Khmer Legacy Museum Opens June 25 in Minnesota

The Khmer Legacy® Museum will hold a series of opening events June 23-25 at its new space in St Paul, Minnesota. The Museum hopes to express 2500 years of Cambodian history and culture through video, art, and text.

The idea for the museum originated in April 2012 after the Khmer people and Khmer veterans received recognition via resolutions MN Senate File 2314 and MN House File 2629 “memorializing Congress and the President of the United States, and legislatures from others states to formally recognize the Khmer Freedom Fighters of Cambodia for supporting and defending the United States military forces during the conflict in Southeast Asian and their continued support and defense of the United States of America and all other free nations of the world.” The Resolution urged all state legislatures to also recognize the Khmer Freedom Fighters and Cambodians “for their support and defense of the United States military forces, freedom, and democracy in Southeast Asia.” The passage of these bills inspired the same group to advocate in 2014 for S. Res 462 in the U.S. Senate, which included the Hmong, Lao, and Mongtaignard people. Florida Senator Marco Rubio was the resolution's sponsor.

The International Khmer Assembly ( IKARE ) felt that the unique journey of heroes of the Khmer peoples needed to be told and preserved. It is important for the younger generation to know that there is more to Cambodia than the genocide of the killing fields so that they will understand their true cultural roots.

"Up 'til now the world only knows Cambodia as home of the Killing Fields. We want the world to know that while Cambodia had lost 41 years of leaping development, the Khmer people had 2500 years of greatness," said Kosol Sek, Chairman of the International Khmer Assembly. "We created the Khmer Legacy Museum to tell stories of the Khmer people's greatness."

The museum is a first step to enhance public understanding of the full story of the Cambodian people.

The International Khmer Assembly (IKARE) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a mission to protect, preserve, and promote stories and contributions of the Khmer people to the world. Khmer Legacy® is a registered mark of the International Khmer Assembly.