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On April 17, 1975,
the Khmer Rouge armies defeated the Lon Nol regime and took the capital, Phnom
Penh, immediately dispersing almost all of its more than 2 million inhabitants
to a life of hard agricultural labor in the countryside. Other cities and towns
were also evacuated. The Khmer Rouge renamed the country Democratic Kâmpŭchéa (DK),
and for the next four years the regime, headed by Pol Pot as prime minister and
other members of the Standing Committee of the CPK Central Committee, terrorized
the population. Almost 1.7 million Cambodians were killed, including members of
minority and religious groups, people suspected of disagreeing with the party,
intellectuals, merchants, and bureaucrats.
skulls of
some of those killed
Pol Pot
declared 'Year Zero' when Khmer Rouge captured Phnom Penh on April 17 , 1975. He
immediately directed a ruthless program to "purify" Cambodian society of
capitalism, Western culture, religion and all foreign influences. He wanted to
create Cambodia into an isolated and totally self-sufficient Maoist agrarian
state. Anyone who opposed were killed.
Foreigners
were expelled, embassies closed, and the currency abolished. Markets, schools,
newspapers, religious practices and private property were forbidden.
Members of the
Lon Nol government, public servants, police, military officers, teachers, ethnic
Vietnamese, Christian clergy, Muslim leaders, members of the Cham Muslim
minority, members of the middle-class and the educated were identified and
executed.
The
country's entire population was forced to relocate to the agricultural labor
camps, the so-called "killing fields". Inmates lived in primitive conditions.
Families were separated. Buddhist monks were not allowed
to practice their religion and were forced into labor brigades. Former city
residents were subjected to unending political indoctrination and brainwashing.
Children were encouraged to spy on adults, including their parents.
They killed
all of Cambodia’s well known artists and singers and destroyed all Khmer
language modern music recorded before 1975. Only Khmer Rouge Communist
Propaganda songs were produced during their regime. The people have no rights to
own or listen to the Radio or Cassette player. If they found out one would be
charged as an enemy against Angkar ( the Khmer Rouge organization). Their music
was composited from Khmer traditional increments such as drum, Khim, Tro and
flute.
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