The Voices of Survivors

I know its six months away but looking forward to January 2007, there's a Conference scheduled to take place in Phnom Penh, by which time the tribunal for leading figures in the Khmer Rouge will have taken on more substance and shape. The Conference, to be held under the auspices of Henri Locard of the Royal University of Phnom Penh and the Centre for Social Development, will be called 'The Voices of Survivors and Analysts of Democratic Kampuchea.' Its earmarked for January 18-20, 2007 and should attract a lot of national and international attention.

The list of invited speakers includes such distinquished authors as Loung Ung (First They Killed My Father, Lucky Child), Chanrithy Him (When Broken Glass Floats), Theary Seng (Daughter of the Killing Fields; pictured), Ly Y (Heaven Becomes Hell), as well as award-winning film director Rithy Panh (Site 2, Bophana, Rice People, Land of Wandering Souls, S-21) and animator and cartoonist Bun Heang Ung (Murderous Revolution). The Conference may well coincide with my next visit to Cambodia - if it does I'll move mountains to attend.