National Archives of Cambodia,
Council of Ministers, Cambodia
Historical BackgroundThe National Archives was established during the French Protectorate period. During this period Cambodian life and government administration became more westernised as French influence grew stronger. As the French system of administration grew in strength so did the quantity of records it produced. It became apparent to French Administrators that an efficient and reliable Archives and Records management system had to be implemented and an archives repository constructed.
In Cambodia an order consisting of 13 articles was issued on 19 October 1911 by the Resident Superior of Cambodia (RSC) which set guidelines for the establishment of a central archives in Phnom Penh. However, despite the issuing of this order little was done to establish a National Archive or to deal with the growing records problem, until the arrival of Paul Boudet in 1917. In his report on the Archives of Cambodia he urged that the 1911 decree be honoured. An archives repository had not been built and archivist appointed. Records were still being kept on the third floor of the RSC building. Boudet also saw that books were being cared for in much the same manner as the archives and he recommended that a building for archives and a library be constructed.
As a result of Boudet's work two important regulations were passed on 29 November 1917 and 26 December 1918 which set the guide-lines for the classification and administration of the archives and for the recruiting and training of archivists in Indochina, which included Cambodia, Laos, Tonkin, Annam, and Cochinchina.
The five depositories established according to the decree were;
. Hanoi, the central depository
. Saigon, for the Cochinchinese government
. Huè, depository of the Residence Supérieure of
Annam. Phnom Penh, the depository of the Residence
Supérieure of Cambodia. Vientiane, the depository of the Residence
Supérieure of Laos
A National Archives and Library building was constructed and opened in Deember 1994 and on October 1926 the current Archives Repository was completed behind the National Library which also still stands there today.
The National Archives of Cambodia (NAC) was administered, until 1953, jointly with the National Library through the office of the Resident Superior who reported to the Governor General of Indochina, based in Hanoi. After Independence in 1953, when the Kingdom of Cambodia was established, the Archives and Library continued to be administered jointly. In 1970 the Kingdom of Cambodia became the Khmer Republic until 1975.
On 17 April 1975 the Khmer Rouge took control of Cambodia and immediately began evacuating Phnom Penh of its entire population. As is well documented over one million people died during the Pol Pot period between 1975 and 1979. Educated people were targeted and it appears no NAC staff survived. The NAC building, like most buildings in Phnom Penh, survived physically but its collection suffered considerably from neglect. Records were pushed from the shelves to make way for cooking implements and food. Records were strewn around the building, and some of them were used to light fires. The controlling mechanism, the catalogue cards, did not survive. The grounds of the NAC were used to keep pigs. Amazingly much of the holdings of the NAC did survive and following the ousting of the Khmer Rouge regime in 1979 the NAC reopened its doors in 1980.
But even though records in the NAC remained mostly intact records throughout the ministries were lost. It appears that very few documents from the 1960s and early 1970s remain.
Between 1980 and 1985, the NAC continued to be administered jointly with the National Library under the Ministry of Culture. In 1986, responsibilities for the operations of the NAC were transferred to the Cabinet of the Council of Ministers, under which it remains today.
The National Archives of Cambodia is currently a department of the Council of Ministers. The Archives Department is divided into the following sections;
There are 20 personnel working in the NAC. Ten of these staff work in the archives repository and the remainder in Administration and Technical Services situated in a different location.
Since 1995 staff have been receiving various levels of training in conservation, archives management, computer operation, database design, and English and French language.
The primary function of the NAC is to acquire and preserve records of the Royal Government of Cambodia which possess national and historic value. It also aims to serve the Government in research, and assist in establishing an efficient and systematic records management service, as stipulated in National Archives circulars.
Holdings of the National Archives
A detailed inventory of the holdings of the National Archives is being compiled. The majority of the material in the archives repository are records created by the former French Protectorate Administration. These include record series such as;
Records of Cambodian Government administration are not as numerous, but include a small quantity of material from the Sihanouk and Lon Nol regimes and records from the Pol Pot period, mainly dealing with commerce and trade with China. Also held are testimonies from survivors of the Pol Pot period, compiled during the 1979 Vietnamese-conducted trial of Pol Pot.
The NAC has attempted to persuade government ministries and agencies to send to the NAC any records created more than 10 years ago. The response has been poor, with many key ministries not depositing their archives with the NAC. However records created between 1979 and 1992 have been received from the Council of Ministers and staff are currently processing these documents.
A records survey conducted in 1997 showed that many ministries still hold documents from 1979 however, the majority are kept in poor conditions and lack inventories. Until additional repository space is created and archives legislation implemented these records will remain vulnerable to deliberate or accidental, mismanagement, destruction, or loss
Since 1995 the NAC has been on the road to redevelopment. Given that the NAC is a government department of the Council of Ministers and consequently its staff experience difficulties endemic in all ministries, i.e. they are underpaid and lack support, the progress of the NAC has been quite impressive. With the assistance of various donors and individuals the NAC has been able to make considerable progress in the classification, conservation, and public availability of its very valuable holdings.
However, there is no archives legislation in place which can be used to support its activities. Records from the Ministries are not being transferred to the archives, and in any case there is little space available to accept incoming records.
Professionally trained records management staff, implementing efficient records-management systems for the Royal Government of Cambodia has yet to be developed. Records management operates at a rudimentary level within ministries and is generally not seen by the higher levels of authority as being important to the functions of the organisation. Most ministries do not possess a records management office, nor do they have records management manuals, guidelines or regulations. There is little space or equipment available to store records in.
Records management in Cambodia has some inroads to make before it is in the position of having systematic control of recorded information from its creation to its final disposal At this stage, records staff only carry out basic functions.
Without clearly defined functions, supported by guidelines, legislation and trained staff, the NAC can do little to improve the current situation.
With funding from the Swiss and Australian Governments some funding has been made available to enable the NAC to purchase conservation supplies that can be used to repair and preserve maps, architecural plans, newspapers, and documents. Cornell University also provided a six month internship for one NAC staff member. She is the only staff member with any significant paper conservation training.
Plans are now under way to develop a National Microfilming Centre based at the NAC to preservation film documents.
TrainingA course for training archivists and records managers has yet to be designed and introduced in Cambodia. In house training is also not available. Some training of staff has been conducted overseas. Between July-December 1998 one staff member attended a six month preservation internship at Cornell University. In October 1995, a staff member attended a two month course on conservation and book repair and in October 1996 and October 1999 two staff members attended a 2 month course in archives and records management both conducted by the National Archives of Malaysia. In 1994, two staff, one from the Repository and the other from Technical Services, visited Australia to undertake a four week Archives Management Course. This course merely provided an introduction to archives management. During the 1980s under the Vietnamese supported government some staff received basic training by Vietnamese archivists.
Staff have also received training in database design and basic computer usage as well as English and French language lessons.
ConclusionCambodia is fortunate to have any archives remaining at all considering the years of international and internal strife that it has faced. Yet, although the archives have survived wars they cannot survive the attacks being made by the climate and insects. In Cambodia problems abound in all areas of archives and records management. The following problems may be considered as fundamental problems but are major obstacles in the plan for the redevelopment of the NAC.
Archives Legislation.
At this stage there is no archives legislation in place. A number of circulars to government ministries have been issued that provide advise on preparing records for deposit and requesting that non current records be deposited with the NAC. Recently the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Tourism and the Cabinet of the Council of Ministers have deposited a small quantity of records created between 1979-1985. However, this is far from sufficient and legislation must be enacted to ensure the integrity of records and compelling agencies to deposit their records with the NAC in specified periods of time.
Lack of Supplies and Funding
The funding for the NAC is very low and is sufficient only to purchase basic stationary and cleaning items. The lack of funding means that essential materials needed to carry out the core actovotoes of the NAC must be acquired from foreign donors and in house fund raising activities.
Storage Requirements
The Archives of Cambodia are now housed in a magnificent building, designed by the French specifically for the storage of archives. It was built in 1926 and together with its holdings acts as an ideal historical research center of the French Administration of Cambodia. Unfortunately, this great structure is in need of urgent repairs, not only to aid in the preservation of the archives but to improve the conditions under which the staff work
This building has reached full capacity and will not be able to house any more incoming archives. A new National Archives building needs to be built if the NAC is to encourage ministries to send their archives to the NAC repository. There is vacant land available on either side of the current repository for the construction of a new repository with storage space for approximately 12 linear kilometres of records. A new repository is a major priority if ministries are going to be compelled to send their non-current records to the NAC.
Records ManagementRecords management in Cambodia suffers the same problems as the archives. No legislation is in place that protects records, staff do not have the expertise or equipment to implement efficient records management, and this in turn affects the operation of the NAC. The NAC is unable to establish standards of good management with respect to the creation, organisation, maintenance, and retirement of the current records of the Government. This in turn effects efficient administration and ultimately the transfer of records to the custody of the National Archives.
ConservationSince 1995 the NAC has made significant progress in improving the condition under which records are kept. Birds and their nests have been eradicated from the NAC. Documents now are all boxed and shelved. Regular cleaning of the interior is carried out. Staff supervise clients more closely to ensure proper handling of documents. There is now a small conservation room where trained staff carry out basic conservation repair work on maps, plans, posters, newspapers, and other documents.
Plans are under way to develop a National Microfilming Centre to be run by the NAC.
Future PlansThe process of appraising, arranging, and describing the holdings of the National Archives will be a lengthy process which will require continued foreign assistance. The problem of archives in Cambodia is not confined only to the records held in the NAC repository. Throughout government departments records are piling up behind doors, on top of cupboards, and on balconies
Plans are being made to lay the foundations for a program of long term redevelopment. The NAC will attempt to establish relations with Archives institutions in France Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Australia and other countries that we will look towards for advice, expertise, and material assistance. The NAC also hopes, with the assistance of our neighbours, to become a member of the Southeast Asian regional body of the ICA (SARBICA). It also looks to organisations such as UNESCO for long term assistance.
The program currently being developed involves: