Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Quick update on Sihonouk's Death

I wanted to add a quick note I didn't get to on the last Pol-Pot related post; it seemed appropriate on the occasion of Sihonouk's death.  Why has the been so little reconciliation with the past in Cambodia?  Nothing like Germany's (or at least West Germany's) confrontation of it's recent history, or any sort of truth and reconciliation commission.  One reason could be that nobody with power has any incentive.  Few involved in this period come off well, and few currently close to power would have their reputations enhanced by an examination of their roles.  Hun Sen was a former Khmer Rouge who outmaneuvered his former mentor.  Those who benefited from the Vietnamese invasion have no interest in drawing attention to the fact, and of course Sihounouk himself had a close, if complicated relationship the the Khmer Rouge.  I expect that after a generation or so of peace, if Cambodia becomes a more stable and prosperous place in a generation or two, there might be a re-emergence of interest in this part of its history.  For now, even as it takes on a semi-mythological status for much of the country's young population, for those currently close to power, the Khmer Rouge era is still to close, and the relationship to that period too ambiguous.

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