Photos by Chhum Ra/Documentation Center of Cambodia Archives Report by Sopheak Pheana

Understanding the importance of history learning, 47 curious students from Hun Sen Memot grabbing their time to join an informal history classroom at Koh Thma Documentation Center, on August 17, 2023. The classroom concentrated around the Democratic Kampuchea (DK) history and its foreign relations. To provoke thoughts and active participation from the students, the class mainly employed the student-center technique throughout the session. The class start off with a brief tour explaining by Long Dany, Director of Koh Thma Documentation Center, on the historical exhibition displayed at the center, consisted of the photographs from pre, during and after Khmer Rouge regime. After listening to photo exhibition explanation, the students have viewed a short video on “Marching Toward National Salvation”. Prior to the class started, the students were asked to fill in a pre-classroom survey to measure their knowledge before attending the class. The class set up into two different sessions, lectured by Sopheak Pheana, a general overview of DK History and DK’s foreign relations. In between the sessions, students were allowed to pose any questions they have. The students have actively asked the points which they have doubted, and all questions have been addressed by both the team. Finally, the class ended with the discussion on the Democratic Kampuchea’s relations with the foreign players during that time. To measure the knowledge gained from the class, the students were asked to fill in a post-classroom survey. Also, prior to leaving, the students also attended a chance to visit the historical site, i.e. X16 and receive the new publication – “Witness to History” of the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam). Students' impression on the forum: Han Sophai, 18 years old, a grade 12 student from Bun Rany Hun Sen Memot, has expressed that he was so delighted and excited as it was his first-time visiting Koh Thma Documentation Center. “I have obtained new knowledge, outside the classroom setting,” he added. He stated that the forum was an extraordinary opportunity for him. He shared what he has learned as following: 1) Gaining knowledge from the photo and painting exhibition, displayed on the center’s walls 2) Obtaining the knowledge regarding Samndech Hun Sen’s journey toward national salvation 3) Understanding deeper on the relations between Democratic Kampuchea and People’s Republic of China (PRC). “Lastly, I wish to attend such event again in the future,” Sophai said. “My name is Daung Kimlan, 17 years old. I am an eleventh grader at Bun Rany Hun Sen Memot High School. I am impressed about this forum as it granting me a chance to learn about the war and Khmer Rouge era, particularly the Democratic Kampuchea. I have learned about this chapter previously in school, but now I have stood a chance to absorb new knowledge in the form of video and photo as well as the testimony from survivors from the Khmer Rouge regime. I request to have such forum more in the future as it acts as a learning platform for me and other researchers.”