Ysa Osman to speak

This is the man I thought was coming to our class. A great opportunity to hear him. I'm going to try to get there (late) (after Spanish).

The Center for Southeast Asian Studies Brown Bag Series Presents

Cambodian Cham Muslim during the Khmer Rouge Regime, 1975-1979

A talk by
Ysa Osman

Friday, March 17
12:00-1:30 p.m.
Tokioka Room
University of Hawaii at Manoa

Oukoubah is an Arabic word meaning "justice." This book explores the genocide of the Cham ethnic group, making a case that the Cham, who are Muslim, were killed at a rate that was double to nearly triple that of the general population. The author provides evidence showing that the Cham comprised 10% of Cambodia's population (roughly 700,000 people) before 1975, but numbered only 200,000 after the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime in 1979.

Mr. Ysa Osman presents case studies of 13 Cham prisoners at the infamous Tuol Sleng Prison, known to the Khmer Rouge as "Office S-21." The prisoners included seven Khmer Rouge soldiers, two Khmer Republic Government officials, a student, a fisherman, a Khmer Rouge interrogator at S-21, and a peasant who fled the regime. All were taken from S-21 to the "killing fields" of Choeung Ek and executed.

Oukoubah is based on 11 field trips to Kandal, Kampong Cham, Kratie, Kampong Chhnang, Kampot, and Koh Kong provinces, Krong Preah Sihanouk and Phnom Penh, where the author interviewed 207 people. The book's finding are also based on an extensive review of primary and secondary documents.

Ysa Osman is a Researcher at the Documentation Center of Cambodia.

This lecture is presented by the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, University of Hawai`i-Mànoa. For more information, including building access for the handicapped, please call 956-2688.

Dr. Chhany Sak-Humphry
Assistant Professor
Coordinator, Khmer Language Program
University of Hawaii, Manoa
Department of HIPLL
Spalding Hall, Room 255
Phone: (808) 956-8070; Fax: (808) 956-5978
Cell Phone: (808) 561-6850
E-mail: sak@hawaii.edu
Website: www.hawaii.edu/khmer