Destiny Farias
Mr. Theisman
Sophomore English Per. 4
28 February, 2014

Genocide in Cambodia The genocide in Cambodia took place in the country South East Asia. Cambodia was sometimes Called Kampuchea. The variety of Cambodia lived on the fertile plains that were spawn by the flood waters of the Mekong River. Some people even lived by the Great Lake which is the Tonle Sap River Northwest of Phnom Penh. Phnom Penh is Cambodia’s Capital. Even though the united States Left Cambodia during the 1950’s and 1960’s, The Cambodian communist went back to Cambodia, to attack the non- communist people. According to author Judy Ledgerwood, “Meanwhile, Cambodian communist called Khmer Roug (Red Khmers) were engaging in fall- scale Warfare against the non- communist government” (Ledgerwood, Par 20). This quote demonstrates that it was the communist Cambodians that attacked their own people in Cambodia. This Genocide began in Cambodia. Altman writes, “On the morning of April 17, 1975, a group of insurgents called the Khmer rouge (Red Khmer) took the capital city of Phnom Penh, ending five long years of civil war in Cambodia” (Altman 75). Linda Altman explains the struggle with china and the Khmer Rouge. China and the Khmer Rouge went against another communist fraction, also along with them went an anti- Communist government named General Lon Nol. General Lon Nol was the ruler of Cambodia since he dethroned Prince Norodom Sihanouk in 1970. He was forced to leave Cambodia in April 1975. Some major events that happened during Cambodia was when The Khmer Rouge came into the Phnom Penh and were very suspicious. The Khmer Rouge wore black pajama like uniforms with these checkered scarves, and the uniforms were Kramer’s. Linda Altman said, “Many were only children, twelve, or thirteen years old, with faces to harden for their years” (Altman 76). Linda Altman clearly identifies the serious violent intentions of the group by wearing Kramer’s uniforms. The Khmer Rouge soldiers went from street to street and also door to door to tell the Cambodians to evacuate their homes as soon as possible. The American B- 52’s were going to bomb the country. There was some intervention during the Genocide in Cambodia. A man named Angka wanted to make his own society. He created a society where life was cheap and individuality was forever forbidden. Angka made a very catchy slogan that everyone in Cambodia knew, it said “To keep you is no benefit: To destroy you is no loss” Those words which Angka Loeu said, were a signal that there were going to be more tragedies and death for the Cambodians. The khemer Rouge power ruled Cambodia for over three years. According, to Nordlinger, “they ruled for three years, eight months and twenty days tile January 7th, 1979. Their rule was one of the most savaged episodes in human history” (Nordlinger, par.3). In 1979, there were some efforts to intervene and assist the Cambodians who were being persecuted by the Khmer Rouge Government. Ledgerwood reports, “In January, 1979, Vietnamese troops and allied Cambodian Communists won control of most of Cambodia and overthrew the Khmer Rouge Government. The victorious Cambodians renamed the