Phnom Penh

For a country with a tumultuous past and a still bumpy present, it is bewildering how warm and friendly the people of Cambodia are. Corrupt government, UXOs, and abandoned / trafficked children are all problems that have plagued this country. The most infamous, however, were the mass killings brought on by the communist Cambodian party, the Khmer Rouge. Led by Pol Pot, it is estimated that 1.5 million people died under his regime as a result of forced labor, famine, disease, and horrific executions in attempts to create a pure agrarian based communist society.

Many actions led to Khmer Rouge overtaking, but the largest catalyst was the war being fought in Vietnam and the civil war within Cambodia. Initially, it was thought that President Nixon was covertly conducting a bombing campaign over “neutral” Cambodia along the Vietnam border, but later declassified, it was proven that the secretive bombings had began under the Johnson administration. While North Vietnamese bases were the target, many deployments were dropped over civilian Cambodian villages killing an estimated 100,000 – 300,000. This left many desperate and looking for new hope. Another major contribution occurred in 1970 when Prince Sihanouk was removed from power and exiled by the Premier Lon Nol. Sihanouk made an alliance with the Khmer Rouge and became the nominal head of a Khmer Rouge-dominated government-in-exile. Much of rural Cambodia remained loyal to the prince and believed that their acceptance of the Khmer Rouge would lead to the restoration of Sihanouk. The poorer agricultural population also related to the new communist movement as it praised and promoted their way of life. Therefore, it created a huge following among peasants and increased the power of the Khmer Rouge.

In 1975, the capital of Phnom Penh was defeated by the Khmer Rouge and the creation of the Democratic Kampuchea began. City residents were told that they had to evacuate because of “threat of American bombing.” Though in reality, this was the initial purging of the “new people,” the intellectual elite, in order to create a classless society. Schools, hospitals, and banks closed. Religion was outlawed, books were burned, and those even resembling an educated person were murdered. People were forced to work 12 hours a day without adequate nutrition, families were separated, and western medicine was replaced with traditional folk remedies.

In Phonm Penh we visited the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21), once a high school; it was later used as a security prison by the Khmer Rouge where heinous torture and executions were conducted. Cruel punishments were preformed on the prisoners to illicit names and associations of others who had a city life past. Over the four year reign an estimated 17,000 people were imprisoned and of these there were only 12 known survivors. All that is left at this hollow, soulless site are the photos of emaciated prisoners, fractured remains of skulls, and rusty shackles scattered on the decaying white and yellow checkered floor.

The United Nations backed the Khmer Rouge as the official government of Cambodia until 1991.

On April 15, 1998 it was announced that the Khmer Rouge would turn Pol Pot over to an international tribunal. However, Pol Pot conveniently did not survive the night. Cause of death was ruled as heart failure though an autopsy was never performed. Many have suspicions that he committed suicide or was poisoned.

On February 17th, 2009 a UN backed Cambodian court was scheduled to try “Duch”, the former commandant of Tuol Sleng prison, with crimes against humanity, war crimes and murder of atleast 14,000 people. The trail remains ongoing.

We recommend reading First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung if you are interested in a firsthand account of what life was like during this time that has deeply affected every Cambodian still today.