Essay On Cambodian Genocide

The Cambodian Genocide The Cambodian genocide lasted from 1975-1979 and killed “approximately 1.7 million people” (Kiernan). The Cambodian genocide was run by the “Khmer Rouge regime headed by Pol Pot combined extremist ideology with ethnic animosity and a diabolical disregard for human life to produce repression, misery, and murder on a massive scale“ (Kiernan). The Khmer Rouge’s goal during this genocide was to fix society by limiting religions and races. During the genocide “Certain minority groups were singled out for persecution and even extermination” (ABC-CLIO). Most of the victims were the Cham, Vietnamese, Chinese, Khmer Krom, Thai, and Lao. Most of the victims during the genocide “walked along the road [they] stepped over corpses which had either been people who could not make the trip or were killed and left on the roadside” (ABC-CLIO). Surviving the genocide was difficult, both mentally and physically. Men and women were separated in the camps and families …show more content…
During the fight to free Cambodia “The Khmer Rouge regime, known as Democratic Kampuchea (DK), crumbled in the face of 15,000 Cambodian rebel soldiers and 150,000 Vietnamese troops” (Jarvis). I believe that although many people died during this genocide, some were saved and that is better than no survivors. I think that it is very unright for anyone to ever go through what these victims lived and I have realized how lucky I personally am. Myself, as well as many others, take for granted how gifted we are to live without fear of waking up in a concentration camp. We are unaware of what other people in the world are suffering and I assume that they should all be informed about what could possibly happen. I enjoyed this project because of the fact that I am now aware of horrible things that are happening around the world and I can reflect and appreciate how lucky I am to be going to school as well as living in a house with a