“Participations in this study tour is very important because it gives students a better understanding of the history, especially of the Pol Pot regime, which was the most brutal period." Said Soerng Sophoan.
Soerng Sophoan, a teacher in Sokha Phally High School in Chbar Morn Town, Kampong Speu province in the cooperation with the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), 21 September 2023, leads his 150 students to visit Win-Win Memorial and Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. ECCC’ Public Affair Section officer also delivered a presentation on the ECCC's legacy and residual works to group in the Win-Win Memorial premise.
Sophoan added that according to his observations, all the students, participated in this study tour, were very interested and learned a lot related with the history of the Khmer Rouge regime because they can see the situation and the evidence left behind the Khmer Rouge regime and listened to explanations of the presenters at each location.
Tam Thiya, a student from Sokha Phally High School who attended the study tour, said that she learns a lot about the brutal tortures and suffering of the Cambodian people during the Democratic Kampuchea regime, the sacrifice of the Cambodian government in the struggle to liberate the people from that brutal regime, and the trials on the Khmer Rouge Regime.
Similarly, Mr. Khom Mengty, a fellow student of Sokha Phally High School, stated that by participating in this study tour, he learned a lot about the setting up of the Win-Win policy of Samdech Techo Hun Sen in liberating the Cambodian people from suffering and difficulties under the Khmer Rouge regime by providing peace and development to Cambodia to this day.
The weekly ECCC outreach study tour is conducted for students, young people, and the public seeks to raise awareness about atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge regime. As more than 600,000 members of national and international public have taken part in outreach study tours since 2009 until present day, with the Public Affairs Section of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal coordinating them.
