Cambodian children are to be taught about Pol Pot’s brutal regime nearly 30 years after the dictator swept into power.

history books focusing on one of the bloodiest phases in the country’s history are being introduced into the nation’s schools.

The books have been produced with government backing and are targeted at older students. They will, for the first time, provide material on the Khmer Rouge regime, which was responsible for nearly two million deaths during its four-year rule.

“Until now, children have only heard about the Khmer Rouge in the stories told by their parents,” said Youk Chhang, director of the Documentation Centre of Cambodia, who has spent seven years compiling evidence of the genocide and helped produce the books.

“Without additional learning tools, children can become mirrors of their parents. We must learn to ask questions about our history.”

The books come at a crucial time. Earlier this year, the United Nations backed out of plans to establish an international tribunal to try surviving Khmer Rouge leaders. While the documentation centre has compiled a million documents and surveyed 18,975 mass graves, all but two former Khmer Rouge leaders remain at large.

Despite statements supporting efforts to bring the perpetrators of the genocide to justice, prime minister Hun Sen’s government is unlikely ever to make the legal reforms needed to bring the UN back to the negotiating table.

Many Cambodians have lost faith in the justice system, which receives only 0.4 per cent of the nation’s annual budget and is riddled with corruption. However, community-based education projects, specifically in former Khmer Rouge strongholds, have done much to help schools.

“The overall picture of Cambodia is bleak, but the changes to be optimistic about are taking place in the villages, in the markets and in the classrooms,” said Balakrishnan Rajagopal, director of the programme on human rights and justice at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a former UN human rights office director in Cambodia.

“The history books are one such example. Although small, these changes are significant. The west is inclined to look at countries like Cambodia and simply write them off as ‘failed states’ but improvements can be made from the bottom up.”

Research has yet to be conducted on how well the books have been received. But after years working on the project, those involved are confident that they will play a part in building a hopeful future out of a troubled past.

“There is a lot of ignorance,” said Chhang. “Many of today’s children can’t believe it happened. They cannot accept that children killed their parents in their own country.

“Without a better understanding of what really went on, we will continue to point fingers at each other and at the international community. Ignorance promotes a culture of blame. We hope the books can undo some of that.”