The Killing Fields – Cambodia

Skulls at the Killing Fields Genocide Memorial

I don’t know how many times in the past week that I have read and re-read the political history of Cambodia, starting from the period of French rule, to its independence from France in 1953 which was the start of the reign of King Norodom Sihanouk, to the military coup of 1970 to the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge that took place from April 17, 1975 to January 7, 1979 … and yet I still cannot seem to understand how it all played out and how such atrocities could be allowed to happen.

Here is my understanding of the history of Cambodia... apologies for any errors!

Cheung Ek Genocide Memorial

In 1970, when King Norodom Sihanouk was out of the country a military coup occurred ousting the King as Prime Minister of the country and installing General Lon Nol as the self-proclaimed President of the newly created Khmer Republic.

The early years of the 1970s were tumultuous as a civil war erupted between Cambodian forces and a leftist political party dubbed the Khmer Rouge (Khmer = Cambodian & Rouge = red in French referring to Cambodian communists).

Fighting occurred throughout the country during the civil war and no doubt it must have been confusing for the citizens to figure out which side was the good guys and which was the bad guys!

During the rule of General Lon Nol life had gotten worse for the Cambodian citizens and some considered the Khmer Rouge as liberators from oppression and in fact cheered when Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge marched into Phnom Penh on the 17th of April, 1975.

But the tears soon changed to tears of hunger, pain and death. Pol Pot had a vision of an extreme self-supporting communist society where the average citizen (farmers and villagers) worked the fields and fed the country. A country of equality was the vision.

But… Pol Pot went a little off his rocker (to put it lightly) killing anyone he thought did not support his goal. An estimated 3 million Cambodians were killed by other Cambodians (the Khmer Rouge). Here are a few thoughts recorded during my visit to the Killing Fields on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.