I hope that the Ministry of National Defence will collect all possible circumstantial evidence, not only to comply with the law but also for the sake of policy objectives in ensuring the truth about what has happened and is happening along the border. It must guarantee that such evidence is not distorted, erased or destroyed by any party through illegal actions.
This must go beyond interviewing people or compiling and documenting evidence. Evidence collection includes preserving crime scenes and any locations that have been affected by illegal activities. Certain specific locations in Preah Vihear province, such as historical military areas, provide an opportunity for the Royal Government to transform these sites into a Preah Vihear Peace Centre or memorial shrine.
This peace centre or shrine would honour and serve as a dedicated site to remember the heroic soldiers who sacrificed their lives during Thailand’s recent invasion. Cambodia could use the opportunity of an annual commemoration of our ancestors, such as the Pchum Ben festival, to remember the fallen soldiers who are no longer with us.
Whatever we do, the evidence of those events must be preserved.
Chhang Youk is the director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam). The views and opinions expressed are his own.
