An Atrocity - The Khmer Rouge Regime

The oppression and exploitation of Khmer Rouge regime is filled with cruelty and inhumanity action. Even after the fall of the regime, all survivors struggled to start their lives anew but it was difficult till this very day. It is impossible to prevent the psychological trauma, fear and horror from permeating their daily lives. The trauma of the genocide extends more than thirty years as the memories of witnessing the horrors haunted the very core of the victims, children of survivors and even the perpetrators of the crime. No one in Cambodia was left untouched by a genocide that killed almost 25% of the entire population. For more thirty years, no formal justice system has been established to bring those leaders of the sadistic Khmer Rouge regime to trial.

Although the Khmer Rouge ended with the Vietnamese invasion of Phnom Penh, the Khmer Rouge’s policies of forced collectivization and social reconstructivism left behind a legacy that lingered long after its demise and a vastly uneducated and unskilled society, a displaced and traumatized nation, a population of widow and children and a country with landmines that even today continue to maim and kill. Worst of all, it left behind a legacy far from over that will likely to take generations to heal. Viciousness of this nature should not return into the Angkor territory as in any part of the world.

In short, the following best describe the instances of despair and hopelessness that tear the lives of the people then.

"No religious rituals, no religious symbols, no fortune tellers, no traditional healers, no paying respects to elders, no social status, no titles

No education, no training, no school, no learning, no science, no technology, no pens, no paper

No currency, no battering, no buying, no selling, no begging, no giving, no purses, no wallets

No human rights, no liberty, no courts, no judges, no laws, no attorneys

No communications, no public transportation, no private transportation, no traveling, no mailing, no inviting, no visiting, no faxes, no telephones

No social gatherings, no chitchatting, no jokes, no laughter, no music, no dancing

No romance, no flirting, no fornication, no dating, no wet dreaming, no masturbating, no naked sleepers, no bathers, no nakedness in showers, no love songs, no love letters, no affection

No marrying, no divorcing, no marital conflicts, no fighting, no profanity, no cursing

No shoes, no sandals, no toothbrushes, no razors, no combs, no mirrors, no lotion, no make up, no long hair, no braids, no jewellery, no soap, no detergent, no shampoo, no knitting, no embroidering, no colored clothes except black, no styles except pajamas, no wine, no palm sap hooch, no lighters, no cigarettes, no morning coffee, no afternoon tea, no snacks, no desserts, no breakfast, sometimes no dinner

No mercy, no forgiveness, no regret, no remorse, no second chances, no excuses, no complaints, no grievances, no help, no favours, no eyeglasses, no dental treatment, no vaccines, no medicines, no hospitals, no doctors, no disabilities, no social diseases, no tuberculosis, no leprosy

No kites, no marbles, no rubber bands, no cookies, no popsicle, no candy, no playing, no toys, no lullabies, no rest, no vacations, no holidays, no weekends, no games, no sports, no staying up late, no newspapers

No radio, no TV, no drawing, no painting, no pets, no pictures, no electricity, no lamp oil, no clocks, no watches

No hope, No life. A third of the people didn’t survive. The regime died." – Sarith Powin