The Cold War: Country Trends--Cambodia


Figure 1.--Of all the countries involved in the Cold War, the fate of Cambodia may be the sadest. The United States abandoned Cambodia to the tender mercies of the Communist Kymer Rouge (1965). The Kymer Rouge proceeded to murder over a million people and enslave most of the rest of the population. Some Cambodians escaped to neigboring countries where they were held in refgugee camps. The photograph was taken in on June 5, 1979. This little boy looks ton be ethnic Chineser-Cambodians. The press caption read, "A youngster gets a view of the world through barbed wire as camp for Cambodian regugees at Aranyaprathet May 13 [1979]. There were more than 4,000 refugees crowded into the camp. Many were said ton be ethnic Chinese expelled by the new Cambodian government." The North Vietnamese invaded Cambodia in 1979 and expelled the Kymer Rouge. The Chinese has supported the Kymer Government which heighhtened historical animosity between the two countries.

One of the most tragic Cold War experiences was that of Cambodia. Cambodia was eventually drawn into the Vietnam War. Sihanouk attempted to remain neutral in the Cold War struggle between the United Staes and the Soviet Union as the North Vietnamese attempoted to seize South Vietnm by supporting the Viet Cong. He changed his position when President Johnson decided to intervene massively in the War (1965). He broke diplomatic relations with the United States. He also allowed the Communist Vietnamese to set up bases in eastern Cambodia to support their forces across the border in Vietnam. The War hurt the Cambodian economy. Sihanouk decided to renew diplomatic relarions with the United States in the hope of obtaining American assistance. The United States began planning to bomb the Vietnamese bases in Cambodia. While Sihanouk was out of the country, he was overthrowen (1970). He sought refuge in China. The Khmer Rouge seized control of Phnom Penh at about the same time the North Vietnamese entered Saigon (1965). The victory of the Kymer Rouge (1975) ushered in a tragic period of Cambodia history. The Kymer Rouge sought to remake Cambodian society through a terrible genocide. The Khmer Rouge were an essentially rural peasant army. They were largely hostile to urban Cambodians. The Kymer Rouge leaderhip called Ankar ordered Canodian cities to be enptied and the people forced into the countryside. They were forced to work as essentially state slaves in various forms of prinitive agriculture. The leading figure in Ankar was Saloth Sar who became known as Pol Pot. The government was the Democratic Kampochea (DK). It was eun bt by rural Cambodians who were uneducated and largely illiterate. The basic qualification was participation in the Khmer Rouge during the war. Ankar ordered that educated people be identified. Any one involved with the previous regime such as goivernment workers, police, soldiers, teachers, and others were arrested and executed, often after beiung tortured. The Kymer Rouge muredered an estimated 20 percent of Cambodia's population. Most were murdered outright Others died from abuse, malnutrition, and lack of medical care.

Independence (1955)

After World War II and the the First Vietamese War, France granted Cambodia independence (1955). The Cambodian momarchy under King Sihanouk sought to steer a neutral path. King Sihanouk abdicated the throne and entered Cambodian politics. Sihanouk founded a political faction whivh he called called the People's Socialist Community (Sangkum Reastr Niyum). He won a landslide victory in the first national elections and became prinme minidter (1955). He was undeniably populr, but there was also police brutality at the polls. His father died (1960)/ He then became head of state.

Cambodian Civil War (1965-75)

Cambodia was eventually drawn into the Vietnam War. Sihanouk attempted to remain neutral in the Cold War struggle between the United Staes and the Soviet Union as the North Vietnamese attempoted to seize South Vietnm by supporting the Viet Cong. He changed his position when President Jojnson decided to intervene massively in the War (1965). He broke diplomatic relations with the United States. He also allowed the Communist Vietnamese to set up bases in eastern Cambodia to support their forces across the border in Vietnam. The War hurt the Cambodian economy. Sihanouk decided to renew diplomatic relarions with the United States in the hope of obtaining American assistance. The United States began planning to bomb the Vietnamese bases in Cambodia. While Sihanouk was out of the country, he was overthrowen (1970). He sought rfuge in China. Prime Minister Lon Nol hoped for massive U.S. assistance. The U.S. at the time was increasingly focused on withdrrawing from the Vietnam War. There was little support for another mahor commitment in Southeast Asia. The poorly equipped Cambodian Army did not have the capability of keep either the North Vietnmese out or South Vienamese incursions seachingfor the North Veitnamese. Sihanouk decided to set up a government while in exile, called the Khmer Rouge. he Khmer Rouge began to attack government forces in increasing strength. TheNorth Vietnamnese supported the Kymer Rouge.

Kymer Rouge (1975-79)

The Khmer Rouge seized control of Phnom Penh at avout the same time the North Vietnamese entered Saigon (1965). The victory of the Kymer Rouge (1975) ushered in a tragic period of Cambodia history. The Kymer Rouge sought to remake Cambodian society through a terrible genocide. The Khmer Rouge were an essentially rural peasant army. They were largely hostile to urban Cambodians. The Kymer Rouge leaderhip called Ankar ordered Canodian cities to be enptied and the people forced into the countryside. They were forced to work as essentially state slaves in various forms of prinitive agriculture. The leading figure in Ankar was Saloth Sar who became known as Pol Pot. The government was the Democratic Kampochea (DK). It was eun bt by rural Cambodians who were uneducated and largely illiterate. The basic qualification was participation in the Khmer Rouge during the war. Ankar ordered that educated people be identified. Any one involved with the previous refime such as goivernment workers, police, soldiers, teachers were arrested and executed, often after beiung tortured. Intellectual and religious people were also targetted. Ankasr saw these groups by their education and social class as being hostile to the regime. Oeopke's hands were examined and anyone without eidenbce of manual lasbor was suspect. The Kymer Rouge muredered an estimated 20 percent of Cambodia's population. Most were murdered outright Others died from abuse, malnutrition, and lack of medical care.

Vietnamese Intervention (1978-79)

The Khmer Rouge (KR) were initially of little importance. They became increasinly competent militarily as the North Vietnamese began traiing them and providing more modern weaponry. The KR leadership from the beginning was extremely provincial and suspicious of foreignes. This was not only th Frnch and Americans, but also the Vietnamese giventhe historical antagonism between the two people. As KR military capacity grew, so did suspicious of Vietnamese intentions. Here we are talking avout Communist Vietnamese intentions. As the North Vietnamese seized power in South Vietnam, scattered skirmishes between military patrols were reported (1975). It soon became clear that this was not accidental and associated with North Vietnamese forces moving south. These scirmishes steadily escalated in both frequency and size. Some KR soldiers deserted and fled into Vietnam. An undeclared war broke out (December 1977). The KR was prepaing a major attack into Vietnamese occupied areas. The Vienamese struck first. Vietnamese officials were not prepared to accept a permanent low-level war on its borders. China was providing military assiance to the KR while the Soviets were aiding th Vietnamese. Even so the KR did not have the military firepower or professiinalism of the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) which sent a force of 100,000 men jnto Cambodia (Decembr 1978). The Vietnamese invasion force blasted through Cambodian defenses. . Within two weeks the KR government fled Phnom Penh and the Vietnamese entered the capital. The Vietnamese set up a puppet regime -- People’s Republic of Kampuchea The Vietnamese used former KR personnel as well as Cambodians who had fled into Vietnam before the KR victory in 1975. The KR set up a a governmnt-in exile--the DK.

Refugees

he Cambodian humanitarian crisis began with the escalation of the Vietnam War, especially North Viertmananmese movement and enlargement of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, part of which ran thriough easter Cambodia, and American efforts to disrupt North Vietnamese miovemnt on the Trail. This began a humanitarian crisis affecting the Cambodian people, including death, torture, hunger, displacement, or emigratiomn for millions of Cambodians. Unlike the Vietnamese, the Cambodians did not become boat people. There were several phases of the developing Vietnanmese crisus: 1) Fighting in eastern Cambodia spilling over from the Vietnam War (1969). 2) The Cambodian Civil War between the Lon Nol government and the Communist Khmer Rouge (1970-75). This included the United States bombing of eastern Cambodia targetting thee Khmer Rouge and North Vietnamese sanctuaries and bases inside Cambodia and movemnbt down the Ho Chi Minh Trail. 3) The Kymer Rouge enter Pnom Penh and ruled the country for 4 deadly years (1975-79). This was by far the most deadly phase of the huminanitarian crisis as gthe Kymer Rouge launch an horific genocide. The Khmer Rouge as a matter of policy murdered or killed by starvation aquarter of the 8 million Cambodian people. 4) Next the Viernmese invaded Cambodia and overthrew the Khmer Rouge. Vietnam and the puppet Cambodian government it put in place governed the country for the 12 years. The Khmer Rouge and other groups fought a guerrilla war against the Vietnamese and the Cambodian government, mostly in western Cambodia. Few Cambodians during the Kymer Rouge era could make it to the Thai norder. With the Vietmamese invasion, the chaos created the opportunity for thousands to make the arduous trip to the Thai border, largely on foot (1979-80). They were not only escaping the fighting, but the famine that Kymer Rouge had caused. Various humanitarian organizations sought to meet the needs of the wave of humnity reaching Thailnd. Only the war between the Vietnamese and Kymer Rouge did not end, itvwent on for a decade (1981-91). This meant that hundreds of thousands of Cambodians were stuck in the Thai refugee camps, many along the border. Some 260,000 of the refugees were resettled abroad, more than half in the United States. The Cambodian humanitarian crisis was not resolved uhtil (1991-93). The Kymer Rouge finally lkayed down their arms. The Vietnamese withdrew from Cambdia. The United Nations attempted to help form an elected government. Some 360,000 Cambodians were repatriated from the Thai camps. They were emptied and closed. .








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Created: 2:49 AM 10/6/2013
Last updated: 10:37 PM 10/9/2018