The Documentation Center of Cambodia, a well known local group that documents and archives the history of the Khmer Rouge era, has asked the Khmer Rouge tribunal to “recognize formally” its contributions to the court.
In a February letter to ECCC chief administrators Tony Kranh and Knut Rosandhaug, DC-Cam Director Youk Chhang estimated the cost of services provided to the court by his organization at more than $300,000.
This includes the transfer of 500,000 pages of documents, 650 books, 1,955 CDs and DVDs, and 524 reels of microfilm, entailing “great expense of time and effort,” the letter said.
“To aid us in accurately reflecting our contribution to memory and justice in Cambodia and our support for your work, I would like to request that your office recognize formally DC-Cam’s contribution to the ECCC as an in-kind donor of documentary materials to the court,” the letter added.
The letter’s existence was first reported by Voice of America yesterday.
DC-Cam sent the letter out of a desire to be recognized for its exhaustive efforts to seek out and hand over evidence to the tribunal, Mr Chhang said yesterday.
“I just think it’s important for any court in the future—and even the court today—to realize that the success of the court also depends on local participation and civil society,” he said.
The letter does not specify how DC-Cam would like to be recognized, but Mr Chhang said there would be several acceptable options, including sending a letter of recognition or including the center on a list of donors.
Although the letter does not ask for monetary compensation, it does note that DC-Cam is seeking funding for the construction of a permanent documentation center.
Court spokesman Reach Sambath said he could not comment on the request pending a response from the ECCC’s legal team.
“They are working on it,” he said.
Mr Sambath also declined to comment on whether the court has a standard procedure for recognizing in-kind donors.
