Cambodia. Land of silence
Description
In the mid-1970s, Cambodia was the victim of a brutal genocide, when the communist Pol Pot regime exterminated every fifth inhabitant. In less than four years, hundreds of thousands were murdered, and over a million died as a result of starvation and disease. We hear from those who lost their families as well as from former guards who perpetrated the crimes. A guard who beat prisoners claims he was forced to commit torture; the alternative would have been his own murder. He feels terribly guilty now and has confessed to his family. Sorya Sim of the Documentation Centre says "The purpose of documenting is justice and memory." The Centre collects material to prosecute the Khmer Rouge and to educate the younger generation about the events. Recently, a peace treaty paved the way for the first real evaluation of the Pol Pot regime - and perhaps for reconciliation. This process is difficult in a country like Cambodia, where it is seen as "wrong" to talk negatively about the past. The Institute for Social Development organized several peace marches and four reconciliation meetings and at one of these, a number of Khmer Rouge leaders apologized. For many people, and for the media, saying "I am sorry" was not enough. Kassie Neou of Cambodia's Institute for Human Rights, believes the peace marches promote the possibility of "... living together in understanding, and that way people can focus on harmonious ways of living." But many carry mental and physical wounds, too fearful to speak out about the atrocities of that tragic time.
Runtime
29 min
Creator
Gottschau, Jakob
Geography
Genre
Date of Publication
2004
Database
Alexander Street
Direct Link
Similar Films
What Mass Deportation Would Mean for Salvadoran Families in the U.S. (2/27/18)
The presidential year
Hable con ella
Eric Young Discusses Internet Can Help With Physical Location Aspects Of Business
Justin Bieber. A Star Was Born
Great stars of opera live in concert. Dresden opera night 1998
PBS NewsHour
Haywire. Children Living with Schizophrenia
Crops of the Future
Vanessa Morse Discusses Importance of Personal Acknowledgement
Epiphany. Video Culture Class — Greek Holidays
Moyers. Report from Philadelphia video clip collection
The Old Curiosity Shop. Episode 1
Working with TAs - secondary. TA for a day
The New Rule of America’s Powerful Families, Episode 2