Cambodia : TRUTH BECOMES THE ENEMY (2of2) [KH]

There are multiple ironies. The name Tuol Sleng means "hill of the poison tree." Sleng is a tall tropical shade tree that bears the poisonous Sleng fruit used to brew a powerful and deadly potion. Duch, the head of Tuol Sleng, was a former schoolteacher name Kong Kech Eav. Duch even set aside specific days for killing various types of prisoners: one day the wives of enemies; another day the children; a different day, factory workers. In the province, the real operative division was between the evacuees (the New People and those who had lived in revolutionary areas before 1975 (The Old or Base people).

The first division was between the old people and the new people. the old people were those who had lived in the Khmer Rouge zones during the war and had contributed. They were also called base people, which refers both to their life in base areas during the war and their origins in the basic classes-the workers and peasants classes in whose name the Khmer Rouge made the revolution. The new people were those who had lived on the other side during the war and were literally new to the revolution and to the Khmer Rouge ideas of revolution. This distinction was often made with dates. The old people were called 18 March people, the date of the Lon Nol coup against Sihanouk which inaugurated the war. The new people were 17 April people, the date of the Khmer Rouge victory.

This was originally a popular distinction but it became standard party language. And the old people carried it one step farther. They felt burdened and threatened by the influx of new people into their zones at war's end. The party gave them more responsibility than they wanted without the necessary wherewithal to cope, or any reward for fulfilling their new duties. They considered themselves generous for simply giving these new people a space to lay their heads and enough food to keep them alive. When the people came from Phnom Penh they had nothing and we gave them everything, said the leader of one cooperative in the South-western zone. They couldn't do any of the tasks. We had to teach them how cultivate and harvest. They weren't worth anything in the first year.

During 1975, there were no specific new directives. The party was relying on the old people to save the situation and somehow produce a surplus harvest at the end of the year. The old people took advantage of this administration by fiat to create a new cooperative hierarchy that would put them at the top, protect their privileges (property), and put the new people at the bottom.

The second category was probationary or candidate membership. Fewer new people were accepted immediately into this category, which allowed them some participation in the management of the cooperative, the use of better tools, and a better share of the rations. They were also more likely to given the benefits of the doubt if they failed at various tasks. New people such as former rickshaw drivers, poor peasants who had fled to Phnom Penh during the war and the urban poor were most likely to be accepted as candidate members.

The top category was full-rights membership. The old people kept this category for themselves, entitling them to divide the shares of the cooperative food, equipment, housing, clothing, and other material goods. Only full members were allowed to determine cooperative policy, hand out work assuagements, and recommend members for admission to the party, the army, and plum jobs elsewhere. The full members also decide which children and single men and women were sent on work brigades. They meted out what passed for justice. The cooperative leaders listened to the full members when they complained of reactionary behaviour, bad work performance, and other perceived sins among the cooperative membership. The full members were the overseers, the judges, and the jury. They were in charge of security, and their reports of traitorous behaviour could lead to imprisonment and death. They were also in charge of the spies that were a constant, cancerous feature of cooperative life

From the first days of the revolution the Khmer communists had suffered less from their enemies than from their friends-the Vietnamese who wanted to dominate the party, their own leaders who became informers for Sihanouk, the Chinese who supported Sihanouk to their detriment, and the Vietnamese, again, in their first post-war territorial disputes. In 1976 the people executed were members of the old society: 164 factory workers, 112 people from the population at large, 61 students, 35 professors, 20 doctors and nurses, 49 engineers, 55 bureaucrats of the old regime, 209 soldiers of the old regime and 47 students and dignitaries from overseas. Of the over 750 executions recorded that year at Tuol Sleng, no more than twelve were communist party members. It was the year when the Bophana of Cambodia were tortured and murdered.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Cambodia
• Khieu
• Samphan
• Kampuchea
• Kong
• Kech
• Eav
• Duch
• Vietnam

[Rain2050]

Alright, Vietnamese involved in the cause of Killing Field;however, no Vietnamese could stay alive during Khmer rouge region. I believe that Vietnamese always planning to take Cambodia, and Khmer rouge was trying to protect Cambodia. I'd would say THANK YOU. However, Khmer rouge kills khmer from 1975 until 1979. Vietnam killed Khmer by INDIRECT, but KHMER ROUGE KILLED KHMER BY DIRECT AND ON HIS OWN. So Khmer rouge is not wise because they were used by Vietnamese to kill Khmer.

[AhmekKhmer]

Rain2050, Which Khmer Rouge are you talking about?

[lma4utube]

Khmer politicians, as usual, are always a few steps behind their rival enemies. Question: if vietnamese were thought to be Khmer rival enemies - why were they allowed to be in Cambodia helping Khmer rouge to oust Lon Nol regime? Having watched all these led me to believe that without their (vietnamese) helps Khmer Rouge group would just be a bunch of outlaw, looting and robing the poor innocent peasants living in the outskirts of city and country side.

[Rain2050]

Thank you so much. However, as I told you; I got the answer but it is not what you guess because I know more than that.. I know who is the real master.

[Rain2050]

Well sir.. I believe if we were strong enough, nobody can replace us. By your example, I can say that Cambodian who live in France they would replace French people.. Until that time, there will no more French. I believe that people have rights to make a living in other country. If Cambodian are strong, nobody can ruin us.

[Rain2050]

Good question sir. KHMER ROUGE is so huge and many. I believe I don't know them all;however, the answer is in my head and I know who for real, but please don't guess because you gonna get the wrong answer. I used to see my mum woke up at night with fear because she got a nightmare of KHMER ROUGE REGION. Save the KIDS and Cambodian, I beg!

[AhmekKhmer]

Rain2050, have you study about Vietnamese in Cambodia during the French colonial? If you haven't you should and that how they became Khmer and misinterpreted by the outside world. Since we cannot go back in time but you can actually look at the present day Cambodia and it is in second phase. Take this example: The Vietnamese were evacuated from Cambodians than Cambodians were slaughter after that the Vietnamese came to replace Cambodians.

[Rain2050]

Thank you sir. Truth becomes the enemy is true, I cant agree with you more. It is perfect and absolutely right. However, what I know is KHMER KILLED INNOCENCE KHMER on his own hand. A murder has never confessed that he had killed people. So No doubt, past is the past and it is just end up a huge poverty in Cambodia.

[AhmekKhmer]

Rain2050, I have link for you to read all about where the Khmer Rouge came from and who created. If you have time read it on my youtube page link. Good luck!!

[Rain2050]

Thank you so much for your advise, and I will bear in my head. If I were being dump, I just dump because I am innocence and lake of experience. I am the kid of the killing field, but what I know is KHMER KILLED KHMER because they were the most dump of all even they all were educated; they killed their own civilian.

[AhmekKhmer]

Rain2050, If you had known that Pol Pot were there to insure that the Vietnamese would not stray off course. Cambodia were bombed to the ground and were looted by Vietnamese I'm sure that Pol Pot cannot perform miracle not even Buddha. Take a moment and think about it.