The Cambodia Closure Initiative, led by the University of Hawaii-Manoa and the UCLA Center for Archaeological Research and Recovery in collaboration with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), is an innovative archaeological program designed to address the ongoing search for missing U.S. service members in Southeast Asia. This initiative aims to combine the scientific rigor of archaeology with the deeply human goal of providing closure to families of those who remain unaccounted for from past conflicts.
Scheduled to take place in Siem Reap, Cambodia and Ifugao, Philippines, the field training component offers a unique opportunity for Southeast Asian archaeologists to acquire advanced and innovative field and laboratory skills. By engaging in excavation, recovery, and forensic analysis, participants will advance their expertise in modern archaeological methods. The initiative also serves as a venue for collaboration across state boundaries, promoting regional and international partnerships that will strengthen heritage management and recovery efforts.
The Cambodia Closure Initiative emphasizes ethical practices, cultural sensitivity, and collaboration with local communities and governments, ensuring that recovery efforts respect both historical contexts and contemporary heritage. This partnership not only supports DPAA’s mission of recovering missing personnel but also contributes to building long-term capacity in the region’s archaeological community.
By merging archaeology, humanitarian efforts, and international collaboration, the Cambodia Closure Initiative demonstrates the power of research and recovery in healing historical wounds while advancing archaeological practices across borders.
CCI Team
Miriam Stark
Principal Investigator
Miriam Stark is a Professor of Anthropology at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa and PI for the Cambodian Closure Initiative. She specializes in the archaeology of state formation, political economy, and urbanism. Her work is central to capacity-building in Cambodian archaeology, and she is committed to building partnerships that advance academic research and applied archaeology across Southeast Asia.