The Effect of the Khmer Rouge on the Social and Family Structures

Introduction

The years of the Cold War had never been so significant were it not for the rise and revolutions of communist regimes. Promises of equal opportunities, an end to all social status, and disillusioned peace only brought forth a state of hypocrisy and endless poverty. Although Karl Marx founded the idea of a classless and stateless society, commonly known as Marxism, different leaders and groups interpreted these ideas based on their own beliefs, such as Trotskyism, Stalinism, and Maoism. Communism began to take its course among the eastern world, spreading like a disease and forced upon by powerful influences. The most significant occurrences, however, were those that transpired in south Asia, specifically Cambodia.

The Khmer Rouge

The Khmer Rouge began as an underground Marxist organization in Cambodia that followed the basic principles and beliefs of Marxism. However, its system was different in that it followed a more radical form of Maoism. Led by Pol Pot, the party ruled from April 17, 1975 to January 7, 1979 and was responsible for one of the most horrendous genocides of modern history which included a death toll of no more than 2 million people. Committing numerous atrocities and countless crimes against humanity, the KR’s social transformation was identified as far more radical than anything attempted by the Russians, Chinese, or Vietnamese Revolutions (“Society Under the Angkar” 1). Following their victory in the Cambodian Civil War, the KR forced the infamous evacuation of its capital, Phnom Penh, and relocated them to concentration camps in the countryside. Living under horrid conditions, brutality, and executions, the Cambodian people were forced to endure endless torment, starvation, and forced labor.

Pol Pot was born as Saloth Sar into a farming family in central Cambodia which at the time was a part of French Indochina. He was a bright and intelligent student whom at age twenty received a scholarship to study radio electronics in Paris, France. While there, he met a group of French Marxists and neglecting his studies, he became deeply involved with the ideals and principals of Marxism and eventually lost his scholarship. When he returned to Cambodia in 1953, he joined the underground communist movement known at the time as the Khmer People’s Revolutionary Party (“Pol Pot” 1), which was founded in 1951 by radical Cambodians who were influenced by the Vietnamese. In 1962, Pol Pot became the party leader and it was later renamed to Democratic Kampuchea (“Khmer Rouge Summary”).

With deteriorating relations with Prince Norodom Sihanouk, the party was forced to flee into the jungle where they formed an armed resistance movement, known as the Khmer Rouge. However, a new government under General Lon Nol took over in May 1970 while Sihanouk was in France. Because of his ties with the West, specifically with the United States, the Chinese sent arms and equipments to the KR to help them overthrow the government and take power, also returning Sihanouk to them, this time on their side. In 1970, the KR waged a guerilla warfare against Lon Nol and his government in a civil war (Khmer Rouge Summary). When the war ended in April 1975, the KR took immediate action following their victory. They had captured the nation’s capital, Phnom Penh, and suddenly forced an evacuation of its entire population lying to them that the US was planning to bomb them. This was in fact a relocation of the city dwellers to the countryside, where their fates await them.

Phnom Penh was not the only city where its inhabitants were evacuated; all city dwellers were relocated to concentration camps located in the countryside. These treks, used to describe the journey to their location, were brutal and torturous. The Khmer Rouge soldiers showed no

hesitation to kill anyone who disobeyed orders, showed fatigue, or exhibited laziness. Among the death toll calculated, some of them were performed during the treks. Most of the people who died were the children, the elderly, the sick, and women during childbirth. Those that were executed were Lon Nol officers, police officers, high ranking officials, or civilians who disobeyed orders (Mam 4).

Classification

Pol Pot classified prerevolutionary society into five classes: the peasants, workers, bourgeoisie, capitalists, and feudalists. According to the 1976, Constitution of Democratic Kampuchea, post revolutionary society consisted of workers, peasants, and all other “Kampuchean working people.” The “new people”, those that were unsympathetic to Democratic Kampuchea and were regarded as “enemies”, were treated much worse than the “old people” the lower, working class famers. Each camp was controlled and monitored by a chairman personally selected by the Khmer Communist Party (KCP). Under the chairman was a three person committee and the lowest group of social control known as the krom (group). The “new people” were treated more like slaves, forced to work from 4 AM to 10 PM in labor camps, where they worked in the fields (“Society Under the Angkar” 1-2). Purges occurred from time to time as well, with people being taken away and never returning.

Foreigners and Minorities

Other than the Cambodians, all foreign entities were among the most discriminated. The Vietnamese, for example, endured the most suffering. Relations with the North Vietnamese have faltered when the NVA and Vietcong used the eastern region as sanctuaries, killing many Khmer Rouge soldiers. Some of the Vietnamese refugees were arrested and usually executed, while

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Foreigners and Minorities

some managed to escape to the North Vietnamese border since the South refused to accept Vietnamese refugees for fear of them being associated with the North. The Cham (Muslim minorities), who have lived in Cambodia for centuries and lived by their own traditions and customs, were forced to adopt the Khmer language and customs. The Chinese and the Sino-Khmers were treated the same as the “new people” because of the KCP and China’s relationship. (“Minorities” 3-4)

Severity of Family Relations

One of the most treacherous crimes of immoralities that the KCP implemented and utilized was the physical and emotional severing of family bonds. One of the ideals of the KCP’s principles is that, like in every culture, the children are the future of the family, government, and nation. Their major targets were obviously the children, even if they were not born in a farming family, because children were the most easy to manipulate, or for their main purpose, the most easy to indoctrinate.

Before the Khmer Rouge came into power, the extended family was the center of economic and cultural life. Families worked together as an economic unit responsible both for household production and consumption. It is heavily debated among historians on whether the KR planned on separating the children from their families, but nevertheless, the resulting consequence turned out to be the same either way. To separate the family members, the KR used three methods to obtain this goal: deportation, execution, and collectivization of work and living arrangements. (Mam 3)

The deportation method refers to the evacuation process that took place on April 17, 1975 when the KR relocated the city populations. Some of them were separated physically by death

because of starvation, malnutrition, and executions during the treks. But the emotional and mental separation occurred during the trauma and confusion that spelled the loss of a support system which was fundamental to their survival. As mentioned earlier, the family bonds and structures are what kept the Khmer people moving forward, to look forward to survival. Without, it only broke them and made them vulnerable to the abuses and torments implemented by the KR.

After the treks, the families would then be moved into the collective farms and lodgments, know as phums (Mam 6). From here, the KR continued their policy of execution, relentlessly searching for “enemies of the state.” The Cambodians were forced to work twelve hours straight, with very little to no break at all without adequate rest or food (“The Work Camps”). The harsh conditions in the field provided little benefit to the “new people,” as many had very little experience in manual work. Most that did not have experience died in the labor fields due to malnutrition and extremely harsh weather. This method of execution contributed to the deterring familial bonds. In fact, according to Mam, about 48% of family members were executed while 24% died of malnutrition or starvation in the phums (Mam 6).

Furthermore, many women feared for the lives of their husbands and brothers. The KR targeted many Lon Nol officers and government officials. It would even go as far as to execute those with glasses, for it exhibited their intelligence and education. The KR officials would go into their homes, ask for the person they were looking for, leave with that person, and never return again. This only spelled the worse and it only contributed to the mental and emotional instability of many women (“The Work Camps”).

Although the KR’s plan was to abolish and eliminate these family ties, it only contributed to bringing the families closer together. The women played a major role in contributing to this. Because the men were traditionally the head figure, other family members depended on him for support. However, with most of the men gone from the family, it was the women’s job to provide support for the otherwise devastated children, thus strengthening the bonds of the family (Mam 6).

Despite this newfound hope, the KR continued to implement many laws to prohibit any signs of family relations. This is especially apparent in the collectivization of work and living arrangements. This organization attacked the “very structure and foundation of the traditional Cambodian family” (Mam 8). Family life before the KR was exceptionally different, as they worked together as an economic unit, in addition to providing emotional support. The KR saw this structure as a threat to their socialistic views and thus implemented the use of mandatory collectivization. Among this policy, children were the ideal targets and were utilized as the main function and weapon against their families.

The KR established many concentration camps, most of which were meant for children. If children were old enough to work, they would oftentimes be absent from home. Adolescents, especially, were rarely seen by their parents and more often than not, husbands and wives were also separated, as there were separate camps for men and women as well. As a result, these work teams were determined by age and sex.

The senah chun comprised of adult males and females aged 50 and above. The sub categories are called senah chun boroh for males, and senah chun neary for females. The workload is relatively lighter than the other work teams and they were allowed to remain in the

village. The younger members were required to work in the rice fields whereas the older members of the senah chun boroh worked in the gardens and collected firewood, among other things. The older women of the senah chun neary babysat other people’s children, namely the community chair’s. In addition, they also bounded palm leaves for medicinal purposes and sewed clothing (Mam 9).

The second work team was called kong chalat, known as the mobile work brigade (Mam 9). Men and women aged 14 to 50 years of age comprised the kong chalet. Like the senah chun, there are also two sub categories to separate the sexes. The kong boroh included only males and the kong neary consisted of only females. These groups had the honor of having the heaviest workload, as they ranged from adolescents to mid years. Their workload included field plowing, planting, transplanting and harvesting rice or digging and carrying dirt for irrigation projects (Mam 9). Unlike the senah chun members, the kong chalat members had to travel great distances from their villages to cut timber or work on construction projects and state farms (Mam 10).

Children aged 13 and under made up the third and youngest work team known as the kong komar. Boys belonged to the kong komera whereas the girls comprised the kong komerei (Mam 10). Their workload was the lightest which included planting, looking for firewood, and gathering cow waste for fertilization. The weaker and younger children only had tedious jobs, such as watching over the cows and buffaloes.

Members of the kong chalat and kong komar usually did not return home to their villages as most of their jobs required them to leave. Usually, they wouldn’t come back at all, since they worked and lived in their own work groups (Mam 10). This organization contributed to the KR’s method to separating families. Children had to obtain permission to visit their parents and more

often than not, they were denied that right. In addition, husbands and wives struggled continuously through this torture. With very little food rations a day, many people were subject to starvation. If anyone attempted to steal extra food, they were punished severely, usually let off with a beating and, depending in which area they belonged to, were executed.

Because of these harsh policies, many families were too afraid to speak up or act in defiance. Some people, like Lundi, expressed strong family sentiments and loyalties, making dangerous journeys just to visit his family. Food, especially, was one of the main commodities that brought their families together. Lundi would sometimes steal extra food rations, either from the kitchens or the corn fields, to help his family survive (Mam 12). Many families were so desperate for extra food that it did not matter if their family members risked their lives to bring it to them.

Indoctrination of Children

The KR regime sought out children the most because of their purity, innocence, and mainly because they were young enough to manipulate. Their purpose was to make and break their minds in order for them to become independent of their families. One of the main reason why children needed permission to visit their parents was because to defy them, it meant they challenged their authority, and to an extent the Angkar’s (the KR ideal government) authority.

The kong komar required children to live within their work camp because that way, children would not be able to see their families. The desired effect was the longer the children were gone from home, the less they would miss their families. Many children were separated from their family members and although the loss was a heavy burden, the KR did obtain their purpose.

Some children, in fact were eventually molded into fanatical communists (“The Work Camps”). The KR cadres of the kong komar made great use of propaganda and thoroughly brainwashed them into believing in Angkar and everything the KR sought to establish. This indefinitely made children the ultimate enemy of their families. Because most propaganda and education of communism, children were so brainwashed that they would often spy on their parents. If their parents spoke of anything against Angkar, children would inform KR officials, thus leading to their parents’ deaths. In addition, if their parents were “enemies” and the children identified them to the KR, the children would be rewarded with special privileges (“The Work Camps”).

The propaganda sessions, also known as “livelihood meetings,” were not only lectured in kong komar, but also in senah chun and kong chalat. The main purpose of these meetings was to indoctrinate everyone into believing in the ideals of Angkar, in addition to allowing everyone to confess about their pasts. The latter served as an opportunity for the KR to seek out their enemies, as many Cambodians saw this as a way to redeem themselves. If they revealed their true identity, specifically in the political and ideological fields, they would usually be embrace and rewarded by KR cadres. This was only a façade, however, as they would then be executed at the end of the night (“The Work Camps”).

Religion and Culture

In addition to attacking family relations, the KR also attacked religion, ranging from their institutions to actual worshipping. Cambodia’s national religion was Buddhism and therefore there were many temples and monks devoted to Buddhism (Mam 19). Once the KR took over, they sought to attack all religious aspects of life. All religious buildings or activities were

destroyed; monks were either forced to labor camps or executed, and the Christian and Muslim communities were also persecuted and executed (Mam 16-17).

The KR continued to oppress the Cambodian people and made many attempts to suppress them into obedience. In addition to attacking religion, they also targeted the cultural infrastructures. Forced marriage was one of the many common targets, as the KR saw it as a deterrence to destroying familial bonds. Marriage in Cambodia was the defined as the unity between two families and thus required the parents’ involvement. Oftentimes, the parents gave advice to their children on whom to marry and fully advocated their decision of their mate.

During the KR regime, however, individuals did not have the right to choose their own mate (Mam 17). KR officials were only allowed to decide whom a person should marry and did not allow family members or parents to get involve. If an individual wished to marry someone, they had to get permission from the village chief. Many marriages involved two people unfamiliar to each other and the marriage ceremony involved only the KR officials. The ceremonies were not the traditional Cambodian Buddhist ceremonies with food and elaborate clothing. Instead, it was quiet, and depicted as a duty to the state. The purpose of these forced marriages was reproduction. The KR sought to create more children idealized and indoctrinated by the ideals of Angkar.

Conclusion

The Khmer Rouge regime became one to the worse genocides in the history of the twentieth century. Their idealization of a perfect socialist, farming society contributed to destroying the social and familial infrastructures of the Khmer people. Family ties, religion, and culture were indefinitely severed and destroyed. The heavy loss became too much to bear and

therefore created many emotional instabilities within the families. Unfortunately, the Khmer Rouge did achieve their goals, to an extent. Although their vision of a perfect society collapsed, their indoctrination and brainwashing of the Khmer children remained intact. Their goal was to create a larger family, in which everyone shared the same labor, the same payment, the same social status, etc. Instead of allowing the families to retain their bonds and work together, the KR sought to destroy all cultural and traditional fundamentals of life. The KR, however, neglected the strength of many families and thus led to their downfall. Many families resisted their attempts to destroy everything that defined their lives and when the Vietnamese forces arrived, the KR was pushed out toward the Thai border. The Khmer Rouge regime was one of the many horrid attempts to establish the ideals of socialism and communism, and like many other similar forms of government, have failed.

Table of Contents

Introduction ...............................................................................................................................1

The Khmer Rouge .......................................................................................................................1

Classification ..............................................................................................................................3

Foreigners and Minorities............................................................................................................3

Severity of Family Relations .......................................................................................................4

Indoctrination of Children ...........................................................................................................8

Religion and Culture ...................................................................................................................9

Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 10

Works Cited .............................................................................................................................. 12

Abstract

For this history Extended Essay, I analyzed the effect of the Khmer Rouge on the social and family structures of the Cambodian people. On investigating this research, I went through the rise and development of Pol Pot’s socialist regime, the elimination of religion, the purging of specific and seemingly intelligent government officials, the purging and forced adaptation of ethnic and foreign minorities, the attack on familial bonds and the cultural and religious infrastructures. This investigation included research from Kalyanee E. Mam’s own research essay titled “Life under the Khmer Rouge.” In addition to Mam’s essay, I also made great use of internet sources as well as from primary sources, including my parents’ experience.

Much of what I found on the internet bares close resemblance to my parents’ account of what have happened during the Khmer Rouge regime. Family life was targeted through use of the children and religion and culture were destroyed. I found out that the Khmer Rouge’s plan was to attack anything that bore relevance to familial bonds and relations. From executing and eliminating family members to actually forcing children against their parents, the KR went through anything and everything to achieve their purpose.

In my conclusion, I learned that the KR only wanted to destroy these family bonds because in order to achieve their goal of utopian society, there must be a major unit comprised of the working class. In other words, they sought to establish one big family, in which there are no other families in between. Unfortunately for them, the KR’s plan was flawed in many ways. They underestimated the will of the Khmer people and although their indoctrination process worked to an extent, it wasn’t strong enough to fully sever the strong family ties.

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