Cambodian Genocide Essay free essay sample

A group known as the Khmer Rouge took control of the country in April 1975. Over the course of four years, many innocent people were killed in the hopes that it would lead towards one large society of peasants. Things like banks, medicine, and religions were outlawed. If you were a person with something of value, you were automatically a target for the Khmer Rouge. With the entire mass death happening, one could see bodies littered on the streets and floating down rivers. People would hang themselves so that they wouldn’t feel the wrath of the Khmer Rouge. Citizens were evacuated from all major cities and sent to work in labor camps similar to those used by the Nazi regime in Germany many years prior. Everything seemed to be working in favor of the Khmer Rouge. In the year 1979, the Vietnamese fin ally drove the Khmer Rouge out of Cambodia. As part of a peace agreement, the Khmer Rouge was granted control over a zone on the border of Thailand known as Pailin. In the early 70’s, there were many civil wars going on. One happening right in Cambodia while another was going on between the Communist North Vietnamese and the U. S. backed South Vietnamese. The Vietnam War soon spread onto Cambodian soil with the country harboring U. S. troops, airbases, barracks, and weapons caches. Cambodia maintained a neutral policy when it came towards the Vietnamese civil war, giving both sides equal support. American bombing and napalming of Viet Cong targets in Cambodia drove many to join a guerilla movement led by a man named Pol Pot. This communist movement, known as the Khmer Rouge, was the result of the people becoming angry with the U. S. forcing Cambodia into their conflict with Vietnam. This movement brought promises of hope and tranquility to Cambodia. Pol Pot’s forces had grown to well over 700,00 men by 1975. Out of all the chaos that was happening, the Khmer Rouge began taking full control of the country. With his movement finally in control, Pol Pot put into motion his plan for an agrarian utopia. Once the genocide started, it seemed like nothing to stop it. Everyone that appeared to be educated was executed. If you had glasses, you were killed. Braces, killed. If you had any type of formal education, you were killed. Citizens who could speak English, religious figures, and anybody opposed to the regime were executed. Everyone that was left was sent to work in Labor Camps. In similar fashion to the Nazis, the Khmer Rouge had people evacuate the cities into the countryside. Once there, you would be forced to work on the Rice fields Day and Night. The only people that were exempt from working were children who were not old enough to understand what was going on. From sunrise until sunset, work was expected without rest. Any sign of pain or weakness meant immediate death. To discourage any kind of revolt from the people, the Khmer Rouge separated everyone into different groups. Men in one group, women in another. Even the children were separated by gender and age as to not give the very young one any hope of seeing their families again. People were ordered out their houses so that the Khmer Rouge could convert them into bases of operation. Houses that weren’t being used as bases were instead being used as make shift orphanages. Besides having labor camps, Pol Pot used many prisons to get rid of many Cambodians. Out of 150 death camps spread across the country, the most famous is Tuol Sleng Prison, or S-21 as it is more commonly referred to. There are only 7 known survivors out of an estimated 14,00 total prisoners. The purpose for the prisons was to question and kill those that were opposed to the Khmer Rouge. Even people from Western and European nationalities were kept as criminals. Before being placed in cells, prisoners were photographed. They would then be tortured until a confession could be made about whatever crime they were charged with. These confessions and photographs were then sent to High-ranking officials in the Khmer Rouge as a confirmation that the â€Å"traitors† were eliminated. Those that were waiting for their time come had to endure many horrible things. Their legs were shackled onto iron bars placed around the room. Permission from the guards was needed to do things like adjust themselves while sleeping or even defecating into buckets that were provided for them. Bathing was merely opening a hose on a room filled with prisoners. Babies that were brought in were killed either by a Machete or by being thrown into walls and trees. Those who died in the S-21 prison were buried in mass graves outside the city. To this day there is no for sure number on how many lives were lost inside the prison walls since there was no clear record keeping done. Towards the end of 1978, Vietnam launched an attack on Cambodia that aimed to end the reign of the Khmer Rouge. In less than 2 weeks Pol pot and his regime fell. What was left of the Khmer Rouge fled into parts of Thailand. The Vietnamese then placed their own make shift government in control until Cambodia was able to bring itself back up from the ruins of Pol Pot’s destruction. For 17 years, Pol Pot maintained a war against the Cambodian government. A struggle for power within the Khmer Rouge forced Pol Pot down from his position as leader. Following his arrest in June 1997, Pol Pot dies of a heart attack before he could be put on trial for his crimes performed as leader of the Khmer Rouge. During the Cambodian genocide, people were forced out of their homes and put into labor camps. As a result thousands of people were tortured and killed. The practices of the Khmer Rouge have led to one of the most disturbing things to happen on this Earth. In the aftermath of what happened, Cambodia laid in ruins. The economy failed since all the engineers, technicians, and planners were killed off. Communist Vietnamese occupation meant that any kind of relief aid from western countries was not likely to be allowed. 10 years later, Vietnam finally pulled out of Cambodia, which gave the country a chance to try and fix its problems. In 1991, 20 years after the Cambodian Genocide had started, Cambodia finally reached a peace agreement and was able to hold its first true democratic elections 2 years later. To this day, many survivors of the whole ordeal are left with much sadness. Most families were broke up, either by the Khmer Rouge or by having been split up once refugees here in America. The survivors who were mere children during that time weren’t able to get back their lost childhood. Because of the large numbers of people that fled the Khmer Rouge into other countries, there are pockets of large Cambodian communities around the world. One such place is here in Long Beach, California. Despite everything that happened, the Cambodian people do their best to educate the world on what happened and do everything possible to bring the light the tragedy that occurred in their homeland.