"I believe (that) the Khmer Rouge regime was very cruel; they forced everyone including children to work overtime, only porridge provided, and only black clothes provided, and so on. If anyone stole any of their belongings, they could be prosecuted.” Said Lay Tek Kheang.
Lay Tek Kheang, an 11th grade student in Mohamangkul Hun Sen Mahasiek High School in Koh Sotin district, accompanied his high school classmates to participated in a study tour organized by the Khmer Rouge tribunal.
The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), June 22, 2023, organized a study tour for 170 high school students from Kohsotin district, Kampong Cham province, to visit Win Win Memorial, Cheong Ek Genocide Center, and Toul Sleng Genocide Museum.
During the visit, Tek Kheang said that although he was not born before the Democratic Kampuchea regime, he knew very well that the regime was very cruel. The 11th grader added that he learned some of this story from the regime through social media and especially from old people in his village.
For Kek Kheang, to prevent the atrocities, the younger generation must study the history of Democratic Kampuchea clearly and participate in avoiding such atrocities.
ECCC organizes weekly study tours for students, youth, and the public to promote remembrance and participation in preventing the return of the atrocities such as the Khmer Rouge regime.
Since the beginning to 2023, more than half a million national and international public have participated in the study tour under the coordination of the Public Affairs Section of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Court of Cambodia.
