Fall of the Khmer Rouge

[Linaewen]

This month marks the 25th anniversary of the Fall of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia in 1979. Looking to China's Mao Tse Tung for inspiration, the Khmer Rouge (Communist group) attempted to create an purified agarian society in Cambodia. It is imperative to note that the vast majority of Khmer Rouge members were ordinary, uneducated peasants, whos ignorance or jealousy drove them to commit horrendous atrocities.

During the 4 years that they had been in control of the country,

• Society was ‘purified’. Democratic Kampuchea (the new name for Cambodia) was cut off from the rest of the world. They were in year zero. Angka (Khmer Rouge) would be ‘all providing, all caring’.
• Capitalism, city life, religion, foreign influences and Western culture were all eliminated, replaced by an extreme form of peasant Communism. To do this:
• The cities were completely emptied; everyone was forced to work in the fields. No one had any rights, food, access to basic services, or dignity.
• Millions of Cambodians were killed. Especially targeted were those who were former Cambodian soldiers and 'educated' people. In some areas, wearing glasses could mean that you were educated, and thus you could be killed.

I was reminded of this by a friend. My family (Not any of my generation, mind you) went through an unimaginably distressing and terrible period of their lives during those years.