The Khmer Rouge takeover
Phnom Penh falls to Khmer Rouge forces on the morning of 17 April 1975.33
POPULATION DISPLACEMENTS
administrative zones
18-29 April
After capturing Phnom Penh, the CPK’s armed forces begin mopping up operations against the leadership of the former Khmer Republic, its soldiers, and civil servants.
In the name of Angkar Padevat (Revolutionary Organization), the CPK expel at least 2 million people from the capital to rural areas,
causing a massive humanitarian crisis due to the lack of food, water, medicine, and shelter. It is the hottest time of the year; thousands of people die during the expulsion.
People are “evacuated” under the pretext of imminent US bombing and are given false assurances that they will return within three days.
It is the hottest time of the year. Those who refuse to leave their homes or to follow instructions of Khmer Rouge soldiers are shot and killed on the spot. Those who survive the expulsion are resettled in rural areas including Battambang, Kampong Cham, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Speu, Kampong Thom, Kampot, Kandal, Prey Veng, Pursat, Svay Rieng and Takeo.34
A society of worker-peasants
The forced relocation, enslavement, and total control of people’s lives was a cornerstone of the CPK’s plan to rapidly implement socialist revolution in Cambodia, to build the country, and to transform its population into a society of worker-peasants. To achieve this objective, the CPK ban all money, markets, traditional culture, and religion.35
The CPK distinguish between two categories of people
A two-tiered society
“Old People” or “Base People” were from poorer classes who were mostly peasants at the time the Khmer Rouge occupied their areas. The CPK considered them to be superior to “New People”.36 “New People” or “17 April People” broadly referred to the urban population or those who were living under Khmer Republic control until April 1975. These included former civil servants and officials of the Khmer Republic, intellectuals, landowners, capitalists, “feudalists” and the “petty bourgeoisie”, all of whom were considered to be detractors of the socialist revolution.37 The CPK considered New People to be “corrupt” elements of the population and subjected them to miserable treatment as a result.38
Systematic forced labor
Across Cambodia, people are enslaved to harvest crops and construct a nationwide irrigation system of dams, reservoirs, dykes, and canals. Despite persistent drought and food shortages, the CPK forces people to work longer and harder to produce unrealistic and ever-increasing grain quotas at any cost. The Party demands that rice production be raised first to 3 tonnes per hectare, and then 6 tonnes per hectare – three times the traditional Cambodian rice yield – to generate money to build the country.39 Those displaced from their homes are not only forced to work in the fields. Many are enslaved in state factories and worksites including the Trapeang Thma Dam, 1st January Dam, and Kampong Chhnang Airfield. Workers never receive any pay for their toil and are forced to work in inadequate and often dangerous circumstances, usually under fear of “re-education”.40 Those who fail to obey instructions or complete their tasks diligently are accused of being enemies and often disappear or are executed.
30 April
Vietnamese communist forces march on Saigon. The war in Vietnam ends.
MAY
The first armed skirmishes occur between Cambodian and Vietnamese forces in border regions, islands, and territorial waters.41
AUGUST
After emptying Phnom Penh of its population, the Khmer Rouge continue expelling other population centres along National Roads 5 and 6.
Inhabitants of provincial towns including Siem Reap, Takeo, Kampong Som, Pursat, Pailin, Poipet and Battambang are removed by August 1975.42
POPULATION DISPLACEMENTS
administrative zones
National roads
POPULATION DISPLACEMENTS
administrative zones
September October
In late 1975, Cham communities in the East Zone revolt against the Khmer Rouge, who have imposed restrictions on religious and cultural practices. As a result of these “rebellions”, the Cham are dispersed throughout the North Zone and Northwest Zone, some via the Northeast Zone. This is done to “ease tensions” along the Mekong River and to distribute the Cham population around Cambodia.43
OCTOBER
To the outside world, the CPK continues to operate behind the façade of Norodom Sihanouk’s “Royal Government”.
In reality, state power has been consolidated under the Party’s control. The CPK retains Norodom Sihanouk as Head of State to boost its legitimacy, but Sihanouk does not stay very long.44
Democratic Kampuchea
The CPK continues to expel hundreds of thousands of people from their homes in the Southwest, West and East Zones.
Ordinary people from Kampong Speu, Kandal, Takeo, Prey Veng, Svay Rieng and Kampong Cham provinces are transferred to worksites and cooperatives in Battambang and Pursat, Kampong Thom, and Preah Vihear where they are enslaved.45
POPULATION DISPLACEMENTS
administrative zones
From season to season, tens of thousands of people are continuously relocated across the country to harvest rice and build infrastructure for the fledgling country.
Despite persistent drought and food shortages, the Khmer Rouge force workers to work longer and harder to produce unrealistic and ever-increasing grain quotas “at any cost”. Those who fail to obey instructions are accused of being “enemies” and often disappear or are executed.46
A new constitution comes into effect on 5 January, naming the new Cambodian state “Democratic Kampuchea”.
JANUARY
Government institutions are created on paper but prove to be a sham. A legislature, the “People’s Representative Assembly”, is established but it only ever meets once to rubberstamp decisions of the CPK. “People’s courts” are envisioned in the constitution but no functioning judicial system is ever established. The monarchy is replaced by a State Presidium which is selected by the Party. The highest offices of state – those of Prime Minister, President, and chairman of the legislature – will be held by senior CPK leaders Pol Pot, Khieu Samphan and Nuon Chea, respectively.
Democratic Kampuchea is a country in which “the Party leads the state”.47 Nevertheless, the Party still operates in secret and has not yet announced its existence to the public.
-
Absolute surveillance and control
An important strategic line of the revolution is to “control the people”, which the CPK partly implements through its administration of “liberated” zones.48 The Khmer Rouge replace provinces with “Zones” and other sub-units which are controlled directly by trusted Party members and senior CPK leaders. This system enables the absolute surveillance of the entire population by “Angkar” which, as people are warned, “has as many eyes as a pineapple”.49
Who controls the population in the Zones?
april
Norodom Sihanouk announces his retirement. He has been marginalized by the CPK since 1970 and has no power to control events inside the country. Penn Nouth, the only remaining “Sihanoukist” in the government, is replaced by Pol Pot as Prime Minister.50
executive
POL Pot
Prime Minister
IENG Sary
Deputy Prime Minister Foreign Affairs
SON Sen
Deputy Prime Minister National Defence
VORN Vet
Deputy Prime Minister Economics and Finance
head of state
KHIEU Samphan
Chairman of the State Presidium
SAO Phim
1st Deputy
ROS Nhim
2nd Deputy
legislative
NUON Chea
Chair - PRA SC
TA Mok
2nd Deputy
paranoia & purges
The secrecy that always pervaded the CPK’s operations quickly develops into an atmosphere of paranoia.51 The CPK announces its existence to the public for the first time in September 197752 but the Party soon blames its many shortcomings on various “enemies”.
For example, the Khmer Rouge blame internal and external enemies for the failure of their own agrarian policies, internal discontent, and ongoing military skirmishes with Vietnam.53
IDENTIFYING ENEMIES
The Khmer Rouge roughly divide enemies into two categories:
INTERNAL ENEMIES
Those from within the ranks of the Party, the army, or civilians. Generally, anyone whose actions does not accord with the CPK’s Marxist-Leninist approach is an enemy. Specific categories of enemies include former ranking civilians military personnel of the Khmer Republic; New People; returnees from abroad; monks; and “CIA”, “KGB” and “Vietnamese” agents.54 Couples who refuse to provide children for the revolution are also considered enemies.55
EXTERNAL ENEMIES
Those from outside the Party organization who did not support the CPK. “Unfriendly” countries such as Vietnam, the United States, the Soviet Union, Thailand, Laos, Japan, France, Britain, West Germany and Canada were considered to be enemies at various times.56
Dealing with enemies
Security Centres
To deal with their enemies, the Party implements a policy that it has used inside its ranks since at least 1960: it establishes and operates security centres to isolate and “smash” (or kill) enemies. The Khmer Rouge delegate to cadres the right to smash enemies to “strengthen” state authority. In the process, they set up more than 200 security centres across Cambodia to implement their killing operation.57 S-21 Security Centre in Phnom Penh is the largest of the security centres, detaining more than 1,000 prisoners at any given time.58 Starting in 1976, S-21’s smashing operations drastically increase between 1977 and 1978 as diplomatic ties with Vietnam are cut, the military situation worsens, and CPK rhetoric against Vietnamese enemies intensifies.
GENOCIDAL CAMPAIGNS
The CPK mistreats ethnic and other minorities with particular vigour. Vietnamese and Cham populations are targeted for extermination in separate genocidal campaigns as the Khmer Rouge continue to pursue their objective of creating an atheistic and homogenous Khmer society of worker-peasants.59
Re-education
Less serious offenders (or “bad elements”) whose conduct is not considered “hostile and destructive” to the state are “re-educated”. Re-education includes a combination of political indoctrination, criticism/self-criticism sessions, and gruelling physical labour. This serves to eliminate counter-revolutionary tendencies and refashion the population into a single economic and social class. The CPK implements re-education at its security centres and worksites across the country.60
In response to the ongoing border conflict, the Khmer Rouge “evacuate” populations close to the Vietnamese frontier, including from Prey Veng, Svay Rieng, Kampong Cham and Kampong Chhnang, and force them to work in cooperatives or worksites in Pursat, Kampong Thom, Battambang, Takeo and Mondulkiri.61
poulation displacements POPULATION DISPLACEMENTS
administrative zones
The CPK’s paranoid search for enemies turns inwards and soon depletes the ranks of the government, zone leadership and military. Perceived traitors – no matter how high ranking – are arrested, brutally tortured, and executed across the country in large numbers.
At least 11,742 victims are executed at S-21 Security Centre alone.62
November
A fifth Party Congress convenes on 1-2 November to fill a leadership structure which has been largely depleted by purges. Members reinforce the need to continue defending the country, pursue agricultural, and implement economic objectives.63
Communist Party of Kampuchea at around the time of the fifth congress.
Standing Committee
POL Pot
Secretary
NUON Chea
Deputy Secretary
SAO Phim
Member
IENG Sary
Member
SON Sen
Member
TA Mok
Member
VORN Vet
Member
Central Committee
RUOS Nhim
Member
NEY Sarann
Member
KHIEU Samphan
Member
CHHIM Sam Aok
Member
EK Sophon
Member
CHOU Chet
KE Pauk
Member
SEAT Chhae
SOU Meth
Member
MEAS Muth
SAO Saroeun
Member
San
december
The Kampuchean National United Front for National Salvation (KNUFNS) is founded in Vietnam by Cambodians who have defected or are dissatisfied with the oppressive regime in Cambodia.
KNUFNS supports the Vietnamese army’s full-scale offensive against Democratic Kampuchea, which commences in December 1978.64
The regime collapses
january
Vietnamese armed forces make rapid territorial gains and force the Revolutionary Army of Kampuchea to flee westwards through Cambodia.
january
By 7 January 1979, the RAK and senior leaders of the Khmer Rouge have retreated from Phnom Penh to borderland strongholds.
Vietnamese forces take effective control of the greater part of Cambodian territory.
The Democratic Kampuchea regime of the CPK is at an end after three years, eight months, and 20 days.65
january
A new state called the “People’s Republic of Kampuchea” is founded and reconstruction soon begins on a shattered nation. The devastation of the CPK’s oppression and paranoia becomes apparent to the world with over a million people dead due to appalling working conditions, disease, imprisonment, enslavement, malnutrition, starvation, and execution.66
Experts estimate that between 1.5 and two million people died under the Khmer Rouge or were killed by them between April 1975 and January 1979.67
crime sites