ABOUT THE STORY POLPOT (dark history CAMBODIA)

An effort Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot to form a Communist peasant society farms resulted in the death of 25 percent of the country's population from starvation, overwork and execution.

Pol Pot Photo

Pol Pot was born in 1925 (as Saloth Sar) into a farming family in central Cambodia, which was then part of French Indochina. In 1949, at age 20, he went to Paris on a scholarship to study radio electronics but studying Marxism and ignoring his studies. He lost his scholarship and returned to Cambodia in 1953 and joined the underground communist movement. The following year, Cambodia achieved full independence from France, and then ruled by royal monarchy.

In 1962, Pol Pot had become leader of the Cambodian Communist Party and was forced to flee into the forest to escape the wrath of Prince Norodom Sihanouk, leader of Cambodia. In the jungle, Pol Pot formed an armed resistance movement that became known as the Khmer Rouge (Red Cambodians) and waged a guerrilla war against the government of Sihanouk. 

In 1970, Prince Sihanouk was ousted, not by Pol Pot, but due to a military coup backed right wing. Then embittered Sihanouk replied by joining with Pol Pot, his old enemy, in opposing Cambodia's new military government. In the same year, the U.S. invaded Cambodia to expel the North Vietnamese from their border camp, but instead drove them deeper into Cambodia where they allied with the Khmer Rouge.
From 1969 to 1973, the U.S. intermittently bombed North Vietnam holy sites in eastern Cambodia, killing up to 150,000 Cambodian peasants. As a result, farmers leave the country by the hundreds of thousands and settled in Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh.

All of these events resulted in economic and military destabilization in Cambodia and a wave of popular support for Pol Pot. In 1975, the U.S. withdrew its troops from Vietnam. The Cambodian government, plagued by corruption and incompetence, also lost the support of American military. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge army, consisting of teenage peasant guerrillas, marched into Phnom Penh and on April 17 effectively seized control of Cambodia.

The rest of the skull grave of Pol Pot Regime

Killing Fields at Choeung Ek

Once in power, Pol Pot began a radical experiment to create an agrarian utopia inspired in part by Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution, which has witnessed firsthand during a visit to Communist China.
Mao's "Great Leap Forward" economic program included forced evacuations of Chinese cities and cleaning " class enemy. " Pol Pot will now seek its own "super Leap Forward" in Cambodia, which was renamed the Democratic Republic of Kampuchea.

He began by stating, "This is Year Zero," and the people who will be "purified." Capitalism, Western culture, city life, religion, and all foreign influence should be put out to support an extreme form of communism farmers. All foreigners are thus expelled, embassies closed, and any foreign economic aid or medical ditolak.Penggunaan foreign language is prohibited. Newspapers and television stations shut down, radios and bicycles confiscated, and mail and telephone usage curtailed. Money is prohibited. All businesses are closed, religion banned, education halted, health care eliminated, and parental authority revoked. So Cambodia was closed off from the outside world. All of Cambodia's cities were then forcibly evacuated. In Phnom Penh, two million inhabitants were evacuated on foot into the countryside at gunpoint. As many as 20,000 died along the way. Millions of Cambodians accustomed to city life were now forced into slave labor in Pol Pot's "killing fields" where they soon began dying from overwork, malnutrition and disease, on a diet of one tin of rice (180 grams) per person every two days. Workdays in the fields began around 4 am and lasted until 10 pm, with only two rest periods allowed during the 18 hour day, all under the supervision of young armed Khmer Rouge soldiers want to kill anyone for the slightest infraction. Hungry people were forbidden to eat the fruit and rice they harvest. After the rice is harvested, Khmer Rouge trucks would arrive and confiscate the entire crop. Ten to fifteen families lived together with a chairman in each group headed. All employment decisions are made by the armed supervisors with no participation from the workers who were told, "Are you alive or dead does not matter." Every tenth day was a day of rest. There are also three days off during the Khmer New Year festival. Throughout Cambodia, deadly cleaning is done to remove the remnants of "old people" - which, educated, rich monks, police, doctors, lawyers, teachers, and former government officials. The former soldier was killed along with his wife and children. Anyone suspected of disloyalty to Pol Pot, including eventually many Khmer Rouge leaders, was shot or hit with an ax. "What is rotten must be removed," Khmer Rouge slogan proclaimed. In the villages, unsupervised meetings of more than two people is prohibited. Young people were taken from their parents and placed in communals. They later married in collective ceremonies involving hundreds of often unwilling partner. Up to 20,000 people were tortured into giving false confessions at Tuol Sleng, a school in Phnom Penh which had been converted into penjara.Di Elsewhere, suspects are often shot on the spot before any questioning. Ethnic groups were attacked including the three largest minority, which, Vietnamese Chinese, and Cham Muslims, along with twenty other smaller groups. Fifty percent of the estimated 425,000 Chinese living in Cambodia in 1975 perished. The Khmer Rouge also forced Muslims to eat pork and shot those who refused. As at December 25, 1978, Vietnam launched a full-scale invasion of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge tried to end its borders. On January 7, 1979, Phnom Penh fell and Pol Pot was overthrown. The Vietnamese then installed a puppet government consisting of Khmer Rouge defectors.

Pol Pot retreated into Thailand with the remnants of his Khmer Rouge army and began a guerrilla war against a succession of Cambodian governments lasting over 17 years. After a series of internal power struggles in the 1990s, he eventually lost control of the Khmer Rouge. In April 1998, Pol Pot died 73 years apparent heart attack after arrest, before he could be tried by an international tribunal for the events of 1975-1979.

Tuol Sleng, prison regime of Pol Pot, who Terrible
From the outside, the building complex does not look different from regular schools. But once set foot inside, I felt an incredible aura of horror. This is the Tuol Sleng prison, where Pol Pot confine his political enemies, and torturing thousands of innocent Cambodians.

For the people of Cambodia, dated 17 April 1975 will always be remembered as a black sheet in the history of their country. On that day, Khmer Rouge guerrillas led by Pol Pot managed to master Phnom Penh. This is the beginning of the most horrific drama in the history of Cambodia.

From the outside, the building complex does not look different from regular schools. (Hairun Fahrudin) 

Phnom Penh residents initially welcomed rebel with joy, hope Khmer Rouge soldiers would end the political crisis caused by the struggle for power in the previous regime. But the euphoria did not last long, they soon realize that Pol Pot and his followers had planned cruelty.

Intellectuals such as doctors, professors and teachers is the greatest enemy of Pol Pot. They are considered blocking Pol Pot ideals to create a class society, that the farmer can meet their own needs. This educated elite and eventually sent to prisons for interrogation, and then tortured by sadistic.

Prisons and torture exist throughout Cambodia, but the biggest and most famous is the Tuol Sleng prison in downtown Phnom Penh. Tuol Sleng, now a museum, a silent witness atrocities that have ever taken place in it.

Before the era of Pol Pot, Tuol Sleng is a building owned by Chao Ponhea Yat High School, a secondary school in Phnom Penh. After the Khmer Rouge won the civil war, the school building was soon converted into a secret prison complex coded S-21 (Security Prison 21).

Tuol Sleng Museum consists of several three-story buildings in a fairly wide area. All the parts are still original, including the barbed wires surrounding the building. To honor the victims, some signs posted prohibiting visitors laugh. But who could laugh after seeing the horror in this prison?

The horror that was started in Building A where you can see the classrooms were converted into a place of torture. In each room we can meet iron beds, ankle chains, as well as all kinds of metal objects used to hit the victim. In one room could even see the original photo victim lying lifeless on the bed of iron in very pathetic condition. 

In each room we can meet iron beds, ankle chains, as well as all kinds of metal objects being used and
at the front of the building B can met mast shaped wicket that actually functions as a gymnastic exercise. But the followers of Pol Pot use it as a torture victim by hanging in a head-down position, then lower the bond to the victim's head into the jar filled with water.

Pole-shaped wicket that actually functions as a gymnastic exercise. (Hairun Fahrudin) 

showroom on the inside of the B displays a collection of sad, with ornaments in the form of the remains of the victim's clothing as well as thousands of photographs of prisoners have been in prison Tuol Sleng. Followers of Pol Pot apparently very neatly in terms of documentation. They photographed detainees across the face and gave him the number as identification. Terlihatlah expressions victims stared, as if resigned to the fate that will befall.

The photos had languished prisoners at Tuol Sleng. (Hairun Fahrudin)

The other part is called building C is not less creepy. Classrooms in this building-bulkhead partitioned into small cells measuring about 1x2 meters, with walls of brick made carelessly. On the inside of the cell is very small, there is a cast iron chain to the floor and tin to hold the dirt.

Classrooms in this building-bulkhead partitioned into small cells measuring about 1x2 meters. (Hairun Fahru &
When observed closely, in some cell space can be seen blood stains that have been dried. Immediately I shuddered at the sight, imagine how miserable they were held for months in a very small cell.

In building the last part D museum, exhibited some paintings and photographs depicting various methods of torture of prisoners. An original photo shows the drill bit is being directed to the head of a mother who was holding a baby. Other torture methods is equally cruel, difficult to imagine that it really happened.

By looking at the photographs and paintings are on display at this museum, we know that prisoners are also made up of parents, teens, children, until the baby. I do not know what's in the head of Pol Pot so assume the baby was a political enemy.

Tuol Sleng Museum was terrified, not even a few visitors that seen in tears. But this is the evidence of history that should be known to generations beyond.

I salute the Cambodians because they can be honest with their own history. Many similar atrocities happening elsewhere, including in Indonesia, but authorities are still covered up.

map the Killing Field

brochures all languages

PHOTO PHOTO CRUELTY POLPOT - CAMBODIA

read the story events

Photos during the excavation massgrave

Killing Tree, where the killing of infants and toddlers by slamming his head on a large tree trunks, see the illustrations really make potonya chest tightness. The last place and a memorial is a memorial stupa.

the killing tree

illustration of the killing tree

A building in which there are high-rise rack 19. on the bottom shelf contains clothing clothing of the victim, then start from the first to the shelf 10 is a skull that has been classified by age and sex, and the rest of the shelves are part of another template, you can see siy, because the size of this monument paspasan so there can get crowded in it.

memorial

collection of skulls

Inside the museum, there are several photos khmer Polpot regime leaders and followers as well as illustrations of the massacre victims, make me some pretty gruesome pictures showing sadism, torture and murder. In this museum there is also a mini-theater, and we had the opportunity to watch the 15-minute movie tells the bleak and the discovery of the victim of Democratic Kampuchea.

the killing fields museum

Genocide museum was originally a high school teaching Polpot place, but when Kampucea Democratic power, the school was used as a prison and torture place a sort of concentration camp named S.21 - Security Office 21

Rules for prisoners

torture chamber

illustrations of torture at the stake

pictures of victims childs

barbed wire door

individual cells insulated timber

barbed wire and hallway corridors

Regards,

 Dwi Hartoyo, SP

REFERENCES
1. http://id.berita.yahoo.com/tuol-sleng--penjara-rezim-pol-pot-yang-mengerikan.html
2. http://goliainformasi.blogspot.com/2012/06/polpot-sejarah-kelam-kamboja.html