| The Horrors Of The Khmer Rouge |
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| Written by KevinMeas | |
| Thursday, 12 November 2009 | |
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The followers of the Communist Party of Kampuchea were given the name of the Khmer Rouge. This reign in Cambodia is considered as the worst disasters in modern history.
The followers of the Communist Party of Kampuchea were given the name of the Khmer Rouge. This reign in Cambodia is considered as the worst disasters in modern history. The Khmer Rouge started going against the Cambodian government in'70, and since they needed more power, they took the help of the North Vietnam and Viet Cong troops. This power led them to gaining control over a majority of Cambodia, increasing their strength from a meager 3,000 to 30,000 within a three-year period. After this has been achieved, the external troops from North Vietnam and the Viet Cong troops could withdraw as the Khmer Rouge was now powerful. Finally, led by Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge overthrew the Cambodian government in'75, after which the "Democratic Kampuchea" was established. Literally overnight, the new governance took cruel and drastic measures. Entire cities were evacuated. Property was abolished. Factories were closed. Schools were shut down. Money did not hold any value. Hundreds of thousands of taxi drivers, cooks, factory workers, clerks and everyone else became farmers suddenly. They even assassinated skilled workers and intellectuals, and many others died due to starvation. Records show that at least 2 million people died. Cambodia was reduced to nothing but a nation of slaves. In'79, because of a strained relationship, the Vietnamese troops invaded and helped the local factions in getting rid of the Khmer Rouge government. Unfazed by this, the Khmer Rouge continued its activities near the Thai border, with its 30,000 strong army. The United Nations recognized it as the official government of Cambodia. After two years, the government formed a coalition with Norodom Sihanouk, the former premier and Son Sann, a non-communist leader. The leader of the Khmer Rouge was no longer Pol Pot but Khieu Samphan. However, it is said that Pol Pot still remained the unofficial leader. UN supervised elections were requested by the different Cambodian factions looking for some sort of a peace and this was fulfilled in'92, with UN taking over the government administration. Around that time, the Khmer Rouge did not acknowledge the results of the elections and withdrew itself from the peace treaty. Finally, it began to fight again. Internal disputes and disagreements led the Khmer Rouge to its own destruction in'97, with the imprisonment of Pol Pot, leading to his death within a year. Some of the members of this disturbed communist party surrendered, while others were captured and by'99 it all came to an end. Initially, reports of the mass murders in Cambodia were not taken seriously by most people, until the Vietnamese overpowered the Khmer Rouge. It was then the horrors of Cambodia came to fore. A chill runs down the spine of every Cambodian when they think back on the Khmer Rouge. It shocked the world with the atrocities that were considered to be the worst ever the world had to face. The wounds of the rule remain raw even today, as they changed the lives of the population of Cambodia, like nothing else has before. From the Webmaster: "Having the opportunity to share my hobbies and interests with so many people around the world gives me great satisfaction. As a bonus, I blog and produce websites about topics that interest me and receive ad revenue from the websites and Blogs."
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