Cambodia is one of the countries in Southeast Asia and is famous for its pagoda, Angkor Wat Pagoda. The region is bordered by Laos, Vietnam and Thailand.
Khmer is a term for Cambodian people. This is because there are Khmer ethnic groups who are the majority of their people who embrace Theravada Buddhism. As for the minorities themselves, there are also those who embrace Islam who come from Muslim descendants of Cham.
At present, the country of Cambodia or also known as Kampuchea is indeed safe, where its people can live a life that is no longer tense. Yes, as long as you know if this country has had a very dark history in its time.
In fact, when other ASEAN countries have been able to build things in their countries, precisely the countries that are the 10th member of ASEAN still have to struggle with the tense state of the country. Its citizens must live under fear, hide and try to survive in difficult ways.
Do you want to know more clearly about the dark history of Cambodia? If so, this is the history of the Khmer Rouge in the country of Cambodia.
Once a sovereign country on November 9, 1953, Cambodia had not become a French colony. Cambodia held an election and King Norodom Sihanouk was elected as their leader.
Countries in the form of this kingdom began to try to rise and become a developing country. But, in 1975 when King Sihanouk was visiting Moscow for state affairs, a radical group called the Khmer Rouge (Khmer Rouge) staged a coup in the city of Phnom Penh.
Led by Pol Pot, the radical group proclaimed that Cambodia had become a new country, and in 1975 it became 'Year Zero' for the country.
The Khmer Rouge then declared that on April 17, 1975 was Cambodia's Liberation Day from a corrupt regime. However, it is not freedom gained by its people.
On the contrary, this is the beginning of Cambodia's dark history after Pol Pot, the leader of the radical communist group, appeared carrying a new flag for Cambodia.
The Khmer Rouge, known as this technical group, had indeed carried out guerrilla warfare against Marshal Lon Nol and the Sihanouk regime from the 1960s to the 1970s, in 1975 the year the Khmer Rouge could overthrow the regime and occupy the city of Phnom Penh.
That way, Cambodia is automatically led by this radical group and Pol Pot (Saloth Sar) is the chairman.
In the dark history of the Cambodian Khmer Rouge, within a few days of the leadership of the Khmer Rouge, this new regime had executed many Cambodians who supported the Lon Nol regime.
Many residents have to flee to other places, especially those who live in the city of Phnom Penh, which is a dead city. There were no economic activities running in the capital and also all of Cambodia at that time. There is no money in circulation, hunger, and epidemics spread everywhere.
Forty-four months later, Cambodians live under the terrible terror of the Khmer Rouge. The refugees who managed to flee to Thailand told the story that children who were not descendants of farmers were killed like merchant children and intellectuals.
In addition, many Chinese and Vietnamese people were killed. The way of killing was very sadistic. Victims will be killed by being beaten to death. The group reasoned that if these people were killed by shooting, their ammunition would quickly run out.
The atrocities of the radical Khmer Rouge group have reached the ears of the world and this clearly makes the world rash. With a new concept, Cambodia has been transformed into an agrarian country. All things including currencies, posts, and also relations with foreign countries were cut off.
There is no Cambodian law anymore because a terrible new law has been applied. And in a fairly short period of time, this radical group has massacred millions of Cambodians.
There are at least 343 mass slaughter fields used to torture and kill many people, estimated that more than 2 million Cambodians must be sacrificed.
The site of the massacre spread throughout Cambodia with Choeung Ek as the most famous massacre.
This is because in that place, many people were killed sadistically and most of them were Cambodian intellectuals such as former information minister Hou Nim, Phorng Ton as lawyers and western citizens such as David Lioy Scott.
The murdered intellectuals will be interrogated beforehand by members of the Khmer Rouge. The famous interrogation site is south of Phnom Penh. Inulah Tuol Sleng, who was originally a Ponhea Yat high school.
That's where the intellectuals were interrogated sadistically. They prisoners must mention 15 people who belong to intellectuals like them. If they refuse, of course they will experience very painful things.
For example, their nails will be removed and put into liquid alcohol. Or, some are drowned in water and also shocked. For more tragic women, besides being tortured while being interrogated, they will also be raped in turn by Khmer Rouge extremists.
The intellectual prisoners were then executed after 2 to 4 months. The place of execution was at the famous Choeung Ek at that time. And some are detained for 6-7 months because they are still considered important information.
Then, on December 25, 1978, Vietnam invaded Cambodia. This is due to the many violations that occurred on the border of Vietnam and Cambodia. This intervention then overthrew the domination of Pol Pot and its Khmer Rouge leader in Cambodia.
Furthermore, the leadership of the country was under Heng Samrin. He is a former member of the radical group that has defected to Vietnam.
Whereas Pol Pot and his followers ran into the forest to escape arrest, and during that time they remained hiding in the forest while gathering new strength.
Then he returned to his guerrilla war again as before before overthrowing the regime. But fate said otherwise, Pol Pot was known to have died in the forest due to a heart attack on April 15, 1998.
During a time of peace, in 1982, three different factions in Cambodia made a coalition. The coalition aims to repel the Vietnamese army in Cambodia and has led Cambodia.
Finally, in 1989, Vietnamese soldiers left Cambodia. Three years later, precisely in 1992, the United Nations temporarily took over the leadership of Cambodia which then held an election to elect a new Cambodian leader.
This election result was won by FUNCINPEC. Then, FUNCINPEC itself finally formed a coalition with the CPP, the party led by Hun Sen.
Until now, Cambodia has become a developing country, it is of course indirectly with the help of foreign countries. In fact, Cambodia has also held the trial of a former leader of the radical Khmer Rouge group with heavy charges of crimes against humanity.
Yes, the history of the Khmer Rouge dictatorship in Cambodia has ended, but that does not mean that the 'latent danger' of the remaining Khmer Rouge future generation is no longer possible to haunt the Cambodian people.