#kampuchea

[eliasudaloff]

A girl from the People's Republic of Kampuchea (NOT POL POT'S)

Author: @Grzegorz_9696 (Twitter/X)

[sellos]

[cryptocollectibles]

X-Men vs The Avengers #1 (April 1987) by Marvel Comics

Written by Roger Stern, drawn by Marc Silvestri and Joe Rubinstein.

[nameinconcept-blog]

Photos of the Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Armed Forces. 80s

From Two photo books, "Kampuchea" by Planeta Publishers and "Kampuchea Today" by Ministry of Information and Culture Phnom Penh.

[plasticbubbleboy]

[workersolidarity]

Watch "How the USA and China backed the Atrocities of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge" on YouTube

An interesting look at the history between Kampuchea, Vietnam, and Pol Pot during the Khmer Rouge regime

[askdrzinasia]

The Ponhea Yat (ពញាយ៉ាត) stupa at Wat Phnom

Ponhea Yat was the last ruler of the khmer empire and the first king ruling Kampuchea/Cambodia from Phnom Penh.

The old khmer capital in Angkor Thom fell to invading forces from the former vasall state of Siam in 1434CE. After the destruction of the imperial city of the khmer god kings, the smaller kingdom needed an easier defendable city, closer to trade routes and waterways.

Names

After his new royal palace was completed, he gave the new capital the the name Krong Chaktomuk Serei Mongkol, 'City of the Brahma's Faces'. It refers to the four rivers that meets and flows in the capital region.

The two largest is the Tonle Sap river from the giant inland lake of the same name, and Mekong river flowing down from the Himalayas. They join forces in front of the Royal Palace.

The full name of the kings capital was Krong Chaktomuk Mongkol Sakal Kampuchea Thipadei Serei Theakreak Bavar Intabat Borei Roat Reach Seima Moha Nokor, translated loosely to "The place of four rivers that gives the happiness and success of Khmer Kingdom, the highest leader as well as impregnable city of the God Indra of the great kingdom"

Ponhea Yats capital was abandoned several times between 1494 and 1865. But king Norodom choosed Phnom Penh as his capital, and it has stayed capital since.

His remains are kept prominently in this stupa behind the pagoda at Wat Phnom, the central hill on the west riverside of Tonle Sap being the namesake and origin of the capital city.

From the stupa, there is a good view into the old french town of Phnom Penh, towards the Royal Palace in the distance.

Ponhea Yat - Wikipedia

[mali-umkin]

ទិវាជាតិនៃការចងចាំ - May 20th, National day of remembrance commemorating the Cambodian genocide by the Khmer Rouge between 1975 and 1979.

During this period, which started as the Year 0 of the Khmer Rouge calendar, between 1 to 3 million people were murdered in Cambodia. The number is very difficult to estimate since many people died of hunger and exhaustion in what has become known as the Killing Fields.

In Year 0, the Khmer Rouge (ខ្មែរក្រហម) regime (Democratic Kampuchea, អង្ការ) ordered that all urban areas should be emptied, and people sent to the fields, no matter their age or physical condition. Many people were killed if they failed to leave quickly enough, or disobeyed orders. They were sent to the countryside to become slave labourers. Qualified professionals, considered threats to the communist regim, such as doctors, lawyers, scientists and teachers, were systematically killed. People wearing glasses or knowing another language were killed, as they were seen as part of the 'Bourgeoisie' the Khmer Rouge sought to eliminate. Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese Cambodians were targeted by racist policies and killed. Monks, Christians and Muslims were murdered.

These mass killings soon developed on an industrial scale. Tuol Sleng, or S-21, is the most infamous killing camp in the country (one of 196). 20,000 people were tortured and murdered there.

Phnom Penh was liberated by Vietnamese troops on 7 January 1979. During and following the rule of the Khmer Rouge, thousands fled to the Thai border, which triggered an international response. Life in Thai camps was incredibly difficult. Cambodian refugees fled to Europe and the US.

All of this happened between 1975 and 1979. It is the story of my grand-mother and father - it was yesterday. Those who survived and stayed had to go on with their lives without aid and without their loved ones; those who left were forced to make their lives in foreign countries, and live with this heartache every single day. Cambodia remains, in their mind, as they left it in the late 1970s.

To this Day, the Supreme Court Chamber of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) is still running trials of former Khmer Rouge leaders for convictions of genocide and crimes against humanity. Pol Pot, the party leader, never faced trial.

Khieu Samphan was found guilty in 2018. He was a member of Pol Pot's inner circle and the former head of state. He appealed his conviction, and the hearing opened in August 2021. The verdict will be given this year. These trials, though backed by the U.N, are critized by many survivors as they are a way for Cambodia's current dictatorial government to establish its legitimacy on the international stage.

Do not forget this. Be aware of what is happening in Cambodia right now - Hun Sen, its prime minister since 1985, is a former Khmer Rouge who defected in 1977. His opponents are systematically targeted, including most political activists having survived the genocide and fighting for true democracy in Cambodia.

If you want to learn about the history of the Cambodian genocide perpetrated by the Khmer Rouge, I advise you to read First, they killed my father by Loung Ung, who was forcibly trained as a child soldier, and to watch the movie adaptation which can be found on Netflix.