I realized that I haven’t posted about what I’m doing this summer professionally. So I’m making amends and writing about my field work a couple of weeks ago – a topic I think, and hope you will find, is infinitely more interesting as it combines information about my job as well as my travel musings. And who won’t want to hear about my job?
As part of my work with the Documentation Center of Cambodia (“DC-Cam”), a NGO that initially started by collecting documents about the Democratic Kampuchea (DK), more popularly known as the Khmer Rouge (KR), I’m conducting interviews with former KR cadres. I’m doing this work because one of DC-Cam’s roles, as it has evolved, is to provide the UN-created hybrid tribunal, the Extraordinary Chambers of Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) with legal research.
This summer, I’m working with DC-Cam’s Legal Response Team on a legal issue relevant to the prosecution of the Khmer Rouge. My research project is incredibly interesting thus far; I’m looking at a novel issue that I don’t believe has ever been prosecuted before in this context. If I can make an argument and the prosecutors agree, this issue might be prosecuted. This is what fascinates me about international human rights law – the fact that it is constantly developing and emerging as a way to bring about justice.
But back to the topic at hand, this past week found me out in the field, in the provinces specifically, not only interviewing former KR leaders but also seeing how most Cambodians live. While a great deal of the population lives in Phnom Penh, the capital city, the majority of Cambodians reside in the countryside.
The countryside is its own world. As you’re driving down the national highways, there are turnoffs on dirt roads. These dirt roads stretch for miles, surrounded on each side by endless rice paddies. Every once in a while, there is a house built on stilts, someone riding a tractor, or a water buffalo. The countryside is one of the most serene places I have traveled to in Cambodia. There is very little litter on the roads and generally, a quieter pace.
dirt roads
house on stilts
It is also quite rural. During one of the interviews, the former Khmer Rouge cadre we were interviewing was just returning from a day in the fields and his home did not have any electricity. I was doing my interview by flashlight until a neighbor brought by a car battery, which was used to generate electricity for the lights and also the TV.
Outside of looking at rice paddies, my field work included a lot of sitting in the SUV, asking for directions and looking for old people. The former because there are no markers to indicate which village or commune we are in; the latter because we had a list of people we wanted to interview, but many were either herding their cows or had passed away. As such, we were stuck asking older people if they had any exposure to the Khmer Rouge or served any role related to the research project.
rice paddies
During most of the interviews, we ended up being surrounded by people staring at us. Kids in particular were fascinated by us. It is always nice to be the center of attention. :)
kids
