DC-CAM 2005 WORK PLAN

Documentation Center of Cambodia

2005 Work Plan

We expect that 2005 will be an extremely eventful year for the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam) with the Khmer Rouge tribunal approaching. On October 4 and 5, 2004 Cambodia’s new National Assembly ratified: 1) The Agreement between the United Nations and the Royal Government of Cambodia concerning the Prosecution under Cambodian Law of Crimes Committed during the period of Democratic Kampuchea, and 2) The Law on Amendments to the Law on the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia for the Prosecution of Crimes Committed during the Period of Democratic Kampuchea.[*] On October 27, the head of state promulgated a law (the Khmer Rouge Tribunal Law) that harmonizes the government’s agreement with the UN on establishing the tribunal.

The Cambodian people have waited for over a quarter of a century to see the regime’s senior leaders held accountable for their actions and justice done. The impending tribunal has been a focus of our work this year, and will continue to inform our activities throughout 2005. We are very optimistic about our ability to succeed in our planned endeavors and thus contribute to the promotion of memory and justice in Cambodia.

The coming year should witness both significant continuity and change at DC-Cam. Some of our projects will continue with comparatively minor amendments in 2005, but others will undergo modification or increase dramatically in scope and pace. In addition, we plan to implement innovative projects to prepare Cambodian citizens for the trials, to increase public participation in the tribunal process itself, and to educate the younger generations of Cambodians on their modern history.

Below we summarize our main accomplishments during 2004 and our plans to take our projects forward. We also briefly describe projects we will begin implementing next year. The following sections provide a more detailed overview of our 2004 activities and plans for 2005 in each of our major areas of operation.
 

 We have also note four areas in which we did not meet our goals:

• Databases/Server. Last year, we contracted with a local company (Khmer Hosting) to make our databases publicly available. After nearly a year had passed, the company told us that it did not have the technical capabilities to complete this work, although the company is still working to complete the database. We have now made arrangements with an IT expert to design the database. DC-Cam staff will enter the data and the database should be completed by June 2005
   

• NGO Cooperation. Although we are currently working with a number of local non-government organizations, we did not increase our participation in this area as much as planned. We have sent staff representatives to nearly all of the NGO meetings we have been asked to attend, but other staff commitments have precluded our direct involvement in many NGO umbrella groups and projects. For 2005, we plan to target the most promising of these projects and second staff to them; we will also work to include appropriate NGOs in one or more of the Center’s projects.
   

• Website Posting. We had planned to complete the posting of our most important documents on the DC-Cam website in 2004, and this target has not been met. However, in October, a volunteer from the Netherlands (Isaac Tabor) joined us for seven months. He has begun the reorganization and re-design of our website, and has made good progress in posting up large numbers of documents and photographs. We expect to have the site up to date before he returns home in April 2005.
   

• Staff Development. With many of our most senior staff on academic leave, our staff now working at the Center have less experience and require closer supervision, resulting in slower progress on many projects. It has also increased the amount of time DC-Cam’s management must devote to staff supervision and development. This situation will begin to ease slightly with the return of a few senior staff next year.

1. Documentation

Documenting the history of the Khmer Rouge is at the core of our operations: it is an important part of our center’s mandate and plays a major role in all our projects. DC-Cam has been active in collecting documents relevant to the history of the Democratic Kampuchea (DK) era for nearly a decade. To date, we have amassed well over 600,000 pages of documentation from the DK-era, petitions and interview transcripts taken from survivors of the regime, and a variety of other materials that could potentially serve as evidence at the tribunal.[†] DC-Cam by no means possesses a monopoly on documentation relevant to the crimes of Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK) leaders, but it is the largest repository of such materials.

1.1      Cataloguing and Database Management

The first aspect of our documentation work entails collecting and cataloguing documents and managing two major databases, the Cambodian Genocide Bibliographic Database (CBIB) and the Cambodian Genocide Biographical Database (CBIO). Set up in collaboration with Yale University and the University of New South Wales, these databases contain detailed information on former Khmer Rouge leaders and cadres. They provide an organized information resource about the DK regime and many of its victims. The databases also facilitate our program of family tracing, whereby survivors of the DK era can search for information on lost loved ones. Because these databases are Internet accessible and available on CD-Rom and microfilm, scholars, legal personnel for the tribunal (both the prosecution and defense) and the general public in Cambodia and abroad can access them.

Cataloguing and Keying. Since DC-Cam began operating in 1995, we have catalogued (entered information into worksheets in preparation for adding them to our databases) or keyed (entered information into the databases) nearly 83,000 documents, which are housed in six collections: 

• D Collection: General Khmer Rouge documents (e.g., notebooks, biographies, confessions, reports, execution logs) and the Anlong Veng (a KR stronghold until 1996) collection of post-KR materials (e.g., school textbooks, meeting minutes, reports).

• I Collection: Biographies of Khmer Rouge cadres and prisoners.

• J Collection: Confessions from S-21 (Tuol Sleng) prison.

• K Collection: Biographies of Khmer Rouge cadres and prisoners.

• L Collection: Intelligence documents from the Lon Nol regime (1970-1975).

• R Collection: Petitions to the Peoples Republic of Kampuchea (the government that held power from 1979 to 1993) to oust the Khmer Rouge from their seat at the United Nations, including accounts of horrific crimes and descriptions of mass burial pits and prisons.

In 2005, we have planned to catalogue 17,852 documents and key 31,050 documents. To accomplish this and meet our ambitious goal of having all of our documents catalogued before the trials begin, we will hire additional staff.

In 2005, we also have plans to consolidate all of the information in our archives into a genocide database in 2005 that DC-Cam is now developing (tentatively called the Khmer Rouge History Database). We will employ Microsoft Access or a similar user-friendly format that will enable quick and accurate searches.

Indexing. In 2003, we began to prepare a hard-copy index of biographical information on nearly 11,000 Khmer Rouge contained in our CBIO database. This index will contain information on each individual’s name, alias, gender, place of birth, rank/position, and record number. In 2004, we decided to add a record of each person’s status (alive, executed, disappeared) based on interviews our Accountability Project teams have conducted with the relatives or neighbors of former Khmer Rouge. By 2004, we had made corrections to the 2,820-page Khmer version of the book and translated 250 pages; we plan to complete another 960 pages in 2005. In addition, we will make an index of this book available at our Public Information Room.

Access Listing. In 2004, we began entering our documents in a user-friendly Microsoft Access list. This list provides basic bibliographical information in English and Khmer. To date, we have listed about 5,000 documents from our D collection and plan to enter an additional 4,480 documents in 2005.

Website Posting. In 2004, we contracted with a local company to increase our storage space on the Internet, provide a range of ongoing technical services, and assist us in updating and expanding our website. A main goal of this effort was to post searchable databases on the Internet, thus enabling us to share more of our documentation work with scholars and interested members of the public. However, we canceled our contract with the company when it failed to perform.

Realizing the importance of posting our documents, we will continue searching for a company that can assist us in loading our databases onto DC-Cam’s website. In the interim, we will work to secure other means that will enable the public to access our materials.

Preservation. We have preserved all of the original documents we hold from DK in non-acidic Mylar plastic. They are stored in locked, fireproof safes.

1.2      Microfilming

This project aims to preserve historical documents related to the Khmer Rouge. It gives researchers and legal investigators access to our archival information without handling original documents, many of which have become fragile with age.

To date, we have microfilmed all of the documents in our I, J, K, and L collections, with only part of our D and R collections remaining. In 2005, we plan to microfilm over 25,000 documents from these latter two collections.

We have been cooperating with Yale University’s Sterling Library since 1998 on duplicating our microfilm records for security and academic purposes. We sent the negatives to the library to be developed; they kept the masters and returned a copy to us. However, by the end of the year, Yale had yet to process 77 of the 482 reels of film we sent to them, some of which were over a year late in being returned to DC-Cam. Because Yale had not fulfilled its latest contractual obligations to DC-Cam (the deadline for their completion of the microfilm was December 31, 2004), we decided to develop our microfilm in-house. (On January 12, 2005, Yale returned the remaining microfilm copies to us, thus completing our R collection documents).

Last year, we had microfilm developed at the National Archives of Cambodia, but found that the product incompatible with our quality standards. We thus concluded that the most cost-efficient option consistent with our quality demands was to acquire our own microfilm developer/duplicator. We purchased this equipment and it was recently delivered to us. During the last two weeks of December, we developed 8 reels (5,799 pages). These files will be posted on our website in 2005. We will also store duplicates of our microfilm at secure locations inside Cambodia.

1.3      Photo Exhibitions

Exhibitions in Cambodia. Two of the photo exhibitions we installed during 2003 at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (one on former Khmer Rouge cadres during DK and today, and the other on the regime’s top leaders) continue to be displayed and receive favorable comments from Cambodian and international visitors alike.

In 2004, we mounted a new forensic exhibition at Tuol Sleng. It contains photographs of 10 skulls excavated from Choeung Ek (the “killing fields” south of Phnom Penh where Tuol Sleng prisoners were executed) and other parts of Cambodia, accompanied by text explaining the type of trauma to each skull. This exhibit seeks to demonstrate the value of forensic evidence in documenting the Khmer Rouge’s crimes against humanity. It is also intended to educate the public about the types of information that can be scientifically gathered from victims’ remains in order to prove and record evidence of murder/genocide. (Because some Cambodians are uncomfortable with the idea of boxing human remains, we house the skulls in a separate room at Tuol Sleng, which is open only to officials.)

In response to recent articles (e.g., “Cambodia-Khmer Rouge Museum: Upset Over Renovations at Cambodia’s Infamous Khmer Rouge Torture Prison,” AFP, November 11, 2004), DC-Cam has received letters from Democratic Kampuchea survivors, historians, and museum specialists around the world expressing dismay at the prison’s recent renovation work, including a new paint job. It is DC-Cam’s position that the studies performed at Tuol Sleng to date are not sufficient to serve as the basis for an effective renovation plan. Instead, architects and engineers should be commissioned to perform a detailed study of structural weaknesses before further modifications are made. We will continue to press for preserving as much of Tuol Sleng’s historical structures as possible while undertaking the necessary work to keep the buildings sound and safe for the public.

Other Worldwide Exhibits. In 2004, we supplied the Washington State Genocide Museum, the Chicago Killing Fields Museum, the new Rwanda Genocide Museum, and several individuals with photographs that have been used in exhibitions (nearly the entire collection of the Washington facility, which is the first Cambodian genocide museum in the United States, was provided by DC-Cam).

In 2005, we will work with Germany’s Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Foundation to contribute photographs for an exhibit at its headquarters next year. The exhibit, whose working title is “The Trauma of Terror and the Challenges of Coming to Terms with the Past,” will be followed by a symposium. DC-Cam staff and Taing Kim will attend the symposium and screen The Khmer Rouge Rice Fields for those attending (please see Section 1.5).

1.4      The Digital Photo Archive Project

DC-Cam interviewed over 100 former Khmer Rouge cadre and their family members, and obtained nearly 200 photographs from the DK era. A monograph on the recollections of former cadres and their families (the base people) entitled Stilled Lives: Photographs from the Cambodian Genocide, is now at the printing house. We also scanned all of the photographs, captioned and indexed them, and are placing them and other project information on the Internet. The project team also received training on book design and layout in India.

We have hope to produce a second book next year that focuses on the new people. These were city dwellers who were either executed (e.g., members of the former Lon Nol regime) or evacuated to Cambodia’s provinces during DK and forced into hard labor.

1.5      Film Project

In 2004, DC-Cam provided research, translation, and other support to Cambodian director Rithy Panh on his documentary S-21: The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine, which was screened at the Cannes Film Festival. In April, DC-Cam director Youk Chhang accompanied Mr. Panh to New York to screen the film at the United Nations in preface to fundraising at the tribunal. We also gave advisory support to Mr. Panh two other documentary films.

This year, DC-Cam also produced its first film, a 30-minute documentary entitled The Khmer Rouge Rice Fields: The Story of Rape Survivor Taing Kim. It is about the gang rape of a woman by Khmer Rouge soldiers and her views on justice and reconciliation. The film is being shown at DC-Cam’s Public Information Room and daily at Tuol Sleng. It has been screened at five locations in Thailand, and will show in November at the Brussels Film Festival and Prix Bruno Mersch, and the Asian Cultural Council in New York in December. DVD productions of the film have earned $400, which is being used to support the education of Taing Kim’s children.

1.6      Collection of New Materials and Data

Although we possess a very large collection of documentary materials, we are always on the lookout for additional acquisitions. In 2004, we will continue to search for new documentary materials in Cambodia and abroad from both institutional sources and individuals. In October, DC-Cam’s director traveled to Hanoi to determine the status of the large number of DK-era documents held by the Vietnamese government.

2. Promoting Accountability and the Rule of Law

We do not expect that legal accountability for the horrific crimes of the Khmer Rouge will completely resolve the problems of poverty and injustice Cambodians face today. However, the leaders’ prosecution in a court of law will be the most important factor in helping victims realize some measure of justice for the wrongs committed against them and their loved ones, and then begin to reach closure with the past. Just as important, the process of accountability for the Khmer Rouge must serve as a bridge toward a stronger rule of law.

Important steps toward accountability were achieved in October 2004, when Cambodia ratified its agreement with the United Nations on the tribunal of senior Khmer Rouge leaders, promulgated the Khmer Rouge Tribunal Law that harmonizes the agreement, and passed amendments to the law after a yearlong political deadlock that followed the country’s general election in July 2003. In 2004, DC-Cam continued or initiated a number of activities to support the trials of senior Khmer Rouge officials and will continue these activities in 2005.

2.1      The Mapping Project

This project, which began in 1995, involved seeking out and mapping mass graves, former DK prisons, and genocide memorials using Geographic Information System (GIS) technology. Sometimes, the readers of our magazine also send us information on the locations of prisons and graves (in November, for example, a Cambodian expatriate wrote us to say he was the only one of 450 Lon Nol soldiers to survive a prison camp in Preik Datch near Neak Loeung along the Mekong River; DC-Cam was unaware of its existence).

Our mapping team identified 19,521 mass graves in 391 clusters, 194 Khmer Rouge security offices, and 80 memorials constructed by survivors of the DK regime. In addition, in 2004, we wrote a 450-page field report on this project with 180 photographs. Although the project formally closed this year, we are continuing to enter its master data set into our GIS database, and will post the data set on our website in 2005. 

2.2      The Forensics Study

Based on existing mapping data, a team of three North American research and forensics experts and DC-Cam’s mapping team conducted a detailed reconnaissance of mass graves and memorials to identify sites for a full-scale forensic exhumation. In 2004, we mounted a forensic exhibition of human skeletal remains at the Tuol Sleng Museum and produced a project report on undisturbed graves in two Cambodian villages. Portions of the exhibit can now be viewed on our website. One of the North American experts hired for the project will complete a monograph on forensic findings and crimes against humanity in Cambodia in 2005.

2.3      Accountability Project (PA)

Our PA Project focuses on fact-finding in advance of the tribunal and seeks to build a better historical understanding of the workings of the DK regime. One of our main activities in this vein is to draw a picture of subordinate-superior relationships during DK and to identify survivors (victims and former Khmer Rouge) who may be helpful in the tribunal. With the tribunal drawing near, we will accelerate the pace and expand the scope of this project.

Interviews and Database. In 2004, as in previous years, our main activity was to conduct interviews with former Khmer Rouge cadres in the field. Using information from our files, our team locates and interviews individuals who served in the DK regime. Our normal procedure is to identify and investigate all relevant biographies from a given geographic area (see our description of the CBIO above). We conducted this work through field offices in Kandal, Takeo, Kampong Cham and Kampot provinces. In the first three quarters of 2004, we completed 495 interviews in the field, with an estimated 660 interviews anticipated for this calendar year.

In 2005, we plan to interview 1,050 victims and former Khmer Rouge. Since our work has been completed in the first four provinces, the project will operate in Kampong Thom, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Speu, Pursat, and Prey Veng provinces in 2005. We also plan to add staff to our PA Project in order to complete the large amount of field work required. We will also continue to enter information about interviewees into our database, which provides the names, whereabouts, and basic biographical information about each of the former cadres we interview. This database is likely to be very important to prosecutors in the tribunal proceedings.