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How did Khmer Rouge take control over Cambodia?
Author: Chutema Seng | Posted on January 30, 2022
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Armed Conflict has been one of the hottest topics in the media currently. Some people view it as a fight between two groups, but it is more than just that. Armed Conflict is an opposing incompatibility that concerns the government territories where there is fighting or use of armed forces and violence between the government, organized armed groups, or the states, which resulted in at least 25-battle related deaths in one calendar year.
In the era of 1975-1979, there were many brutal events, autocratic, and repressiveness that is full of violence and took away the lives of over 1 million innocent people. It was the hardest time and the most painful memory for all the people and especially the survivors in Cambodia, which was the era of the Khmer Rouge that came into power.
One of our fellow classmates, Liv Ratha, has also shared some opinions regarding this excruciating event in the history of the Khmer Rouge as well. He stated, "The families were happy, living together, but when war and armed conflict occurred, a lot of things has ruined. Separation of family, people moving from city to safe place. To what happened to the girl’s father, he was killed by the communist terrorist, which they called themselves Angkar. Angkar use labor forces, propaganda, and they trained the kids to be armed and brainwashed them. They even classified and killed the people who were rich, educated, doctors, and who know how to speak French. There were massive destruction and a big effect on the country because of armed conflict, millions and millions of people died, culture was lost, and destroyed".
Armed Conflicts
Excerpt 1
In 1975, it was a memorable day for everyone in Cambodia. Before we consider whether this issue is an Armed Conflict or not, let us first take a look back at Cambodia's history. In 1970, Lun Nol successfully started a coup against King Norodom Sihanouk. With support from the West, Lun Nol gained control over Cambodia and establish new sovereignty called The Khmer Republic. Seeing that the coup is possible, Pol Pot and Khmer Rouge had started configuring their alliance years after that. Pol Pot gained an increasing number of territories across the countryside and successfully took over Phnom Penh in 1975. But King Sihanouk Ville was cut out of the deal and exiled by Pol Pot.
However, I believe that there were some crucial factors that had also contributed to this Khmer Rouge invasion, which was America. Remember one of the firstest scenes in First They Killed My Father, it was such a coincidence. The day the US left the country was also the day that Khmer Rouge took over the country immediately. And since the Lun Nol government was strongly supported by the US. It was a very immediate and sudden shift of colonial power. That is the reason why I believe that America also contributed because the inexistence of America has led to this disastrous power invasion.
Blog's Point of View
Furthermore, as the Khmer Republic was a coup d’état, meaning a country that was under control because of forced power and dictatorship, the republic did not really satisfy the citizens. The civil war was happening everywhere, the supply chain was isolated, the economy was failing, and people started to centralize to the capital. The government could only survive then because of the help from the US. Without US support, Lun Nol Government will fall abruptly.
As Spivak sayings go, “All knowledge is never innocent, and it often sources the interest of the producer”.
In which I couldn’t agree more. If we look deeper into the picture, the US seems to be taking advantage of Cambodia. In reality, I believe the real narrative behind this is they used Cambodia as a military base to support their war with Vietnam and framed it as they helped Cambodia to establish their democracy in Indochina.
Spivak Reference
This is a message from another classmate, Soun Monyka, to all the viewers and especially the younger generations of Cambodia about the Khmer Rouge tragic event.
She stated that, "It is important to the west to see this movie, but also I think it is more important for the young Khmer generation to know about their history, what their family grandparents went through during that period of time. People during that time were forced to work morning until night without food. They were punished without any reason. Not only were they punished, sometimes they were killed".
Excerpt 2
AUPP Talk Show
"How did Khmer Rouge Take Control over Cambodia?"
AUPP Talk Show
Description: This AUPP Talk Show session primarily focuses on the most agonizing and unforgettable event in Cambodia during the political transition in 1975. With countless brutalities, autocracies, and repressiveness, what leads Cambodia to encounter this genocide event? The main subjects of this event include Lun Nol Government, Khmer Rouge Dictators, and the disappearance of America.
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