How long was cambodian genocide

The Khmer Rouge based their policies on the idea that citizens of Cambodia had become corrupted by outside influences, especially Vietnam and the capitalist West. They forced citizens into what they called reeducation schools, which were essentially places of state propaganda.

The regime forced families to live communally with other people, in order to destroy the family structure. In addition, anyone who was believed to be an intellectual was killed: doctors, lawyers, teachers, even people who wore glasses or knew a foreign language became targets.

Specially targeted were the inhabitants of the areas close to the Vietnamese border. On December 25, Vietnam invaded Cambodia. The Vietnamese sought to remove the Khmer Rouge from power. At first, survivors of the Khmer Rouge regime considered the Vietnamese to be liberators, but they were soon viewed as occupiers. Vietnamese troops stayed in the country until , with armed clashes between Vietnamese and Cambodians going on throughout the s. The regime would ultimately collapse when the neighboring Vietnam invaded, establishing an occupation that would last more than a decade.

Eight years before the genocide began, Cambodia was engaged in a bloody civil war. The war pitted the Cambodian monarchy, and later the Cambodian Republic, and its allies, including the United States, against the Cambodian communists.

The communists received support from the neighboring Vietcong. The Cambodian monarchy promoted a strong sense of nationalism and loyalty to the government, but was also seen as corrupt and ineffectual. This corruption would breed several underground groups with the shared goal of overthrowing the government.

Early on, right-wing and leftist groups, including leaders of what would become the Khmer Rouge, were allies. Income inequality was rampant. Cambodians living in the urban areas enjoyed relative wealth and comfort while the majority of Cambodians toiled on farms in the rural communities. This obvious division of class made Cambodia especially susceptible to revolution.

Ultimately, the Khmer Rouge would take power in , installing Pol Pot as the leader of the country. Once the Khmer Rouge took power, they instituted a radical reorganization of Cambodian society. This meant the forced removal of city dwellers into the countryside, where they would be forced to work as farmers, digging canals and tending to crops.

Families were also split up. The Khmer Rouge created labor brigades, assigning groups depending on age and gender. This policy resulted in hundreds of thousands of Cambodians starving to death. Many suspected perpetrators were killed in the military struggle with Vietnam or eliminated as internal threats to the Khmer Rouge itself.

He died of natural causes in The last members of the Khmer Rouge were officially disbanded in Several government officials are former Khmer Rouge members and there have been considerable efforts to protect them, including denying access to witnesses because of their position. Chea appealed the verdict but the sentence was upheld in He appealed the verdict, but his sentence was also upheld in International aid from the US and other countries is often embezzled by bureaucrats.

This illegal seizure of foreign aid has greatly added to the widespread income disparity which affects most Cambodian citizens today. Human rights abuses soared in recent years, according to Human Rights Watch.

Since before the elections, the Prime Minister has continued to escalate political persecution against any political opposition, human rights workers, social activists, and intellectuals. Recently, new laws and amendments to existing laws have passed, many of which severely limit the freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. From the international community, China is continuing to invest money into Cambodia to strengthen its alliance to the country and for access to valuable natural resources.

Japan is also contributing large sums in investment and aid to compete with China for influence. Justice for past atrocities in Cambodia appears to be progressing very slowly. There are currently four active cases open in the ECCC, one of which remains in a deadlock. Mass killings primarily targeted the middle class and intellectuals — such as doctors, lawyers, journalists, artists and students — as well as ethnic Vietnamese and Cham Muslims.

Private property, money, religion and traditional culture were abolished, and the country became known as Democratic Kampuchea. But even then, the Khmer Rouge was seen by many in the West as a powerful challenge to Vietnamese influence in Cambodia, and maintained support and military assistance from the U.

From , the Khmer Rouge held onto its seat in the U. General Assembly, and was recognized as the only legitimate representative of Cambodia. When Pol Pot died in , he was only just about to face the possibility of trial before the world.

Cambodia historian David Chandler says that, as time wears on, Cambodians are steadily overcoming the trauma. Cambodia is a young country, with nearly half its population under the age of Most Cambodians have no direct experience of the conflict.