Cambodian Remembers Khmer Rogue Genocide Ahead of Trial

ZHANG:
Next we have an insight in to what it was like in Cambodia when the Khmer Rogue was carrying out its acts of genocide in the late 70s. Sarah Matheson brings us the story.

STORY:
To look at Timothy Chhim, you cannot tell what he has lived through. He was in Phenom Phen, in April 1975, when the Khmer Rogue took the capital city.

He and his relatives were forced from their homes, and taken to the killing fields.

In this dark chapter of Cambodian history, one quarter of the population was executed. And every family was affected.

[Timothy Chhim, Khmer Rouge Victim]:
I was put in one camp, inside a temple. And a couple of days later they took us to another camp stationed about 10 kilometers away."

[Timothy Chhim, Khmer Rouge Victim]:
They told us that they needed us to go back to the capital city to receive Prince Sinook, Prince Sinook was at that time in Beijing."

[Timothy Chhim, Khmer Rouge Victim]:
We still didn't know that we were going to be sent to be killed.

When he realized they were actually taking people deep in to the jungle for execution, he ran. The soldiers started firing their guns at him.

[Timothy Chhim, Khmer Rouge Victim]:
Thats when I know that the reason they collect us was not for going back to the capital. All of those people were sent to be killed.

On February 17, former Khmer Rouge leader Duch is facing trial. But in a country where the Prime Minister is a former a member of the Khmer Rouge, many Cambodians feel justice is unlikely.

[Timothy Chhim, Khmer Rouge Victim]:
So this trial is for five people. The top leadership. Can you imagine that 1.7 million people is just being killed by five people and not anyone else is responsible for that? Its just not fair.

He says China and Russia have been covering the role that they played during the genocide.

[Timothy Chhim, Khmer Rouge Victim]:
Not too many people believe that the Chinese really want this trial completed.

[Timothy Chhim, Khmer Rouge Victim]:
The feeling is that justice is not going to be done.

This is Sarah Matheson, NTD, New York.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• ntd
• ntdtv
• news
• khmer rouge
• genocide
• cambodia
• Timothy
• Chhim

[uphamtimothy]

What is so ironic is that the Khmer Rouge was actually split into two camps. One claimed that the Vietnamese are our communist brothers. The other -- which was led by Pol Pot -- went back to the ancient hatred and mistrust of the Vietnamese. Not all of the victims, but many were actually Khmer Rouge who did not follow Pol Pot's doctrine. Like the Great Purge of the Soviet Union were communists, who did not follow Stalin's doctrine.

[asianwannabeamerican]

@COMMUNISTPHILOSOPHY I have NEVER before heard of ANY Killing Fields-deniers. As patriotic of an American as I am, EVEN I agree that the US shares of blame for feeding the chaos and abandoning Kampuchea. But to say the number of victims is propaganda makes no sense to me. If you are Chomsky & Herman are correct, why didn't the propagandists create an even larger number? Why stop at 2 million?

Remember, you don't have to defend these murderers just because you share the same ideology.

[COMMUNISTPHILOSOPHY]

'It is a fair generalization that the larger the number of deaths attributed to the Khmer Rouge, and the more the U.S. role is set aside, the larger the audience that will be reached. The Barron-Paul volume is a third-rate propaganda tract, but its exclusive focus on Communist terror assures it a huge audience.'

Chomsky&Herman, "Distortions at Fourth Hand", The Nation, June 6, 1977

[tinkybee1]

I HOPE ALL THE KHMER ROUGE ROT IN HELL!

[MrSumedhi]

មានហេតុ ផលក៏ចេញមក! នេះមកពីប្រជាជនខ្មែរភាគច្រើន និងជនថ្នាក់មេដឹកនាំកងទ័ពទាំងបី­¬ក្រុមទ័ព មិនសូវចាប់អារម្មណ៍ពីនយោបាយដឹកន­ាំរដ្ឋបានស៊ីបានចុកពីការពុករលួយ­រដ្ឋ បូកជាមួយនឹងការគ្មានចំណេះដឹងផង ក៏ក្លាយជាចំណីរបស់ពូកអ្នកស្នេហា­-អំណាច! បណ្ដោយឲ្យមនុស្សដែលជាមេដឹកនាំមួ­¬យនាក់ពីរនាក់ ជាអ្នកស្នេហាអំណាចអូសទាញយកទៅប្រ­ើការបាន រហូតមកដល់បច្ចុប្បន្ននេះក៏នៅតែជ­ឿងប់នូវមេដឹកនាំ មេដឹកនាំកំហូចប៉ុណ្ណាក៏នៅតែគាំទ­្រ! ដោយមិនចេះមើលត្រឡប់មកខ្លួនឯងនិង­¬សង្គមរួមថា ជីវភាពរស់នៅសព្វថ្ងៃរបស់ខ្លួន វាធ្លាក់ដុនដាបដល់កម្រឹតណា! ជិតខ្ស័យអស់!

[LawaiiBingo]

i am cambodian. I really want to watch more about khmer rogue on tv. Because i can watch only 07.jan every years...

[alphafirstoneyou]

the only way to survive that event was to be a member of the KM.meaning one of the killers

[EncompassedRunner]

and people say this kind of stuff can't happen now...but this was not long ago...this video is a valuable reminder to not forget that it can happen

[savankoy]

Watch what you say. Non survivers were gone. How can they live under communist Viet?

[savankoy]

I did not say Gen. Lon Nol died in Cambodia. What we were talking about is Lon Non. his brother. I met Gen. Lon Nol on Cambodian Embassy, Washington DC in Winter 1977. He was cripple at the time. Senator Bob Dole was there too. Could you please read the comments carefully? I believe you get confused yourself. Thanks.