Cambodia, a history lesson

Feb. 24, 2009

I'm back from watching this horrible documentary on the Pol Pot Regime. Though the subject matter in itself was horrific, the French-made film was of such such poor quality it was laughable, which makes it all even more depressing. That aside, the film offered a crash course in modern Cambodian history.

So from what I gathered, here's a brief history:

Cambodia broke free of colonial French rule in the mid 1950s and instated a then 19-year-old prince as king of the land. Prince Sihanouk kept the country stable for about 17 years, declaring it neutral during the American war with neighboring Vietnam. However, the North Vietnamese Army began smuggling in weapons through the jungles of northern Cambodia and parts of Laos leading President Nixon to begin a bombing campaign in those parts. Prince Sihanouk condemned the bombing, still maintaining Cambodia's neutrality to the war.

Then some stuff happened. The film narrator said it all so fast it was hard to follow. Lots of Cambodians were killed by American bombs. There was plenty of internal political strife in the country. Sihanouk retreated (or was forcibly taken, not really sure) to Beijing where he remained for several years as new leaders struggled for power. Among them was Communist-leaning Saloth Sar, later known as Pol Pot, who led an insurgency, the Khmer Rouge, under the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK). But it was American-backed General Lon Nol who formed a new government by coup.

During this time, the Khmer Rouge, which consisted mainly of boys 15 years of age and younger from villages around the country, were stepping up the pressure on Lol Non, aiming their attacks mainly at the capital in Phnom Pehn. Despite American air strikes on the insurgency, the Khmer Rouge managed to take over the capital.

Many rejoiced at the victory of the Khmer Rouge, but the celebration was short-lived. On the same day the insurgency did away with the Lol Non government, marching through the streets of Phnom Pehn, the new victors, young men all dressed in black, proclaimed that the city must be evacuated.

"Leave immediately," the Khmer Rouge officers said. "The Americans are planning to bomb the city. You will return in 3 to 4 days. Leave your doors opened. We will watch over your belongings."

From this point further, most of my history actually comes from Stay Alive, My Son, a first hand account by Pin Yathay of his own escape from the Killing Fields.

The city people were ordered to move onto farms set up by Pol Pot to begin a new type of society. It was based on ideals of simple villages, where the work of the individual is meant to benefit the whole community. It was supposed to be a completely egalitarian society, however the Khmer Rouge enforced this idea of equality by executing those who were seen as revolutionaries which included the doctors, the teachers, anyone learned, anyone seen as too strong, too self-righteous, too much of an individual. Thousands of people died during the evacuation, or later on the farms of disease or of starvation. Yathay saw more than a dozen members of his own family die before he and his wife made the decision to try to flee to Thailand, making the heartbreaking decision to leave their surviving six-year-old son behind.

(I'm realizing now this history lesson isn't as brief as I meant it to be. Cambodia has been fascinating to me, and I've only been here a day.)

To wrap up, the film stated that the Pol Pot regime self-destructed in 1979. The leaders enforced a massive wave of torture and execution fueled by internal paranoia which ended up diminishing the regime itself. The country then wallowed through a decade of occupation then by the Vietnamese. There was a mass exodus of Cambodians displaced by the Pol Pot Regime to Thailand. The international community at this point began to take notice of the situation and began relief efforts.

Then in 1991, the UN took over the situation instituting a cease-fire and the repopulation of the country. That's as far as I know. Some of this information, I have to admit, was aided by Wikipedia. Though the history listed on that site is much more thorough than mine, it's also notably pro-American slanted.

Anyway, wow. What a story. I came out of watching the documentary with my mind spinning, mostly because I was trying to figure out what the French filmmaker had said at all. But a walk down the bustling and brightly lit Pub Street in Siem Reap has spoken volumes as to how far the country has come since the UN came in just 17 years ago.

When I started on this trip, Cambodia was not even considered among the countries I wanted to visit. Granted, I knew very little about the place. Cambodia equaled land mine-zone to me. But this city is bustling with tourists. I know many young travelers who stated that Cambodia had been their favorite stop. And yet, I still must remind myself, I've only yet seen where the tourists go. Despite the new wealth here, there are street children and amputees everywhere.

Well, phew. This is the first time I've been inspired to write in a long time. This place must have struck some kind of chord in me.

Tomorrow I visit Ankhor Wat. That should make for some amazing photos. Unfortunately, my camera lens is broken. Six months of travel has taken its toll on my equipment. I can still take photos, but it's trickier now with a lens that doesn't open as wide as before, and no more auto-focus. Ahhh well...

Much more soon.