Phorn Sokna, a 12th grader in Preah Bat Suramarit High School student in the Kampong Chnang province, said she is genuinely feeling saddened by the memory of how the Khmer Rouge treated Cambodians under the Democratic Kampuchea Regime.
According to research and what my mother and grandma taught me, the Khmer Rouge were extremely cruel, and I genuinely feel sorry for the victims of the Khmer Rouge Regime, Sokna said.
Sokna further stated that as a member of the younger generation who was born after the murderous rule, she opposed its reappearance in Cambodia. Sokna believes that in order to prevent the terrible government, all young people must fully know and understand Cambodia's history. "For me, I believe that our people need to know their history to understand and recall the suffering."
Sokna's classmate, Piseth Monica, agreed that the Khmer Rouge government was ruthless. Yes, the Khmer Rouge teacher was extremely cruel since he mistreated defenseless Khmers.
The younger generation "must strive to learn history and control their emotions and will remember the bitter past of our Cambodian brothers and sisters," Monica continued, "in order to prevent the outbreak of a brutal regime like the Khmer Rouge."
The aforementioned held while the students and their 220 high school mates from Preah Bat Suramarit High School, Kampong Chhnang province touring the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in the morning of July 19, 2023, organized by the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC). During the tour, all students also received a presentation from an official of the Khmer Rouge tribunal on the trial process and the achievements of the trial on former senior leaders of the Khmer Rouge regime before starting their tour to the Win Win Memorial.
To encourage remembering and involvement in efforts to stop atrocities like the Khmer Rouge regime, ECCC arranges weekly study excursions for students, youth, and the public.
More than 600,000 members of the local and international public have taken part in the study trip since it began up until 2023, with the Public Affairs Section of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Court of Cambodia coordinating it.
