Downlaod Ragnarok Emblem

The legacy of the Khmer Rouge

Skulls of Khmer Rouge victims at the Killing Fields memorial near Phnom Penh , written by Elizabeth Becker, Washington Post, one of the few Western journalists to have remained in Cambodia when the Khmer Rouge took power. (Interesting: The story chronicles the events from the perspective of a banker who studied Cambodian Laval University and McGill in the 60s).

We stayed only ten days in Cambodia (from this journey, our stay shorter in a country). So I can not say much about this country, especially since we had little contact with Cambodians, also employees of hotels, restaurants and taxi drivers. We knew we were visiting a country shattered by decades of war and the Khmer Rouge, by ending the war and expelling foreigners outside their borders, had plunged Cambodia into a nightmare more terrifying than anything the locals had endured before.

Four months (already!) after be passed, I'm reading a fascinating book on the history of Cambodia, which attempts to explain how the Khmer Rouge were able to seize power and impose their "revolution" to their fellow communist, with the "collateral damage" the elimination of 25% of the population (two million people !!!). If you're interested, the book is titled When The War Was Over

We learn that upon their arrival in 1975, the communists have radicals literally emptied the capital, Phnom Penh, in 24 hours (still two million inhabitants at the time). All citizens, including 20 000 hospital patients, were sent on foot into the countryside to cultivate the land - the goal of the Khmer Rouge was the sufficiency of Cambodia. Elites, opponents, intellectuals, or those suspected of being, were eliminated without further ado. The Communists have closed all shops, schools, abolished all laws, money (!), Private property, individual rights, religion, hobbies, and even the family - the peasants were organized into "cooperatives" and children separated from parents. Reading and writing were banned, like jewels, and the peasants were not to wear the "pajamas" prescribed by the new black dictators. Communist leaders were arranging marriages, decided who would be entitled to drugs and how much rice would be distributed (rice and nothing else ...). Every night, cooperatives, people disappear without anyone knowing why, and what happened to them (in most cases they were exterminated). And it lasted four years before the Vietnamese, Cambodians enemies, not just to end the bloody madness of Pol Pot and his forces.

When we visited the Tuol Sleng prison - the torture center of the Khmer Rouge - and the Killing Fields near Phnom Penh, we were shocked to learn the extent of the violence that the Cambodians have been submitted . (Read about a previous text,

War explained to children ) Most people over age 40 have experienced this violence and this climate of terror. They have almost all lost family members in these troubled times. They do not seem to have turned the page ...

The Khmer Rouge were driven from power in 1979, but fought in the bush for all the 80, which continued to undermine the country (in every sense of the term ...). A crowd of strangers have volunteered to help put the country back on track. Cambodia deployed what is the largest UN operation. This also gives rise to trafficking and abuse of all kinds. Cambodia is still one of the most corrupt countries in the world. We see more Lexus, Mercedes and Land Rover sparkling than any other Asian countries. A friend who is familiar with this environment we talked about some "humanitarian" who take advantage of a position in this country of misery to line their pockets and take it easy. Despite the millions of $ spent, Cambodia has a hard time coping. And many Cambodians are defeatists. "You know, they killed all the intellectuals 30 years ago, we said one of them, to try to explain why they are so poor ... How sad that a country so broken!

documented torture at the Tuol Sleng prison.