Transcript Cambodian Genoci

Augugliaro/ Kempton/ Patten
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In 1953 Cambodia gained independence from
France after nearly 100 years of colonist rule.
The population of Cambodia was just over 7
million people, almost all of whom were
Buddhist.
Cambodia is located in Southeast Asia,
bordering Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. It is
less than half the size of California.
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During the Vietnam War, Cambodia became a
staging ground for battle between US troops
and the Viet-Cong.
From 1970-1974 as many as 750,000
Cambodian civilians died from U.S. B-52
bombings on suspected Viet-Cong villages.
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The government of Cambodia in 1970-1974
was supporting the United States.
Upset with the loss of Cambodian lives due to
U.S. bombings, a communist group the
Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot fought to take
power.
With 700,000 men, and the support of the
nation, Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge took power in
1975.
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Promised with images of
hope and recovery, the
people supported Pol Pot.
However, in 1975 his
extremist views of
collectivization and
communal labor were put in
motion.
All political and civil rights
of the citizens were
abolished. All religions were
banned.
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In order to create the “ideal communism” Pol
Pot felt that all Cambodians must be peasant
workers on collectives.
All opposition was to be killed. All city
dwellers and educated people were forced to
wear blue scarves, so they can be targeted
more easily.
 Survival was based on your ability to work. The
elderly, young, ill, and handicapped were often
executed immediately.
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Under the threat of death,
Cambodians nationwide were
forced from the cities and their
homes.
People were sent to collectives
and work camps.
Children were separated from
their parents and sent to
separate work camps.
Those who survived the purges
and forced evacuations were
sent to live in communes & work
camps with little to no food or
rest.
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Pol Pot also created torture camps in which
prisoners would be interrogated and beaten
to death with iron bars and cement blocks.
The Khmer Rouge would force civilians to dig
their own graves and then beat them to death
or buried them alive.
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All doctors, professionals, educated people,
government officials, and all who spoke foreign
languages were targeted and killed.
Due to conditions of slave labor, starvation, injury,
and illness, many became unable to work. They were
killed off by the Khmer Rouge.
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These collectives and mass graves became known as
The Killing Fields.
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In total 1.7 million people were killed in 3 years. It
was 25% of the total 7 million people who lived there.
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In 1979, the Vietnamese took control of
Cambodia when they invaded and forced Pol
Pot and the Khmer Rouge out of power.
Even the Vietnamese were shocked when they
came across the most infamous torture camp
of the Khmer Rouge, S-21.
Only 7 people are believed to have survived
from this camp. Over 14,000 people were
sent there.
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Because Pol Pot and the Khmer
Rouge were a communist
regime, many western nations
did not help.
After the failure of Vietnam,
the United States called their
policy “willful neglect”.
◦ The US and UK actually
supported the Khmer Rouge in
the 1980’s in hope they would
defeat the Vietnamese.
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During the Genocide there was
no intervention from any
country or the United Nations.
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In 1991 a peace agreement was made
making Buddhism the national religion
forcing the Vietnamese out.
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In 1993 Cambodia held their first
democratic elections.
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In 1994 the UN called for tribunals to
charge those responsible for their crimes
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The trials only began in 2007. Pol Pot
died in 1998, and most of his leaders also
perished. Commander Duch, warden of
S-21 has since been charged with crimes
against humanity and genocidal actions.
S-21
Footage