(this is from the University of the Nation Cambodia Introduction Booklet)
In 1941, the French crowned Norodom Sihanouk king of Cambodia. (after Cambodia asked for their help so that they wouldn’t lose anymore territory to neighboring countries, in war) A few years later during World War II, the Japanese took control of Cambodia. Though the Japanese were in control, the Cambodians had more influence in the government than they had under the French. After the war was over, the French returned to Cambodia but the Cambodians began to demand freedom from France. In 1953, King Norodom Sihanouk took control of the government by force and demanded freedom. In 1954, they finally received their freedom and led a new government.
In the 1960’s the American war with Vietnam began to escalate. At the same time, the Cambodian communist movement began to grow under the leadership of Pol Pot in the northeast of the country. The Vietnamese communist troops began to travel through Cambodia to get deeper into South Vietnam. America began to bomb these troops without telling King Sihanouk. These bombings killed more Cambodian farmers than Vietnamese troops. Fearing that America wanted to control Cambodia, King Norodom Sihnouk cut off relations with America. The American government was afraid the king would side with North Vietnam, so they helped General Lon Nol overthrow the king and take over the government of Cambodia in 1970.
Civil War
At this point, open civil war began between Lon Nol’s government and Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge. (Khmer people were original to the Cambodia about 2000 years) Many people began to join the Khmer Rouge because they were unhappy with the American bombings and the new government. Also, the king had joined the communists and moved to Beijing. Many people loved the king and therefore joined the communists. America provided supplies, weapons, and money to the Lon Nol government. But Lon Nol was losing the civil war and when America lost the war in Vietnam, they stopped providing aid to Cambodia. A short time later in April 1975, the Khmer Rouge took the capital of Phnom Penh and forced everyone out of all cities in Cambodia. Everyone was forced into farming communes in the countryside and King Sihanouk was placed under house-arrest in his palace.
Khmer Rouge
Once the Khmer Rouge was in control of the country, they began to kill anyone associated with Lon Nol’s government or his military. They also killed educated people, teachers, and doctors because they thought they had been corrupted by western thinking. In addition, they killed religious people such as Buddist monks and over ninety percent of Christians. Conditions were hard; people had to work long days in the fields and sometimes got as little as one cup of rice each day. Therefore, starvation and disease began to grow. By the end of the Khmer Rouge rule, as many as two million people died (almost one-third of the population). In December 1978, the Khmer Rouge invaded Vietnam. By January 7, 1979, Vietnamese troops had take of Phnom Penh and the government.
Vietnamese Control of UN Elections
After successfully invading Cambodia, Vietnam set up a new government under their control. The Khmer Rouge fled to the Thai border and continued to fight from there. Under the Khmer Rouge, there had been no money or private property but suddenly they were needed again and no one had anything. Many Cambodians began to go to refugee camps. These camps were open for about 15 years until the early 90’s. Many resistance fighter groups formed along the border to fight against the Vietnamese-controlled government.
The Khmer Rouge had placed many landmines but the Vietnamese and these resistance fighter groups placed even more to prevent each other for attacking easily. Therefore, Cambodia became one of the most heavily land mined countries in the world.
In 1989, Vietnam backed out of Cambodia for financial reasons. Then the resistance fighter groups along the border began to fight each other for control of the government. At the end of 1990, the United Nations (UN) had these fighting groups sign a treaty promising to stop fighting and work together to form a new government. All the groups signed, but the Khmer Rouge backed out of the agreement and continued fighting. In 1993, the UN elections were held and the royalist party, FUNCIPEC, won the election. But Hun Sen, leader of the Cambodians People’s Party and prime minister during the Vietnamese era, demanded to be in control of the new government. Therefore, Prince Norodom Ranariddh of FUNCINPEC and Hu Sen of CCP were declared co-prime ministers. Then the UN ended their responsibility. In 1993, King Norodom Sihanouk regained his throne.
On Stability and Growth
Four years later in 1997, Hun Sen performed a coup to take away the title of prime minister from Prince Norodom Ranariddh, making Hun Sen the highest leader in Cambodia. Also, Pol Pot, leader of the Khmer Rouge died of natural causes in 1997. He had never officially been tried for his crimes. Elections for prime minister occur every 5 years in Cambodia, so elections were held again in 1998. This time Hun Sen won the elections, but some argued about the results and there was some fighting as a result. During 1998, the Khmer Rouge officially disbanded as a political and military force and ended its fighting against the Cambodian government. Therefore, 1999 was the first year of peace since 1969.
Since this time of stability has begun, many efforts have been made to rebuild the infrastructure of Cambodia. Elections were held again in 2003 and Hun Sen won the election again. This time the election was peaceful. So the current government is ruled by the CCP party in coalition with FUNCINPEC. In 2004, King Sihanouk stepped down from the throne and gave kingship over to his son, King Norodom Sihamoni.
Christianity in Cambodia
The first protestant Christian missionaries came to Cambodia in 1923. Christianity grew dramatically just before the Khmer Rouge, but then most Christians were killed. In 1989, there were estimated to be 300 Christians. Now there are more than 200,000.
That’s the cliff notes of the past 30 some years.
After visiting S-21 we went to the killing fields where they killed more people and buried a lot of the bodies. For some reason they beheaded many of the prisoners. These are pictures of the monument of those whose lives were tragically and undeservingly taken. Not that anyone deserves any form of death in these ways. These people never saw it coming and had no means of escape.
This was raw day. All I could say is the name of Jesus. Over and over and over and over. I had nothing else in me. I was shocked and numb and unemotional. It’s like it rained on the land. The lack of emotion. It wasn’t needed for those that killed the innocent and the innocent probably saw no need for it because it was useless to them in their despair. People’s clothes still on the ground. Bones and teeth scattered here and there. Signs hung in areas describing what went on in each area. Mass graves, to trees that children and babies were beat against, to a tree that hung a loud speaker that played noise or music or something, to drown out the moans, cries, and agony of the people.
How would you feel if you saw this? Overwhelmed with the mix of emotions that there isn’t one that hits you hard enough to push you over the edge that it just holds you still in numbness. Thank God that our hearts continuously singing the praises of His name. To give us Hope. It’s all that’s left to those that believe.
This is where even more sadness comes into the mix. Those that don’t believe. This should be another blog. I’ll tell you about what I learned and am learning about Buddhism. Such fear. Constant fear of upsetting spirits. Spirits of homes, land, people, trees etc. I am shocked at this religion. I hope to be of use to our Unconditionally Loving God of the Universe, God of our Savior Jesus Christ and the Lord of my Soul. I pray I am used to help bring His love and His presence and whatever it is He wants to do. That I am merely a vessel, His hands and feet.
