Beyond Silent Suffering and Trauma Half a World Away: Participation of Cambodian Diaspora Genocide Survivors in the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia
Beyond Silent Suffering and Trauma Half a World Away: Participation of Cambodian Diaspora Genocide Survivors in the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia
Volume 4 Number 1, Spring 2013 pp. 56-79(24)
Research Article
2013/3/1
Nou, Leakhena
Recent media coverage of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal (formally known as the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia [the ECCC]) is a reminder that the impact of Cambodia's genocide—more than thirty years ago—on Cambodians' individual and social health is far from over. The ECCC has taken novel steps to incorporate victim participation into their tribunal, but they have failed by omitting an important category of survivors: the diaspora. One organization augmenting the outreach efforts of the ECCC and giving voice to the overseas survivors is the Cambodian Diaspora Victims' Participation Project (CDVPP), launched in 2009, which takes a medical-sociological approach to engaging victim-survivors in the judicial process. This article evaluates the benefits of participation of the Cambodian American diaspora victim-survivors in the ECCC, both in terms of their potential to achieve personal healing and their role as social agents in the judicial process, as they pursue justice and reconciliation. The article also evaluates the effectiveness of the CDVPP in promoting the participation of these victims.
To download, please enter the password "apw2010" on the next screen.