50th Anniversary of the Fall of Phnom Penh: A Memorial Ceremony for Peace

On November 29, 2025, community members, families, and supporters gathered at the Hiratsuka Art and Culture Hall for Acts of Memory 2025 – A Gathering for Remembrance and Peace. Organized by Alive in partnership with Rei Foundation Limited, the event marked the 50th anniversary of the fall of Phnom Penh and created a collective space to remember, reflect, and look toward a more compassionate future.

The evening opened with a moving series of testimonies from first-generation survivors, followed by excerpts of video interviews with their children and younger relatives. These perspectives revealed how the memories of the Khmer Rouge era continue to shape lives across generations, not only through the trauma of war and displacement, but also through the resilience, creativity, and enduring hope carried within families and communities. New connections and the rekindling of old connections throughout the community have also taken palce as a result of this interview project.

A candlelight remembrance invited participants to pause together and honor the countless lives lost. The quiet glow of candles filled the hall as attendees reflected on the stories they had heard and on the importance of preserving these memories before they fade with time.

The event also highlighted the launch of the Acts of Memory Japanese-language website, featuring video interviews of survivors with Cambodian roots in Japan, and the Japanese-language version of Bophana Center's Khmer Rouge History educational app, both of which aim to make testimony, history, and community knowledge widely accessible. These resources were presented as tools not only for learning, but for strengthening intergenerational dialogue, especially within Japan’s Cambodian diaspora, where younger generations often have few opportunities to hear their families' histories firsthand.

Acts of Memory 2025 offered more than a commemoration; it was a reminder of the power of storytelling and the importance of carrying forward the voices of those who lived through one of the most painful chapters in Cambodian history.

For the Acts of Memory Japanese-language website, see here: https://memory.bophana.com/memory?category=acts-of-memory-in-japan&lang=ja&note_text=&search=&sort=function%20sort%28%29%20%7B%20%5Bnative%20code%5D%20%7D

And for Bophana Center's Khmer Rouge history app (Android): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.bophana.history&hl=en_NZ