DOCUMENTATION CENTER OF CAMBODIA
Phnom Penh, Cambodia


Quarterly Report

April to June 2003

 

 

           This Quarterly Report describes our progress during the past three months, cites challenges and constraints to our work, sets forth our strategies for improvement, and provides indicators of our performance and impact.


1.        NARRATIVE REPORT

 

1.1      Summary of Project Activities and Highlights of Project Impact

 

During the second quarter of 2003, the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam) made significant progress on each of our seven major projects: our Mapping Project, Documentation Project, Microfilming Project, Magazine Project, Research Project, Project to Promote Accountability, and Translation & Publication Project.


1.1.1    The Mapping Project

 

Since 1995, DC-Cam has located 19,457 mass graves, 185 former Democratic Kampuchea (DK) security offices, and 78 genocide memorials constructed by survivors of the DK regime.  Through our Mapping Project, we map those sites with Global Positioning Satellite technology and display the data on digital maps using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology.  In the second quarter of 2003, UNESCO recognized the success of the project by asking Rasy Pheng Pong and John D. Ciorciari to write a chapter in a forthcoming textbook about DC-Cam’s use of GIS technology in the historical study of the Khmer Rouge era.  An initial draft of that chapter is complete.

 

During the second quarter of 2003, the Mapping Team also worked on two project activities that began in early 2003.  The first involves writing a manuscript detailing the history of DK Security Offices, which also served as prisons. To date, Mapping Team members have completed a 397-page report in Khmer describing 185 prisons. That manuscript is intended for future publication in English and Khmer in order to demonstrate the widespread and systematic nature of the killing perpetrated by the Khmer Rouge (KR) regime. After the team members complete writing a draft of this manuscript, they plan to conduct further field research to add to the information contained in the draft. 

 

1.1.1(a)            Forensic Study

 

The other major addition to the Mapping Project in early 2003 was a new forensic study undertaken with a team of distinguished North American scholars: Dr. Craig Etcheson, Dr. Michael Pollanen, and Dr. Katharine Gruspier.  Between April and June, DC-Cam staff members worked with the forensic experts examining graves in Takeo, Kandal, Kampong Cham, and Kampong Speu provinces.  Phase 1 of the project was completed in March-April of 2002 and consisted of a preliminary forensic feasibility assessment of human skeletal remains at mass grave sites and associated memorials.  The team determined that the project would be feasible and collected 15 sample skeletal remains for display and preservation at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.  A full report on the first phase of the project is available from DC-Cam.  Phase 2 is now underway and involves a detailed reconnaissance of mass graves to identify appropriate sites for a full-scale forensic exhumation, as well as the collection and preservation of a representative sample of traumatized human skeletal remains. Phase 3 will be a definitive, multi-disciplinary forensic analysis of a representative sample of mass graves.  The Forensic Team intends to complete preliminary work on Phase 3 and to undertake a long-term project if additional funds are forthcoming.  The project intends, among other things, to shed light on the ways in which individuals were killed or otherwise abused during the Pol Pot era.

 

1.1.2    The Documentation Project

The Documentation Project entails collecting documentary materials and continually upgrading two major databases, the Cambodian Genocide Bibliographic Database (CBIB) and the Cambodian Genocide Biographical Database (CBIO).  The CBIB and CBIO, set up in collaboration with Yale University and the University of New South Wales, contain detailed information on former Khmer Rouge leaders and cadres. They provide an organized, detailed, and Internet-accessible information resource about the DK regime and many of its victims. The databases also facilitate DC-Cam’s program of family tracing, whereby survivors of Democratic Kampuchea can search for information on loved ones lost during the Pol Pot period.

 

During the second quarter of 2003, our Documentation Team continued to enter data into the CBIO by using the CDS/ISIS software program. The process of data entry includes two major steps. First, DC-Cam staff members read biographical documents and enter relevant information into 37 different fields.  Second, staff members crosscheck that data against original DC-Cam documents and edit the database entries before loading the records into CD-ROMs and the Internet.  From April to June 2003, team members entered 4,669 records into the CBIO to make a total of 14,009 records in Khmer to date. Team members also continued to translate the existing Khmer data in the CBIO into English. By June 2003, they had also entered 14,009 English records into the computer and had edited 5,025 such records. The team has now reached an advanced stage in editing the remaining records.

 

1.1.2(a)           Films and Photo Exhibitions

 

Our documentation work has been featured of late in Rithy Panh’s award-winning documentary film entitled S-21: The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine.  The film garnered honors at the Cannes Film Festival and is now being shown to the public in Phnom Penh.  It is based on documentary and interview research that Rithy Panh undertook with DC-Cam.  The film powerfully examines the process of reconciliation between victims and perpetrators of the DK regime.  It presents dialogues between former guards at the infamous Tuol Sleng Prison and two of the few survivors of S-21, painter Vann Nath, whose portraiture saved him from execution, and Chum Mey.  It also shows the harrowing recollections and reenactments of former Tuol Sleng guards.

 

Our documentary work is also on display in a popular photo exhibition at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, on the former site of S-21.  Approximately 65 visitors go to the museum and view the exhibit every day, making nearly 6,000 visitors this quarter.  We are currently working on a second photo exhibit that focuses on the histories of Khmer Rouge leaders who passed away without ever being held accountable for their crimes.  Accompanying the photos will be exhibits that present the recollections of elderly survivors of the Pol Pot regime.  Finally, we are anticipating the arrival of original films produced by the Khmer Rouge, which have been in France for restoration for the past few years. 


1.1.3    The Microfilming Project

 

Conducted in cooperation with Yale University’s Sterling Memorial Library, the Microfilming Project is closely related to our documentation work. The project aims to preserve documents from the DK period for the long term through the use of microfilm. That process allows researchers and legal investigators to obtain information in DC-Cam’s archives without handling the original documents unless absolutely necessary. Many of the documents are becoming fragile with age, and protecting their physical integrity is essential.

 

During the second quarter of 2003, DC-Cam’s Microfilming Team continued to work on microfilming the Center’s “D” documentary collection, which include official CPK documents from the Pol Pot era.  Between April and June, the team microfilmed files numbered D19735—D21486.  Those microfilmed records comprise 21,415 pages.  Normally, we send microfilm to Yale’s Sterling Memorial Library to be developed.  One set of developed film is kept at Yale, and another is returned to us.  This quarter, we began working with the National Archives of Cambodia (NAC) to see if more cost-efficient microfilming options are available.  We sent three reels of film from our magazine to the NAC to be developed as a test.  We sent the resulting microfilm to Yale University to determine whether it meets our high standards of quality.  If so, we may work with the NAC to microfilm original documents as well.

 

            1.1.3(a)           Digital Photo Archiving

 

            As part of our efforts to preserve key documentary materials, we will soon embark on a Photo Archiving Project as well.  The project will involve scanning and digitizing over 35,000 photos held at DC-Cam.  Most of those photos date from the Khmer Rouge era, although some relate to the Khmer Rouge before and after the DK period.  They cover a wide variety of subjects, including leaders of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, the royal family, soldiers, victims, and a range of propaganda shots.  Over a two-year period, we intend to produce high quality, indexed, and annotated scans of the photos, post them on the Internet, and publish a series of books displaying the photos. This quarter, we had encouraging correspondence with the National Endowment for Democracy about securing funds for the project.

 

1.1.4    The Magazine Project

 

DC-Cam’s magazine, Searching for the Truth, is designed to disseminate our work to the public and to create a forum for public engagement on issues related to the Khmer Rouge period in the effort to achieve justice and reconciliation. Searching for the Truth magazine contains five sections: documentary analysis, history, legal issues, public debate, and family tracing.  From April to June 2003, articles in our documentation section analyzed documents in DC-Cam’s archives.  We continued to focus on the personal histories of elderly survivors of the Khmer Rouge regime in our history section, describing how they relate their stories to their grandchildren.  In our legal section, we published parts of the Geneva Convention, materials from the International Criminal Court, comments about the progress toward Khmer Rouge accountability, the draft UN-Cambodian tribunal agreement, press releases from the UN General Assembly and other organizations, and an interview of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.  The debate section of our magazine included pieces discussing the political process surrounding the UN-Cambodian agreement on a Khmer Rouge tribunal.  Finally, our family tracing articles in this quarter covered personal memories or the family experience of DC-Cam staffers during the Khmer Rouge period.  To date, we have received approximately 60 letters from aggrieved family members through our family tracing program.

 

In the second quarter of 2003, we published issues 40-42 of our Khmer edition of the magazine. We published 7,000 copies of each issue (for a total of 21,000) and distributed 17,212 copies free of charge, mostly in Cambodia.  DC-Cam field researchers also carried copies to Cambodia’s villages and distributed them to local officials and interested villagers. Public responses from readers continue to be strongly supportive, and many readers have come forth with useful information about the Pol Pot regime and its aftermath. Local NGOs have requested hundred of copies to distribute.  According to our readers, the magazine addresses topics of great concern and provides credible, valued information about the Khmer Rouge era and its aftermath.  A few excerpts from letters to the editor are indicative of its impact:

 

 

To reach a broader audience, we have also begun to read selected articles on a local radio station, Women’s Media Center FM 102.  So far, Rachana Phat and Sophal Ly have read nearly 40 of our articles on the radio program, which reaches almost all Cambodian provinces and some areas abroad.

 

            Before this quarter, our publication of the English version of our magazine lagged behind the Khmer version due to limits on our translation resources.  This year, we have instituted a new practice of publishing our English version on a quarterly basis.  That practice has been successful thus far.  This ensures that we are able to publish it in a timely fashion and that we select the articles of greatest interest to our English readership.  Since May 2003, volunteer Jeff Strata has helped Bunsou Sour and Kok-Thay Eng edit our English version of the magazine. 

 

1.1.5    The Research Project

 

DC-Cam’s Research Project is aimed at building the capacity of young Cambodian scholars to conduct research in the field of human rights violations during the Khmer Rouge regime. DC-Cam has recruited research staff to work on papers relevant to human rights violation under the Khmer Rouge regime between 1975 and 1979. Researchers are asked to produce research papers using our documentary resources and information obtained from field interviews. 

 

During the second quarter of 2003, we published the third book from our Research Project, The Khmer Rouge Division 703: From Victory to Self-Destruction by Vannak Huy. In addition, Sorya Sim has worked with Sara Colm to produce a research monograph entitled “Hill-tribes under the Khmer Rouge Regime,” scheduled for completion in the near future.  The paper “Pochemdam Village Vietnamese Family” (by Sorya Sim and Dany Long) also approached completion.  Kannitha Kim added to her drafts of “Khmer Krom Under the Khmer Rouge,” now 130 pages in length, while Pivoine Pang continued work on her monograph, “Women under the Khmer Rouge” (now 180 pages).  In addition, Dr. Ian Harris began research for his two-year study of Khmer Buddhism in Cambodia between 1970 and 1979.  His research will lead to another important book in our Documentation Series.  Lastly, our staff members have found new opportunities to share their research.  Sorya Sim recently presented some of his work in South Africa, and Professor Judy Ledgerwood invited Vannak Huy and Kannitha Kim to present their fieldwork at the School of Archaeology this quarter.  More presentations are planned for July. 

 

1.1.6    The Project to Promote Accountability

 

The Project to Promote Accountability (or “PA Project”) based its operations in three provinces this quarter—Kampong Cham, Kampong Thom, and Takeo.  Our work in Kandal province was postponed due to the need for staff members to assist the forensic study team and to aid with research for Searching for the Truth magazine.  The PA Project focuses on fact-finding in advance of the coming Khmer Rouge tribunal.  Team members seek to locate and interview former cadres who served in the Democratic Kampuchea regime between 1975 and 1979. The information from interviews with former cadres can be used in both historical and legal contexts. Furthermore, transcripts from such interviews and information on the whereabouts of former Khmer Rouge cadres may provide information for the work of any prosecutors in the upcoming trials of Khmer Rouge leaders.  The fact that the United Nations and Cambodian government recently signed an agreement to convene a tribunal, and that the agreement is now set for review by the Cambodian National Assembly, adds to the importance and urgency of the PA Project.

 

Before making trips to specific districts and provinces, each of DC-Cam’s four “Accountability Teams” prints out former KR cadres’ biographies from the CBIO. The biographies include the birthplace of most former cadres, and the PA team looks for them in their home villages. Cadres located are interviewed, and transcripts are recorded. Between April and
June 2003, PA team members spent two-thirds of their time transcribing and filing interview transcripts and one-third investigating a total of 231 DK personnel files in the field. After an extensive search, the Accountability Team was able to identify and interview 26 of those KR biography owners. Through interviews and conversations with family members and acquaintances, the team discovered that 23 other individuals in the CPK biography files are still alive and living in Cambodia or abroad. The remaining 138 individuals are believed to be missing or deceased.  While in the field, team members also interviewed family members of Duch, the former S-21 chief who is now imprisoned in Phnom Penh and awaiting a likely trial. 

 

In addition to fieldwork, the Accountability Team worked frequently in the office to transcribe interviews.  By June, our team members had transcribed 7,623 pages of new interview material.  Finally, team members continued to enter data into our PA Database, which records biographical information about the former Khmer Rouge cadres whom we research in the field.  To date, we have amassed records on 635 individuals.

 

1.1.7    The Translation & Publication Project

 

The last major projects taking place at DC-Cam during the second quarter of 2003 were our Translation and Publication Projects. Both projects involve translating works into English or Khmer for publication. In the second quarter of 2003, our team members nearly completed the text editing, graphics, layout, and other format editing for publication of the following books

 

To date, the principal limitation on our ability to publish translated works and original research manuscripts is our lack of funding for certain publication endeavors. We are currently taking steps to secure such funds.

 

 

1.2        Challenges and Constraints

 

In general, we made good progress on each of our projects between April and June. However, challenges and constraints remain. 

 

1.2.1     Outgrowing our Physical Facilities

 

Significant constraints exist due to the size of our physical facilities and workforce.  As our work becomes better known, and as the planned Khmer Rouge tribunal approaches, demand for our work grows, from governments, donors, scholars, and members of the public. We are attempting to increase our work output correspondingly.  However, our existing facilities are crowded, and our options for expansion are limited.  We are committed to hiring only the most qualified staff members and training each member thoroughly, and adding to our current staff of 44 members without straining our physical and managerial resources.  Meeting new demands with a constant number of employees is an ongoing organizational challenge for us. 

 

Our four temporary field offices in Kampong Thom, Kandal, Takeo, and Kampong Cham provinces have been successful in relieving pressure on our central office.  They have also been very useful in improving the efficiency of our field research, and we intend to make them a more permanent feature of our operations.  Between April and June 2003, nine of our staff members worked for part of the time in our field offices, normally traveling in teams of three or four persons. The PA Project continues to be particularly active in the provincial offices.  Nevertheless, our central office remains inadequate. 

 

Our office space at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum has also been useful.  We use that space for visiting researchers and cooperate with Tuol Sleng staff to provide them with microfilm and photocopies of relevant documents.  Approximately 60 visiting researchers have used the space during 2003.   Finally, this quarter we acquired a modest extension to our central office.  It will be complete in mid-July and will accommodate several desks for our staff members and provide much-needed storage space.  These additions do not eliminate our space constraints, but they help to address our most immediate needs.

 

In addition to expanded office space for our employees, we also hope to add a public information and reading room.   The reading room would serve as a research center for people interested in the Khmer Rouge tribunal and other topics related to human rights atrocities.  It would be equipped with desks, chairs, copies of our magazine and publications, and a collection of books and other materials relevant to the study of the tribunal and mass human rights abuses in general.  We also hope to include audio-visual equipment allowing visitors to view films by the DK regime, about the Khmer Rouge, or about other human rights atrocities.  DC-Cam staff members would be available to assist our visitors and copy documents of interest.  Encouraging public education and research is essential for our contribution to Cambodian society, both during and after the planned tribunal.

 

1.2.2    Need for a Fundraising Expert

 

A final major constraint relates to fundraising.  As demand for our work grows, we require additional resources.  We do not have any fundraising experts at DC-Cam and very much seek the assistance of a qualified fundraiser to help us meet our goals.  At present, several of our key staff members and international advisors devote considerable time to fundraising and reporting tasks.  That time would be better spent carrying out their normal work activities.  We have been discussing this matter with the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. State Department, and the American Ambassador to Cambodia.  We are hopeful that a qualified fundraising expert will soon be able to assist us.

 

1.2.3   Limited Translation Capacity

 

Translation capacity also remains a constraint on our work. DC-Cam employs many individuals with dual-language capability, but the volume of documents and other materials in the Center makes translation an enormous task.  Transcripts from the PA Project and many documents of historical (and potentially legal) importance also need to be translated.  Translation becomes more important as the Khmer Rouge tribunal approaches, since international personnel will need access to large amounts of English-language information.  Several employees at the Center already devote most of their time to translation, but we continue to require additional capacity.  We are currently exploring ways to address this constraint.  One way is to improve our translating speed and accuracy.  This quarter, we welcomed an in-house English language instructor from the United States, Joanna Munson, for a three-month advanced English training course and editing and research assistance. Staff members—including translators and others—devote time before and after work each day to improving their English language aptitude.

 

1.2.4    Security Issues

 

A final challenge to our work relates to security.  DC-Cam is currently at a moderate state of alert for potential security threats.  Since 1999, when the Khmer Rouge military and political organizations collapsed, our staff members have worked in a generally permissive security environment.  However, we remain mindful of the need to ensure our security.  We have received death threats and bomb threats from Khmer Rouge sources. Cambodian government officials have also warned us of non-specific threats made by Khmer Rouge officials.  Fortunately, the only direct attack on our facilities to date did not result in significant damage or injuries.  Nevertheless, we anticipate that the coming Khmer Rouge tribunal will add to our security challenges.  Former Khmer Rouge President Khieu Samphan publicly stated that indictments would lead to “retaliation.”  To address threats to our physical facilities and personnel, we began a comprehensive review of our security procedures this quarter.  We are now working to put measures in place that will help to mitigate future security threats.  

 

 

1.3       Lessons Learned from Program Adjustments

 

            Our progress, challenges, and adjustments this quarter have taught us we need to undertake a number of new initiatives to meet our objectives of promoting memory and justice.  The Khmer Rouge tribunal is approaching, and we need to undertake significant measures to ensure that we contribute as fully as possible to the accountability process.  During the coming year, we hope to embark on the following endeavors: 

 

1.3.1    Plans for a Permanent Center

 

With trials approaching, public interest in our work continues to grow.  However, as described above, space constraints continue to pose an organizational challenge.  In addition, space limits our ability to host visitors.  Therefore, we continue to plan for a permanent Center on our plot of land adjacent to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. This quarter, the Cambodian government issued a decree (called a “KRET”) giving DC-Cam official ownership to the land.  We have been actively soliciting funds for a permanent Center and will continue to do so.  This quarter, we engaged in promising discussions with representatives from the Swiss government.

 

1.3.2    Plans for a Legal Training Project

 

            In the coming year, we also intend to re-establish a Legal Training Project to educate Cambodians about the law and contribute to the development of a strong rule of law and democracy in the country.  More specifically, the project will help Cambodian leaders and ordinary citizens to understand the legal issues surrounding the Khmer Rouge tribunal.  Informing the public about the tribunal process—and its intention to try only former leaders and others deemed most responsible for the crimes of Democratic Kampuchea—will help to ensure that the forthcoming trials do not create political instability.  The highly publicized Khmer Rouge trials will afford a unique opportunity to educate Cambodians about the law.  The Legal Training Project seeks to ensure that this educational potential of the tribunal is fulfilled.

 

1.3.2(a)            Publishing an Educational Text

 

First, we plan to publish a short, soft-cover textbook that provides easily digestible information about human rights law and the upcoming Khmer Rouge tribunal.  The planned text will be written by lawyers specializing in international criminal law and edited by John D. Ciorciari, Esq., Wai Seng Senior Research Scholar at the University of Oxford.  The book will be approximately 100 pages in length and directed toward a general audience.  It will provide an introduction to international and Cambodian criminal law; a brief history of legal proceedings against Khmer Rouge officials; an overview of the planned tribunal; a sampling of available evidence against surviving Khmer Rouge leaders; and a discussion of the concepts of justice and reconciliation.  The book will also include some of the most relevant legal documents as appendices, including the KR Tribunal Law and draft UN-RGC Agreement.  It will be translated into Khmer and distributed through our normal channels.  DC-Cam will also endeavor to disseminate some of the material over the radio, helping to educate aged, young, or illiterate members of the population.

 

1.3.2(b)           Legal Training Course

 

If funding becomes available, we also hope to run a six-week legal training course in Phnom Penh for leading Cambodian educators, officials, and NGO employees.   This course would seek to build the legal knowledge and capacity of some of the most promising leaders of government, academia, and civil society in Cambodia.  Legal training represented part of our original organizational mandate, when DC-Cam was founded as an office of the CGP at Yale University.  It represents a crucial step in building a rule of law in Cambodia.  Our training courses in 1995 and 1996, run in cooperation with the Schell Center for International Human Rights at Yale Law School, were highly successful.  We received very positive feedback from our participants, many of whom now occupy extremely important positions in Cambodian society.  We have attempted to conduct further courses since 1997, but funding has been unavailable.  We hope to resume such training in 2004.  The planned course would include approximately 20 highly motivated and promising participants and would be led by DC-Cam’s international legal advisors.  They will work closely with Cambodian staff, headed by Dara P. Vanthan, to conduct training sessions. 

 

1.3.3    Plans to Support the Khmer Rouge Tribunal

 

            As the tribunal approaches, we are considering how we can best support the process.  DC-Cam is committed to providing impartial information to the special chambers, the investigating judges, the prosecutors, and defense attorneys.  We have already begun working on a set of proposed guidelines to ensure the security and accessibility of our documentary materials.  We are working with legal experts to make those guidelines as fair, transparent, and effective as possible.  Finally, we are engaged in discussions with other concerned NGOs. In a series of NGO meetings organized and hosted by the Open Society Institute, we have sought to determine the most useful roles that we can play.

 

            We are considering the possibility of opening a small Tribunal Support Office that will provide direct assistance to the court and attorneys.  Over the past several years, DC-Cam has developed considerable institutional expertise relating to the DK regime and the evidence of abuses perpetrated during that period.  Our support office would guide attorneys and investigators toward appropriate resources and help them to conduct field research, documentary analysis, and other legal and fact-finding tasks as needed.  Should the United Nations open an office for prosecutors near the U.N. headquarters in New York, we hope and intend to open a small support office in the United States staffed by one or more of our legal advisors and one or more Cambodian translators.  We would provide that office with copies of all necessary documents from our original collection in Phnom Penh.

 

1.3.4     Ongoing Staff Development

 

            Finally, in all of our endeavors, we have learned that staff training represents one of our wisest and most rewarding organizational investments.  Enhancing our skills in the legal area is particularly important at this stage.  Dara Vanthan, head of our Accountability Team, has received a scholarship to pursue the LL.M. degree at the Notre Dame Law School.  Sophearith Chuong of our Accountability Team will soon complete a six-month training course run by the International Center for Transitional Justice in South Africa.  As our organization has grown, management skills are also important.  This quarter, we were pleased to welcome Irene Sokha back to DC-Cam after she completed a business degree at the University of Melbourne.  She now heads our finance department and brings new expertise to the Center. Staff training, at home and abroad, makes DC-Cam more efficient with each passing quarter.

 

 

2.        PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

 

2.1       Human Rights Advocacy with the Cambodian Government

 

            During the second quarter of 2003, DC-Cam engaged daily in direct human rights advocacy with the Cambodian government. We continue to distribute many free copies of Searching for the Truth through local government officials in Phnom Penh and the provinces. Officials often serve as “lending libraries” in villages where our print run does not permit us to distribute our magazine to all interested readers.  Local government offices also serve as collection points for surveys that we distribute to readers of our magazine.  Suzannah Linton. Esq. Is now writing a report based on the responses to our National Reconciliation Surveys, which ask people about their views on justice, accountability, and reconciliation in the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge era.  Further, as noted above, we have begun reading articles from Searching for the Truth magazine on the radio.  By helping to educate the public about important matters of politics, history, and law, we hope to contribute to the development of greater democracy and a genuine rule of law in Cambodia.

 

            We also continued to work with the government during the second quarter of 2003 through direct educational presentations.   DC-Cam staff members presented seminars sharing their expertise in methodology at the Geography Department of the Royal University of Phnom Penh and School of Archeology.  In addition, we provided 300 copies of Searching for the Truth magazine to the Cambodian Red Cross for use at their June 23 workshop describing their work in addressing the effects of conflict in Cambodia.

 

            Finally, we work with Cambodian officials almost every day as part of the Research Project and Project to Promote Accountability.  Village, sub-district, and district authorities assist us in locating suitable interviewees.  In many areas, we have developed strong working relationships with local officials who understand our organizational missions and provide useful advice.  These relationships are underscored by ongoing support from the Ministry of Interior (MOI), which is helpful in providing for our security and facilitating our work with local officials. For example, the MOI has authorized and fully supported our new project on forensic analysis. The vast majority of our contacts with government officials continue to be cooperative.

 

 

2.2       DC-Cam in the Local and International Media

 

            For years, DC-Cam’s work has been covered frequently in the local and international print media, in addition to receiving coverage from radio and television programs.  In the second quarter of 2003, DC-Cam was again covered or quoted many times in the local and international news media, including the BBC.  Attention was particularly directed toward us as the draft agreement to try the Khmer Rouge was adopted by the UN General Assembly and was signed in Cambodia by Cambodia and UN.  Examples of recent articles discussing or presenting our work have included:

 

In addition to the Khmer version of the Cambodia Daily, numerous articles referring to our work regularly appear in other Khmer-language papers, such as Raksmey Kampuchea. We estimate that at least 70 articles in the international and domestic print media have referred to DC-Cam or quoted our Director or staff members during the second quarter of 2003. DC-Cam distributes many of the articles featuring our work via e-mail. We would be pleased to add any of our donors to our distribution list if it would be helpful in evaluating our progress.

 

 2.3        Analytical Papers and Briefing Reports

 

During the second quarter of 2003, DC-Cam produced a significant number of analytical reports and briefing papers for conferences, academic presentations, and publication.  As noted above, DC-Cam researchers have produced a number of completed papers or advanced manuscript drafts for publication through the Center’s Research Project in addition to the many articles produced for Searching for the Truth magazine. DC-Cam also prepared a monograph relating to a new project that DC-Cam is undertaking in collaboration with experts in psychology on the effects of the Pol Pot regime on survivors’ mental health.  Since April, DC-Cam staff members have made several presentations to university students and produced a number of analytical reports describing their work.

 

  Report Prepared by John D. Ciorciari, Dara P. Vanthan & Sorya Sim, July 2003