110 likes | 125 Views
Learn about the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia, its perpetrators, victims, and aftermath. Find out the chilling timeline and resources for further understanding.
E N D
Perpetrators • When: April 17, 1975 – January 7, 1979 • Who: Khmer Rouge (Marxism/Maoism) Kaing Guek Eav “Duch” (1942-present) Director of S-21 Pol Pot (1925-1998) Secretary General Khmer Rouge Co-Founder Leader of genocide Nuon Chea (1926-2019) Prime Minister Khieu Samphan (1931-present) President Ieng Sary (1925-2013) Minister of Foreign Affairs Khmer Rouge Co-Founder
Victims • Dead: ~2 million people (25% of the total population) • Causes: Execution, torture, starvation, exhaustion, disease • Targets: Intellectuals, educated people, professionals, monks, religious enthusiasts, Buddhists, Muslims, Christians, ethnic Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, and Cambodians with Chinese, Vietnamese or Thai ancestry • Refugees: ~830,000
Refugees • How many?: ~830,000 refugees • Where did they go?: Mostly Thailand and Vietnam. • In 2007, there were approximately 44,000 Cambodians living in Long Beach. • How were they treated?: Most refugees lived in makeshift camps along the ill-defined Thailand and Cambodia border. Many in the camps were starving, had malaria, and were in very poor health. Most of those who settled in the camps lived in squalor with no access to basic services. • Who supported them?: The United Nations Border Relief Operation and private agencies. • Did they go home?: Starting in 1991, UNHCR supervised repatriation efforts that resulted in more than 360,000 Cambodians returning home. The rest were resettled in other countries.
Summary of Genocide - Timeline January 7, 1979: Under the leadership of Khmer Rouge defector, Hun Sen, Vietnamese troops take control of Phnom Penh and depose Pol Pot. April 17, 1975: Khmer Rouge overthrows King Sihanouk. Phnom Penh’s 2.5 million residents are evacuated and sent to the countryside. 1976 1977 1979 1978 1980 1975 1979: A genocide court finds Pol Pot and Leng Sary guilty of genocide. Neither appear in court nor serve any sentence. 1975-1979: “Re-education” of the general population, encouraging a communal lifestyle. Those who had been exposed to the “outside world” or who refused “re-education” were killed. All others were sent to work on the rice fields.
What’s Happened Since? • May 1993: Hun Sen and Prince Norodom Ranariddh are elected Co-Prime Ministers during a UN supervised election. • 1998: Civil war ends. Hun Sen becomes Prime Minister. • 2001: Cambodia’s National Assembly creates a national court in order to prosecute those who committed serious crimes during the genocide. • June 2007: The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia brings charges against Khmer Rouge leaders. Only 3 Khmer Rouge leaders are tried. Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan were convicted of crimes against humanity. Kaing Guek Eav was convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity. All were sentenced to life in prison. • July 2018: Hun Sen wins re-election as prime minister. • November 2018: Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan are found guilty of genocide.
Resources • Human Rights Watch: www.hrw.org/asia/cambodia • Why the world should not forget Khmer Rouge and the killing fields of Cambodia: www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/08/07/why-the-world-should-not-forget-khmer-rouge-and-the-killing-fields-of-cambodia/ • Timeline: The History of Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge: www.pbs.org/pov/enemies/photo_gallery_timeline.php#.VN0fTvnF98E • “The Killing Fields” the movie: www.youtube.com/watch?v=92zK2w78J-c • http://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-2118.html • http://www.crimesofwar.org/a-z-guide/cambodia/ • https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/29/cambodia-hun-sen-re-elected-in-landslide-victory-after-brutal-crackdown • http://time.com/5467567/cambodia-genocide-verdict-court-last-verdict/