A Brief History of the Khmer Rouge

The word "Khmer Rouge" was used to refer to the Communist Party of Kampuchea.  Most Cambodians do not know who the Cambodian leader was during the first two years of the Khmer Rouge regime.  Not only that, most Cambodians do not know about the emergence of the Communist Party of Kampuchea since when.  Confidentiality was very important to the Khmer Rouge leaders: "Organization" or "higher organization" was a term used to represent all levels of power of the Khmer Rouge cadres and the true parents of the Cambodian people.  Determine the lives of all the people. The Khmer Rouge cadres told everyone that the organization was a "pineapple eye organization" that always knew everything about the people.  So all the people have to do things according to the orders of the Khmer Rouge.

Anlong Veng




Anlong Veng, a district in Oddar Meanchey province, was a "gathering place" for Khmer Rouge cadres after January 1979 and was the last stronghold of the Khmer Rouge forces.  In April 1998, Cambodian government forces took control of the district until today.  The Khmer Rouge's supreme leader, Pol Pot, died and his body was cremated there in the same month and year.

April 17, 1975


Khmer Rouge troops entered Phnom Penh city by truck, by foot and tanks came to power throughout Cambodia.  The troops were greeted by people living in the city who were tired of the war.  Within hours of arriving in Phnom Penh, Khmer Rouge cadres began evacuating about 2 million people from the city.  This is a large-scale forced evacuation of Cambodian history.  Phnom Penh almost became a ghost town.

Forced evacuation


The Khmer Rouge forced nearly 2 million people of Phnom Penh city, claiming that there would be a bombing of the city.  Evacuations were carried out without exception, even the elderly, patients and pregnant women had to leave.  The Khmer Rouge separated children from their parents, and thousands died during the forced evacuation due to lack of proper medical treatment and food.  The townspeople were moved to remote areas to farm.  Residents of towns controlled by the Khmer Republic were also evacuated.  For the Khmer Rouge, the city was a bad place. In fact, Phnom Penh became a ghost town, with only 3,000 to 4,000 Khmer Rouge cadres, soldiers and workers living in the city.

Forced Work 


Another important goal of the Khmer Rouge was to build a new Cambodia based on agricultural success.  People are forced to become farmers in labor camps.  The Khmer Rouge wanted to triple rice production through its four-year plan.  To achieve this plan, the Khmer Rouge forced people to work more than 12 hours a day without adequate diet or rest.  People have to transplant and harvest rice all year round with almost no agricultural machinery.  Such working conditions lead to disease and homicide throughout the country.

Forced Marriag

The Khmer Rouge required people to marry without the consent of both parties and to have sex with each other.  The purpose of marriage is to get new generation  to serve and continue the revolution in the future.  Weddings are held for couples from 3 to 160, who are only informed that they will be getting married shortly.  Many couples never meet before the wedding day.  Refusal to marry according to the organization's arrangements is to be arrested, detained, tortured or killed.

Starve


Many Cambodians did not have enough food under the Khmer Rouge regime.  Most of the rice is exported.  Agricultural plans are weak and rice production is uncertain.  People evacuating from cities to settle in rural areas have no farming experience.  These new people have to work long hours and get little diet.  They could not grow and find food or cook their own food because they were captured by Khmer Rouge cadres.  As a result, hunger is becoming more prevalent in children, the sick, and the elderly.

killing fields 

A killing place of Cambodia of Khmer Rouge. More than 1 million Cambodians were killed and buried in those sites from 1975 to 1979.  Research shows that about 20,000 mass graves have been found almost everywhere dating back to the Khmer Rouge regime.  The victims who died on these killing fields were those who were at fault with organizations such as disobedience to rules or regulations, and those who were accused by the Khmer Rouge of being "enemies".  Those enemies include: professors, intellectuals, artists, musicians and poets.  Choeung Ek, a plantation about 13 km south of Phnom Penh, was one of the deadliest places during the Khmer Rouge regime.  After January 1979, more than 100 graves were exhumed in the Choeung Ek killing field and 8895 bodies were found in those graves.  Most of the victims killed at the Choeung Ek killing field were Tuol Sleng prisoners (S-21).