On This Day… A Monster Fled!
Written by: George Chittenden : 26 Jun 2019
It was on this day, 7th January, back in 1979, when Vietnamese troops took control of the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, toppling the brutal regime of Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge, arguably the evillest regime history has ever known. Amidst the chaos of the Vietnam war, back in 1973, America secretly began bombing Cambodian territory controlled by Vietnamese Communists to force the Vietnamese out of the country.
Pol Pot
However, it created a power vacuum that Pol Pot’s rapidly growing Khmer Rouge movement filled. In April 1975, the Khmer Rouge captured Phnom Penh and created a new government, the Kampuchean People’s Republic. Pol Pot began transforming the country into his vision. Cities were evacuated, factories and schools were closed, and currency was abolished. Anyone educated or believed to be an intellectual, such as someone who spoke a foreign language, was killed. Skilled workers were also killed, and anyone caught in possession of eyeglasses, a wristwatch, or any other modern technology. Between 1975 and 1978, an estimated two million Cambodians died by execution, forced labour, and famine.
Many of these were children who were beaten to death with sticks to save bullets. You must ask yourself, why did the rest of the world allow this situation to go on for years. It took the Vietnamese approximately two weeks to beat Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge, forcing them to retreat back into the jungle.
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