, representative of Cambodian refugees ........................................................... 29 Hu Vet, Member of Cambodians for Justice......................................................................... 30 Ieng Yat, Cambodian judge .................................................................................................. 31 Toch Nim, retired Army General ........................................................................................... 32 Quan Pong, World Health Organization ............................................................................... 33 Advisors ......................................................................................................................34 Claire Verhaegan, Special Representative from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the High Commissioner for Refugees ................................................................ 35 Wilhelm Verwoerd, Adviser, South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission.............. 36 Related Web Links.......................................................................... 37 1 All of the scenario events are imaginary and were created for the purposes of this simulation only. UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PEACE 2 www.usip.org Simulation on The Cambodia Peace Settlement Introduction Simulations are essentially educational exercises which place students in situations of people different than themselves as a way to illuminate the kinds of issues, challenges and conflicts that such people face. When you have to think, debate or make decisions as a Cambodian who is trying to end conflict in his or her country, for example, you often develop insights that are much more than a simple history lesson. Simulations may attempt to recreate a historical event or a hypothetical event. For this exercise, you will simulate a hypothetical event which could actually happen in a similar fashion and which will deal with real problems that are being confronted now in Cambodia. For the purposes of this exercise, you will be simulating the conflict in Cambodia as a way to deepen your understanding of how societies in conflict have to confront issues of war crimes and human rights violations. This simulation is also a way for you to apply and confront many of the ideas you put forth in your winning peace essays. For the simulation, each student will be assigned one of fourteen different roles and will be notified of that assigned role and group in the accompanying packet of materials. In the following pages you will be given information about the conflict in Cambodia, the specific scenario in which each of you will act within your assigned role and descriptions of all the players in the simulation. You may also be given an individualized set of guidelines or suggested strategies that is written for your particular role shortly before the simulation begins. Simulation role-players will be divided into two groups. The students in the first group (Group A) represent negotiators to a peace settlement conference in Cambodia. As you will read in the next section, violence has erupted in Cambodia during the latter half of 1998. Due to international pressure, a weakened government led by Hun Sen has agreed to negotiate with opposition leaders about a peace settlement. Much of an agreement has already emerged; so, for the simulation, only the question of implementation and the problems of past accountability, genocide and war crimes remain. The negotiators, which include Prime Minister Hun Sen and the main opposition leader Prince Norodom Ranariddh as well as other Cambodians and interested outside parties must reach several conclusions. What is the best way to implement the settlement? How should Cambodia address the issues of past war crimes and human rights violations? These negotiations will take place for the first half of the simulation. To help the negotiators with these questions, a task force (Group B) has also been established. It will meet during the first half of the simulation and make a recommendation to the negotiators for how to proceed with the war crimes and human rights issues. This task force is charged with giving the negotiators (Group A) a concrete recommendation on how to address the issues of accountability and reconciliation for Cambodian society. The range of possible recommendations includes convening war crime tribunals, either an ad hoc international tribunal or prosecution before the Cambodian courts, calling for a limited or blanket amnesty, or establishing a truth commission or commission of inquiry. The task force members should address the question of whether putting war criminals on trial is necessary for the healing of the country or whether it would create another round of radicalism and undermine the negotiated settlement. During the second half of the simulation, the task force in Group B will come together with the negotiators from Group A to present their recommendation. They will stay with Group A members to answer questions about their rationale for the recommendation, as well as provide their input as to the future of the settlement coupled with the issues of accountability. This will be not only a discussion among the members of Group A, but an interactive dialogue between all simulation participants. It is expected that the task force members