THE CAMBODIAN GENOCIDE

By Joel Gwatking
BUT FIRST: MEMES
 CAMBODIA

Cambodia is located in the southeastern side of

Asia and is bordered by Laos, Vietnam and
Thailand. Cambodia has a population of around
16 million, 90% of the country follows Buddhism
and only a small percentage follow Christianity
and Islam.
Tourismcambodia.com. (2019). Religion in
Cambodia - About Cambodia | Tourism Cambodia.
[online] Available at:
https://www.tourismcambodia.com/about-
cambodia/religion.htm [Accessed 24 May 2019].
 THE VIETNAM WAR

On April 30th 1970 President Nixon announced that

the US has invaded Cambodia in search of Vietcong
soldiers and also to find and eliminate their supply
lines. Cambodia became a hiding ground for the
Vietnamese military and also Vietcong soldiers, IN a
change of government the US saw it a weakness and
started the invasion of Cambodia. A total of 3,630
flights over Cambodia and dropped 110,000 tons of
bombs on the suspected areas of communist camps
and trade lines. Several thousand Cambodians,
Vietnamese soldiers and Vietcong soldiers died from
the carpet bombing.
Editors, H. (2019). Nixon Orders Invasion of Cambodia. [online]
HISTORY. Available at: https://www.history.com/topics/us-
presidents/nixon-orders-invasion-of-cambodia-video [Accessed 24
May 2019].
 POL POT

Saloth Sar or also known as Pol Pot was born on the

19th of May in 1925 in a small village called Prek
Sbov. In early years of Saloth’s life he was sent to live
with his older brother in Phnom Penh which where
he was educated. Pol pot was a very mediocre
student as he failed his entrance exams for high
school, he later left and went to Paris with a scholar
ship in radio electronics, whilst studying he had got
involved with the French communist party and
joined a small Cambodian nationalists group which
who would later become his fellow leaders in the
Khmer Rouge
Encyclopedia Britannica. (2019). Pol Pot | Biography & Facts. [online]
Available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pol-Pot
[Accessed 24 May 2019].
 THE KHMER ROUGE

The communist party Kampuchea (CPK) or also

known as Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Rouges aim
was to restart and make a new society also known
as Year 0. The Khmer Rouge would tear families
apart, defrock Buddhist monks, they would destroy
normal schooling, private property, religious
practices, foreign clothing style, shut down mosques,
churches, universities and reshaped Cambodia as a
whole. Cambodia communist community emerged
from the anti- colonial struggle against France in the
1940’s. When the Cambodian invasion happened in
1973, along side the bombing that were sent by the
Cambodian government and also with the help
from the US 85% of Cambodia’s territory was over
thrown by Khmer Rouge forces.
En.akarin.moe. (2019). Nature, Aims and Methods of Pol Pot | Akarin
Server. [online] Available at:
https://en.akarin.moe/2017/08/27/History-cambodia-Khmer-
Rouge/index.html [Accessed 24 May 2019].
 CHILD SOLDIERS

The Khmer Rouge after taking control of cities and

towns in Cambodia would evacuate everyone out
of the cities and would be forced to work on farms.
Where they would work long hard hours would
barely any food and water. Whilst this was
happening children would be at the start of their
brainwashing, They would be told to “follow orders
without hesitation”. This would even go as far as
killing their “Traitor parents”. Hatred, fear and the
continuous use of propaganda most definitely
helped shape these once innocent children to
‘Child soldiers” that had no sense and resorted to
violence.
Anon, (2019). [online] Available at:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/khmer-rouges-legacy-of-
terror/2017/08/04/c9727cfe-7945-11e7-9eac-
d56bd5568db8_story.html?utm_term=.df2bf673c71e [Accessed
24 May 2019].
 THE GENOCIDE

In 1975 the Khmer Rouge’s plan was put into

practise and cities were starting to be evacuated to
labour camps where millions of people were forced
to work hard. At the start execution was not an
order but starvation was used to give the prisoners
to work, AS the genocide progressed survival
depended on how much work one can do, only the
fit “Survived”. This meant that the elderly, the sick
and also children became targets as they cant deal
with manual labour. Monks, teachers, doctors, the
rich and also the educated or anyone would be
deemed a threat would be tortured and murdered.
BBC News. (2019). Cambodia's brutal Khmer Rouge regime. [online]
Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-
10684399 [Accessed 24 May 2019].
 KILLING FIELDS

Killings fields were scattered all over the

Cambodian country sites and were mass graves for
millions of “peasants”. The Khmer rouge would
forcibly make their victims “dig their own grave” as
they would dig a large trench then they would be
stabbed to death and they would be buried in the
hole they dug, in some cases victims were buried
alive. Now days the killing fields are sadly used as a
tourist attraction rather then a memorial, However
there is a seven story marble building that is a
house for bones and skulls that have been
excavated.
Culture Trip. (2019). The History of Cambodia's Killing Fields. [online] Available at:
https://theculturetrip.com/asia/cambodia/articles/a-guide-to-cambodias-killing-
fields/ [Accessed 24 May 2019].
 S21

S21 was one of the most horrifying events that

happened within the Cambodian genocide. Chao
Ponhea Yat high school was built in 1962 and was
later turned into a torture and death centre or
more commonly known as S21. Around 14,000
people were imprisoned in S21, over the time
prisoners where there the Khmer rouge would
interrogate and would photograph prisoners. I
victims would survive the torture, integration and
starvation they would be executed in nearby killing
fields. From the 14,000 documented prisoners there
was only 7 survivors that lived to tell the world
their horrifying experiences.
Storm, K. (2019). Scars of the Khmer Rouge: S21 & The Killing Fields -
Our Escape Clause. [online] Our Escape Clause. Available at:
https://www.ourescapeclause.com/khmer-rouge-s21-killing-fields/
[Accessed 24 May 2019].
 REMEMBRANCE

Hundreds gather at the Cheoung Ek killing fields

every year to remember those who fell victim to
the wraith of the Khmer rouge, The day of
remembrance or more commonly known as “Day
of anger” is an emotional one as attendees watch a
performance of an re-enactment of the genocide.
Performers pretend to slit throats, waterboard and
even shoot victims.
NBC Southern California. (2019). LA County Declares Cambodian
Genocide Remembrance Day. [online] Available at:
https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/LA-County-Declares-
Cambodian-Genocide-Remembrance-Day-2019-508674421.html
[Accessed 24 May 2019].
 FEEDBACK

• Hi Joel, great assignment so far. Consider including a definition of ‘genocide’ thinking

that whoever is reading your work is new to this topic.
• Consider including all 3 main figures of the Cambodian genocide and their roles in the
rise of the genocide.
• Why did people join the Khmer rouge? Which Cambodian actually thought that this
would be something good?
• Is there any long lasting impacts of the genocide in the general Cambodian society
today? Are there still any hostilities etc?
• Can you find a resource that is not a website? For example: Book chapter, peer
reviewed article or primary source ‘biography’.
• Bibliography list at the end