Khmer Rouge was the communist party that ruled Cambodia after overthrowing the Cambodian government. It is a brutal, disastrous rule that changed the country forever and shocked the world.
The Khmer Rouge started going against the Cambodian government in'70, and since they needed more power, they took the help of the North Vietnam and Viet Cong troops. This power led them to gaining control over a majority of Cambodia, increasing their strength from a meager 3,000 to 30,000 within a three-year period. After this has been achieved, the external troops from North Vietnam and the Viet Cong troops could withdraw as the Khmer Rouge was now powerful.
Finally, led by Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge overthrew the Cambodian government in'75, after which the "Democratic Kampuchea" was established. Literally overnight, the new governance took cruel and drastic measures. Entire cities were evacuated. Property was abolished. Factories were closed. Schools were shut down. Money did not hold any value. Hundreds of thousands of taxi drivers, cooks, factory workers, clerks and everyone else became farmers suddenly. They even assassinated skilled workers and intellectuals, and many others died due to starvation. Records show that at least 2 million people died. Cambodia was reduced to nothing but a nation of slaves.
By the year'79, tensions with Vietnam increased and Vietnamese troops invaded, helping the rival Communists factions in deposing the new Khmer Rouge government. But the Khmer Rouge continued to have a huge army of 30,000 near the Thai border and was also recognized by the United Nations as the official Cambodian government.
In'82, this government entered into a coalition with former premier Norodom Sihanouk and Son Sann, who was a non-Communist leader. Leadership also changed hands from Pol Pot to Khieu Samphan, although it was widely believed that the real leader was still Pol Pot. In'91, all the Cambodian factions signed a treaty asking for UN-supervised elections and in'92; the UN assumed the administrative functions of the government. It was at this time that the Khmer Rouge disconnected itself from the peace process and started fighting. It also rejected the results of the UN-run elections that saw the beginning of a coalition government in Cambodia.
Internal disputes and disagreements led the Khmer Rouge to its own destruction in'97, with the imprisonment of Pol Pot, leading to his death within a year. Some of the members of this disturbed communist party surrendered, while others were captured and by'99 it all came to an end.
The extent of the mass assassinations in Cambodia was not known to the world until'79, when Vietnam overthrew the Khmer Rouge. It was only then that the actual atrocities came to light.
The Khmer Rouge even till this day evokes a sense of shock from Cambodians as well as the whole world, not just due to the death toll, which does not reflect the brutalities and tortures they carried out during their regime. The severity of their rule was such that there probably was no other revolution which changed the lives of an entire population.
The Khmer Rouge started going against the Cambodian government in'70, and since they needed more power, they took the help of the North Vietnam and Viet Cong troops. This power led them to gaining control over a majority of Cambodia, increasing their strength from a meager 3,000 to 30,000 within a three-year period. After this has been achieved, the external troops from North Vietnam and the Viet Cong troops could withdraw as the Khmer Rouge was now powerful.
Finally, led by Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge overthrew the Cambodian government in'75, after which the "Democratic Kampuchea" was established. Literally overnight, the new governance took cruel and drastic measures. Entire cities were evacuated. Property was abolished. Factories were closed. Schools were shut down. Money did not hold any value. Hundreds of thousands of taxi drivers, cooks, factory workers, clerks and everyone else became farmers suddenly. They even assassinated skilled workers and intellectuals, and many others died due to starvation. Records show that at least 2 million people died. Cambodia was reduced to nothing but a nation of slaves.
By the year'79, tensions with Vietnam increased and Vietnamese troops invaded, helping the rival Communists factions in deposing the new Khmer Rouge government. But the Khmer Rouge continued to have a huge army of 30,000 near the Thai border and was also recognized by the United Nations as the official Cambodian government.
In'82, this government entered into a coalition with former premier Norodom Sihanouk and Son Sann, who was a non-Communist leader. Leadership also changed hands from Pol Pot to Khieu Samphan, although it was widely believed that the real leader was still Pol Pot. In'91, all the Cambodian factions signed a treaty asking for UN-supervised elections and in'92; the UN assumed the administrative functions of the government. It was at this time that the Khmer Rouge disconnected itself from the peace process and started fighting. It also rejected the results of the UN-run elections that saw the beginning of a coalition government in Cambodia.
Internal disputes and disagreements led the Khmer Rouge to its own destruction in'97, with the imprisonment of Pol Pot, leading to his death within a year. Some of the members of this disturbed communist party surrendered, while others were captured and by'99 it all came to an end.
The extent of the mass assassinations in Cambodia was not known to the world until'79, when Vietnam overthrew the Khmer Rouge. It was only then that the actual atrocities came to light.
The Khmer Rouge even till this day evokes a sense of shock from Cambodians as well as the whole world, not just due to the death toll, which does not reflect the brutalities and tortures they carried out during their regime. The severity of their rule was such that there probably was no other revolution which changed the lives of an entire population.
0 comments:
Post a Comment