Khmer Rouge: The Khmer Rouge was a communist movement that
started a civil war in Cambodia. They took over the government in 1975 and then
stopped ruling in 1979. Even though they were only ruling for 4 years the Khmer
Rouge killed about 1/3 of the people in the country. That’s about 2.7 million
people. The Khmer Rouge represented themselves by wearing all black-they are
also known as the Revolutionary Soldiers or The Organization. The Organization
discouraged intelligence and killed and tortured people with glasses, teachers,
doctors, monks, or other rich, important or smart people. Millions of families
were separated because the Khmer Rouge didn’t want people plotting a rebellion.
In addition, fathers were separated from their families and forced to be a
soldier or taken away and killed. Most of the country worked in fields or labor
camps all day. They were starved with barely enough food to live, they were fed
only rice and sometimes an oatmeal substance. They were forced to work long,
horrible hours and sleep deprived, so even though millions of people weren’t in
prison or torture centers they were still pushing their bodied to the limits
and on the verge of dying.
S-21 Prison: This prison was one of the most brutal torture
and execution centers ever. It was first a school but in 1976, a year after the
Khmer rouge started ruling, became a prison. This center was so brutal that
only 7 out of 14,000 prisoners survived. Kangkechleu was the head of the S-21
prison and he believed that torture would lead to the truth, and because of
this many inmates were forced to make up false information to stop being
tortured. There were many different way of torture and killing, and the only
way that they did not kill people was with using guns because they were too
expensive. This was one of many torture centers in Cambodia during the Khmer
Rouge.
The Killing Fields: The killing fields were where the Khmer
Rouge brought people to be executed. People were executed for, many times, no
reason at all and other times for unacceptable reasons. A few of the main
reasons is because people had pale skin, smooth hands, or wore glasses. These
people were executed because if you had glasses the Khmer Rouge thought you
were smart, if you had smooth skin they would execute you because you’re rich
and if you were pale you were the “enemy.” The Khmer Rouge soldiers would bring
people at night in trucks. They would tell them that they were being released
but they weren’t. They would sometimes push them into big pits and bury them
alive, but they also clubbed them to death, then pushed them into pits. These
killing fields were located all around the country and millions of people were buried
here.
Religion: The main religion in Cambodia is Buddhism. 95% of
the country is Buddhism and 5% is Christianity and Hinduism. There are many
temples with monks that live in them even to this day, they are a large tourist
attraction in the country as well. There are three main symbols of Buddhism-the
wheel, the lotus flower, and Buddha. The wheel represents reincarnation, the
lotus flowered represents luck, and Buddha is the main symbol of the religion.
Everybody who is Buddhist believes in Nirvana. Nirvana is the amazing after
life that everyone wants to reach. They believe that everything you do in your
lifetime affects your next lifetime. If you are a caring, good person then you
will live a better life in your next lifetime and you will be closer to
reaching Nirvana.
Government: Cambodia has had a long history with its
government. In 1863 Cambodia became a protectorate of France. Then, in 1946 an
armed campaign took place to free the country from France. Cambodia finally was
no longer under France’s power in 1953. After Cambodia broke free from France
they also broke off their relations with the US. Lon Nol served two terms of
Prime Minister of Cambodia-he was elected in 1966 and again in 1969. During the
Khmer Rouge the Cambodian currency (riel) was worthless. After the Khmer Rouge
reign was overthrown, Cambodia retained their seat in the UN in 1981. Today
Norodom Sihomoni is the king of Cambodia, and Hun Sen is the Prime Minister who
was reelected in 2004. Cambodia is currently a constitutional monarchy.
Economy: The economy in Cambodia is very similar to other
Asian countries. 35% of agriculture contributes to Cambodia’s economy and 55%
of Cambodia’s population are in the agricultural business. Most of the rice
farms in Cambodia are located in the eastern and southwestern parts of the
country. A few products produced are corn, silk, and rubber. A few exported
goods are tobacco, clothing, fish and rice. Some imported goods are gold items,
oil and machines. Although Cambodia is a small country it trades with some of
the world powers. Cambodia’s trading partners include Western Europe, U.S.A,
and other East Asian countries. Cambodia also attracts millions of tourists
each year, contributing about $1.7 billion to its economy. Tourism has created
300,000 jobs for Cambodian citizens. Some of the popular tourist locations are
the royal palace, the Angkor Wat temples, the genocide museum, and the S-21
killing fields. An average Cambodian makes about $1.25 a day. 16% of people
work in industry and 27% work in service business.
Culture: Cambodia has a culture that is based around
respecting elders as well as very specific meanings around body parts. In Cambodia it is considered very rude to
point your feet at someone because they are the lowest part of your body. It is
also very rude to cross your legs in in a person’s house. It is also a custom
to remove your hat when entering a building. In Cambodia your head is a sacred
part of your body. While sitting down you must always sit lower than elders.
Men do not show many feelings because it is a sign of weakness. This is similar to the Khmer Rouge regime-the
only difference is that if men showed emotion during the ruling of the Khmer
Rouge they would most likely be killed. In addition, women do not wear too much
perfume, just enough. Finally, another of the many customs is to never touch a
Buddhist statue.
Going to Cambodia I will definitely face situations out of
my comfort zone. For instance the culture is very different so I will have to
learn quickly and make sure I do not offend anyone while in the country. The
Khmer Rouge was a terrible part of Cambodia’s history and I know people will
mention it to me. Even though I have just researched it I will still have a
hard time talking about it to people because because it so brutal and millions
of people died from it. From going to Cambodia I will change a lot even prior
to meeting the children just experiencing the culture and seeing all the people
because it is so different from our country.
