The Cambodian Genocide
By Gavyn Coppus
Cambodians being forced to work in isolated and shocking conditions
Khmer Rouge troops enter Phnom Phen in 1975
‘AWFUL SLAUGHTER” headline on the genocide committed by U.S. forces in the Philippines. Peace Treaty Signed with Spain.
Cambodian Genocide Memorials
Wat Champuk Ka'Ek, Kien Svay
In March 1998, I went into the countryside south of Phnom Penh to seek out a killing fields memorial and eventually found the site, in the grounds of Wat Champuk Ka'Ek. It was the site of a newly-built pagoda and a concrete stupa had just replaced the former wooden construction back then (see b&w example). On a return visit in January 2005, it looked like a lot of money had been poured into this pagoda and that was clearly evident by a proliferation of family stupas, a large reclining Buddha, a school and a religious meditation centre that had sprung up surrounding the large central vihara. The stupa containing the remains of the Khmer Rouge victims found nearby had been moved a few hundred metres to a new location. Research by the DC-Cam in Phnom Penh has revealed that a Khmer Rouge prison on the site was responsible for over 18,000 deaths, where the bodies were placed in numerous mass grave pits around the temple grounds.
There Are Survivors Left and Where They Live
U.S Response on the Cambodian Genocide
Eyewitness Statement: Dora Niederman
"I was only twelve years old, not quite twelve years old. And I was there with my aunt, my daddy's sister and I wanted to go with them. And a German soldier came over there and yanked me: You have to go to work. No, I don't. She said, No, you go to work. Maybe you can help us. The aunt and the children. You go to work. So I went to the other side. I didn't know anything about gassing or killed or anything. We didn't know nothing. And they took them to one side, we to other."
Cause and Consquences
The Khmer Rouge was a brutal, murderous revolutionary group intent on revolutionizing Cambodian society. They recruited many people over time, fast. The Khmer Rouge was given sufficient assistance by the north Vietnamese to assist them in launching a major offense against the FANK.The Khmer Rouge restricted access to many freedoms, including religious observances, education, and medical care. Thousands were tortured and many were executed as part of the Cambodian genocide that was operated by the Khmer Rouge. 1.7 deaths are accounted for in the Cambodian genocide, making it one of the worst genocides in history. After it ended, many survivors encountered mental problems for their traumatic experiences.1/8 of the population died from the Khmer Rouge, about half the deaths were from execution, some starvation, and disease occurred as a side effect of the Khmer Rouge. After the genocide, a lot of the parents, without kids (dying in the genocide), didn't know what to do because they didn't have anywhere to live and no money to support themselves.