The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) recently organised a study tour for 150 students from Sok An Sou Pheak Naram Secondary School in Takeo province’s Prey Kabbas district. The field visit led them to the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum and the Win Win Memorial.

This initiative aimed to deepen their understanding of Cambodia's harrowing history during the genocidal Democratic Kampuchea (DK) regime. By engaging with this past, they would also come to recognise their role in ensuring such atrocities, like those committed by the Khmer Rouge, never happen again, said the ECCC.

The Chamber shed light on this endeavour in an August 17 social media post. During the visit to the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum, the students were greeted by a Public Affairs Officer from the Khmer Rouge Tribunal who shared insights on the ECCC’s accomplishments through their trials and discussed the ongoing work of the Chamber.

Following this, they moved on to the Win Win Memorial, located on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, to delve into its history. The ECCC expressed hope that by the end of their visit, the students would be equipped with a thorough understanding spanning the trials conducted by the Chamber, the gruesome tortures and massacres endured by Cambodians under the DK regime, and the valiant efforts of the government in freeing the nation from this genocidal grip.

The ECCC's outreach study tour takes place weekly. Coordinated and spearheaded by the Public Affairs Section, it is tailored for the education and awareness of students, young people, and the broader public. Their main goal is to shine a spotlight on the unspeakable acts committed under the Khmer Rouge reign of terror. To date, more than 500,000 people from around the globe have participated in these study tours since their inception in 2009. Each one coordinated meticulously by the Public Affairs Section.

Separately, senior ECCC officials recently met with Suzanne Gentges, director of the Civil Peace Service (CPS) programme – a global initiative commissioned by Germany’s foreign ministry and led by its development agency GIZ for the prevention of violence and peacebuilding in crisis- and conflict-affected regions – to discuss potential collaboration between the ECCC and CPS.

Gentges, along with her delegation, were welcomed by ECCC acting director of administration Tony Kranh, deputy director of administration Knut Rosandhaug and ECCC senior management officer Thaung Socheat.