Genocide Memorial Ceremony on 20th Jan

I know what they are waiting for.

Near Tuol Sleng

He is looking at his watch and realizes how long he has waited.

Heyya! I’m quite stiff.

The delegation group comes as well as Ms. Theary Seng.
Ms. Theary Seng & Mia Farrow

I am a curious person, I know this. That made me brave but also quite careless. Whatever, I made it at the genocide memorial ceremony held on 20 January at Tuol Sleng Museum and honorably participated by :

Mia Farrow, actor and human rights activist who has travelled to the Darfur region 7 times

Van Nath, Khmer survivor and artist at the Toul Sleng prison

Jill Savitt, Director of Dream for Darfur, which runs the Olympic Dream for Darfur campaign

Theary Seng, Khmer survivor, author, Executive Director of the Center for Social Development

Omer Ismael, Sudanese from Darfur and human rights advocate

Freddy Mutanguha, Rwandan survivor and director of the Kigali Memorial Center

Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli, US Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia

Around 9 o’clock, I and my friend on our bike went to Tuol Sleng to see what happened. A lot of people including foriegners and Cambodians with a determined look on their faces were waiting patiently in front of the blockade. Every entrace to Tuol Sleng Museum was blocked by the police.

I do not understand why they were banned from going and leaving white lotus flowers to the Tuol Sleng Museum on the genocide-memorial day! It’s not a political thing but just a day to share our concerns and worry to all the genocide survivors and victims. Of course, many people in Cambodia do not know what is happening in Darfur, Sudan. They do not know that those Sudanese are sharing the Cambodian’s recurring nightmares. What a pity!