9th Grade Cambodia Research Paper

The term genocide is used to describe the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular nation or ethnic group. (Oxford Dictionary) The Khmer Rouge overworked and starved the entire population by mandating they triple the production of rice while also depriving them of rest, communication, food, and proper medicine. They would also arrest, torture, and execute the country’s intellectuals and those of foreign decent in creating their perfect agrarian society. Homosexuals, religious leaders, and those lacking in agricultural ability were also labeled as the enemy. In four years, the Khmer Rouge caused the deaths of nearly a quarter of Cambodia’s population and scarred its survivors. For four years, the Khmer Rouge, founders of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, led by Pol Pot (a.k.a. Saloth Sar), gained control over Cambodia in a coup d’etat and declared the beginning of Year Zero, their attempt to reset the country and create an agrarian society. Official government forces led by Lon Nol succumbed to the Khmer Rouge at the end of the Cambodian Civil War. (KWR) Though the war had just ended, the Cambodians would soon face one of the bloodiest genocides in history. In their plan to create Year Zero, entire cities were evacuated, and the population was sent to work in labour farms. Many families would be separated, never to see each other again. (KRWBS) It was difficult to trust anybody within camps; not even former neighbors, friends, and family. Many uneducated Cambodians were encouraged to hunt down potential traitors within the killing fields. They were told to obey and believe only in Angka. Torture, starvation, and exhaustion played a large role in the number of deaths. In these four years, from 1975 to 1979, nearly 2 million Cambodians were killed at the hands of the Khmer Rouge. In such a short amount of time, nearly a quarter of the population was obliterated along with their pride. (KWR)
Political instability within Cambodia finally erupted into a Civil War from 1970-1975. The Democratic Kampuchea had recently gained popularity over recent years, appealing especially with the poor. The Khmer Rouge and its allies fought against the government forces of Cambodia. In order to gain an upper hand against its own enemy, North Vietnam, the United States supported the Cambodian government, mainly through the use of massive U.S. bombings and direct financial aids. (CCWW) However, it is argued that the U.S. may have unintentionally provoked many Cambodian citizens into joining the Khmer Rouge. In 1975, the government forces of Cambodia are forced to surrender with the capture of Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital. Lon Nol, Prime Minister of the old regime, was forced under house arrest. Pol Pot, in the following year, replaced Lon Nol as the Prime Minister of Cambodia and would then execute his plan to create “Year Zero” within Cambodia, to reset Cambodia culture. (KRWBS) As fast and efficiently as possible, Pol Pot wanted to create a classless, agrarian society, while skipping many of the intermediate steps of creating a communism. (CCWW)
Pol Pot qualified for a scholarship to go to school in Paris where he studied radio electronics from 1949 to 1953. Pol Pot most likely acquired his Communist idealism during his time in France, where he became influenced by the ideas of Karl Marx and Lenin. The French Communists attracted many Cambodian scholars, including Pol Pot. In 1953, Pol Pot joins the Indochina Communist Party. After failing his exams for three successive years, Pol Pot finally returned to Cambodia. Years later, in 1960, Pol Pot became an important figure in Cambodia’s own communist party and began raising a guerrilla army in agricultural regions of the country. (PPWBS)
With the fall of Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital, the old regime crumbled and the country fell into the hands of the Khmer Rouge. The Khmer people rejoiced and celebrated the end of the war, not really concerned with which side had won. They were just glad the fighting was over and were ready to support the new government and rebuild Cambodia. Nobody suspected the Khmer Rouge’s true intentions. In just a few short hours, the Khmer Rouge ordered the full evacuation of the entire city of Phnom Penh, warning the population of the threat of an imaginary U.S. bombing. (KRW) Taking advantage of their ignorance, the soldiers assured their return home in only a few days. No one was left behind; everyone, including the elderly and sick, was forced to make the journey. As a result, many died along the way. They would be sent to work in labour farms. Many never returned home.
The Khmer Rouge’s goal was to reset the country, to make everyone productive in agriculture. The genocide mainly targeted the weak who were unable to produce the unreasonable amounts of rice expected by the Khmer Rouge. Pol Pot believed that Western ideas corrupted Cambodia. (KRW) Richer men and women would no longer take advantage of the poor. In order to protect the new government system, Pol Pot and his soldiers executed government officials of the old regime. The police, teachers, scholars, doctors, and other popular figures were some of the first to be killed. Simply by wearing glasses, a person would be marked literate and hence, be killed. The old family structure was torn apart. Families were separated from one another by forcing men, women, and children to work in separate camps. They brainwashed the children into believing that the Khmer Rouge’s ideals were good. Spies within camps made trusting one another difficult. Soldiers were made from uneducated Cambodians and children, transforming them into the Khmer Rouge’s killing machines, trained to be able to torture and kill fellow kinsmen without remorse. (S21)They tried to eliminate all traces of Cambodian culture before Year Zero. Religion and old Cambodian beliefs and traditions became outlawed.
The Tuol Sleng prison camp became the most infamous among all others. The former high school known as the Chao Ponhea Yat was transformed into holding cells where many innocent victims of the Khmer Rouge would suffer torture until they were finally forced to “confess” their crimes and list the names of other “spies” working in rice fields to be interrogated. Out of the 17,000 estimated prisoners, only seven are known to have survived. Today, the prison camp survives as a museum/memorial honoring the victims of the Khmer Rouge.(TSGMW)
Upon arrival, prisoners had to give a detailed autobiography of their lives before taken to their cells and be stripped down to their underwear. From that point on, life for the prisoners became a living hell. Guards made sure the prisoners could not commit suicide. They would be fed only four teaspoons of rice porridge each day, and every action had to be approved by a guard. Prisoners were not allowed to converse with one another. They were dealt regular beatings and suffered through devastating torture. Whips, chains, knives, electricity, and water were commonly used in their techniques. Each day, health conditions within the confinements of tiny prison cells only worsen. Poorly trained doctors kept prisoners from dying to quickly. Most prisoners would be kept alive for 2-3 months before finally putting them out of their misery. They would be taken miles away from the school as burial spaces quickly ran out. Prisoners were not even worth the use of ammunition as they were treated inferior to animals. Years later, it is discovered that a vast majority of the prisoners in Tuol Sleng were innocent of the charges placed against them. (S21: The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine)
The killing fields in Cambodia carries a history as one of the worst examples of genocide. As the men, women, and children are separated from one another, weaker Cambodians who could not handle the work would begin to die off. (CGPY) Showing any sign of weakness or hatred towards the government would result in an execution. Often times, people would be taken away by soldiers, never to be seen again. They are fed only enough to keep them alive. People are exhausted and die from malnutrition and disease. The men and women are constantly abused. Beatings would be dealt to almost everyone. The men in charge cleverly crushed any hope of rebellion by making it nearly impossible to trust anyone. They grew so much rice, yet they weren't allowed to eat.
In her book, First They Killed My Father: a Daughter of Cambodia Remembers, Loung Ung shares her story living in the camps with the rest of the world. Born into a middle class family in the city, she, along with her family, was transported to the countryside and forced to work. Her father was never to be seen again. She loses Keav, a beloved older sister and was separated from her mother. She was only five at the time. After the invasion, she was lucky to find that the rest of her siblings had survived and she was able to reunite the family. Children of Cambodia’s Killing Fields, compiled by Dith Sar tells stories of several Cambodian and the sufferings they each went through. They talk about the pain of losing loved ones and what it feels to work under the Khmer Rouge. Each experience is different, however, none of them had a positive side to their story. They are each scarred by the memories of their experiences.
Hypocritically, the same members of the Khmer Rouge trying to reset Cambodian civilization are enjoying western technologies and benefits. They didn’t all follow the rules the Khmer Rouge imposed. They drove cars, celebrated parties, had western medicine, and ate as much as they wanted. The leaders of the Democratic Kampuchea are extremely corrupt and their habits completely go against everything they try to promote. The lives of nearly 2 million Cambodians are sacrificed to satisfy the Khmer Rouge’s greed. By banning religion (PPWBS), the Pol Pot and other leaders put themselves in a position even higher than God.
During the final days of Pol Pot’s reign of terror, Pol Pot, fearing an attack from its major enemy, Vietnam, turned to China for support. Likewise, the Vietnamese received assistance from the Soviet Union, one of China’s major competitors. (CVWW) The treaty forged between Laos and Vietnam was interpreted as flagrant aggression against the Khmer Rouge. For the first time, in September, 1977, Pol Pot made it clear to the world that Cambodia was run by communism. He later met Hua Guofeng, leader of China, to discuss his next plan of action. Despite his warning to avoid war against the Vietnamese, a full-scale invasion against Cambodia was inevitable when Vietnam misinterpreted the meeting to be about increasing military support from the Chinese. When the Vietnamese invaded Cambodia in December, 1977, they quickly discovered they could quickly capture Phnom Penh. In January, 1978, the Khmer Rouge is defeated and forced to retreat into the western wilderness. The People’s Republic of Kampuchea replaced the Khmer Rouge and Hun Sen became the new prime minister of Cambodia. (Carvin)
Pol Pot died in a jungle hut on April 15, 1998. After all this time, Pol Pot had never been put on trial for the crimes he had committed. Very recently, major leaders of the Khmer Rouge have been put on trial. Many Cambodians are happy to see justice finally being dealt for the crimes against humanity the Khmer Rouge committed. (Pike) (News)
"To keep you is no benefit. To destroy you is no loss"- Pol Pot