In 1979, when the Vietnamese Army took control of Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital, they uncovered a city devastated by the Khmer Rouge regime. Among the grim discoveries was a former high school transformed into a notorious prison called Security Prison 21, or S-21. This facility was surrounded by electrified barbed wire, and iron bars covered its windows. The prisoners, who included academics, doctors, monks, students, and factory workers, were accused of being enemies of the state. They endured torture and were coerced into implicating friends and family as co-conspirators. Often, entire families were interrogated and executed. The regime’s paranoia eventually led it to target its own members, imprisoning party activists, their families, and even high-ranking officials. At least 18,145 people were detained at S-21, with only a few surviving.
S21 was just one of over 150 torture and execution centers established by the Khmer Rouge. Today, it serves as a memorial to the countless lives lost and the immense suffering endured by the Cambodian people. The Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot, was the ruling faction of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK) from 1975 to 1979. Pol Pot sought to “purify” Cambodian society along racial, social, and political lines, resulting in one of history’s most horrific genocides.
Inspired by Chairman Mao’s Great Leap Forward in China, Pol Pot envisioned a “Super Great Leap Forward” for Cambodia after seizing power in 1975. The CPK aimed to rapidly transform the country, claiming their revolution would be the fastest ever. They believed that achieving their goals quickly would ensure their safety. This ambitious leap was to be accomplished without foreign aid, relying solely on self-reliance.
The CPK announced a four-year plan to triple Cambodia’s rice production, despite the severe impact of the civil war. By 1975, rice production had plummeted by 84%, making such an increase unrealistic. However, Pol Pot saw this as a challenge of revolutionary determination and implemented policies of forced labor. Villages were reorganized into cooperatives, and thousands of city residents were forced to work on farms. Workers of all ages endured 10 to 14 hours of grueling labor daily under harsh conditions.
While workers toiled, large quantities of rice were extracted for party use and export, with nothing provided in return. One survivor recalled being placed in a children’s work unit at age 11, tasked with carrying soil, digging trenches, and helping build a dam. Despite slightly better food rations, she was constantly hungry and exhausted.
Under the regime’s absolute socialism, all natural resources were state property, and individualism was forbidden. People were not even allowed to forage for food. After the survivor’s sisters died of starvation, her grandmother, who had been caring for them, also succumbed to illness and starvation.
As famine worsened, Pol Pot continued to treat agriculture as a military operation, blaming production shortfalls on supposed enemies. Those who criticized CPK policies were arrested, tortured, and executed. Many experienced doctors were executed or hid their professions, leading to a severe lack of medicine and healthcare during widespread illness and starvation.
The Khmer Rouge employed secret police to arrest, torture, and execute anyone perceived as an enemy, including foreigners and ethnic minorities. Innocent people were coerced into confessing to imaginary crimes. One engineer, Chum May, was tortured for 12 days at S21, forced to sign a false confession of working for the CIA.
Most foreigners had left Cambodia before the civil war ended, but some were imprisoned at S21, including British teacher John Dawson. Captured while traveling, he was tortured into confessing a mix of true and false events about being a CIA agent. Most inmates were eventually taken to The Killing Fields, where over a million people were executed and buried in mass graves during the CPK’s rule.
Starvation and executions under the Khmer Rouge resulted in approximately 1.5 to 2 million deaths, nearly a quarter of Cambodia’s population at the time. After the Vietnamese seized Phnom Penh in 1979, Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge fled to Thailand to wage a guerrilla war. Over time, the CPK’s power diminished, and the Khmer Rouge disbanded. Pol Pot died of a heart attack in 1998, claiming in his final interview that his conscience was clear and that everything he had done was for his country.
Watch a documentary about the Khmer Rouge regime and the atrocities committed at S21. After the screening, participate in a guided discussion to reflect on the impact of the regime’s policies on Cambodian society. Consider how the documentary’s portrayal of events aligns with the article’s content.
Research a specific aspect of life under the Khmer Rouge, such as the role of forced labor or the collapse of healthcare. Prepare a short presentation to share your findings with the class, highlighting how these elements contributed to the overall suffering and devastation experienced by the Cambodian people.
Engage in a role-playing exercise where you assume the roles of different individuals affected by the Khmer Rouge regime, such as a farmer, a doctor, or a student. Discuss the challenges and moral dilemmas faced by these individuals, and explore how they might have navigated life under such oppressive conditions.
Write a short story or a series of diary entries from the perspective of someone living under the Khmer Rouge. Use historical facts from the article to inform your narrative, and focus on conveying the emotional and psychological impact of the regime’s policies on everyday life.
Participate in a debate on the topic of historical responsibility and justice for the crimes committed by the Khmer Rouge. Consider the role of international communities, the challenges of post-conflict reconciliation, and the importance of memorializing such events to prevent future atrocities.
**Life Under the Khmer Rouge: Pol Pot, Famine, and S21 (1975-1979)**
When the Vietnamese Army captured Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, from the Khmer Rouge in 1979, they found the city in a terrible state. Among the horrors they discovered was a former high school that had been turned into a prison known as Security Prison 21, or S-21. The dark buildings were enclosed with electrified barbed wire, and iron bars covered all the windows. The prisoners included academics, doctors, monks, students, and factory workers, all accused of being enemies of the regime. They were tortured and forced to name friends and family members as co-conspirators. Whole families were often brought together for interrogation and execution. Ultimately, paranoia led the regime to turn on itself, filling the cells with party activists, their families, and even high-ranking politicians. At least 18,145 people had been imprisoned there, with all but a handful executed.
S21 was just one of over 150 torture and execution centers established by the Khmer Rouge. Today, it stands as a memorial to the lives lost and the brutality inflicted upon the people of Cambodia. The Khmer Rouge was the name given to the members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK), who ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. They were led by the infamous Pol Pot, who attempted to purify Cambodian society along racial, social, and political lines, resulting in one of the worst cases of genocide in history.
Influenced by Chairman Mao’s Great Leap Forward in China, Pol Pot envisioned his own “Super Great Leap Forward” in Cambodia after seizing power in a civil war in 1975. The CPK aimed to rapidly build the country under their vision, proclaiming that no revolution would be as fast as theirs. The CPK was obsessed with speed, believing that the faster their plans could be achieved, the safer they would be. This “Super Great Leap” was to be achieved independently of any foreign aid through self-reliance.
The CPK announced a four-year plan to triple the country’s rice production, despite Cambodia having suffered severely during the civil war. By 1975, rice production had dropped by 84%, making such a rapid increase impossible. However, Pol Pot believed this was merely a matter of revolutionary willpower and instituted policies of forced labor. Villages were reorganized into cooperatives, and thousands of city dwellers were forced out of their homes to work on farms. Workers of all ages were subjected to 10 to 14 hours of hard labor per day in unsustainable conditions.
Food was needed to sustain these workers, but large amounts of rice were extracted from the population for party use and export, with the CPK providing nothing in return. One survivor recalled being assigned to a children’s work unit at the age of 11, where she was forced to carry soil, dig trenches, and help build a local dam. Despite receiving a slightly better food ration, she was constantly hungry and exhausted.
Under the regime’s absolute socialism, all natural resources were state property, and any signs of individualism were banned. People were not even allowed to forage for food. After the survivor’s sisters died of starvation, her grandmother, who had been caring for them, also succumbed to illness and starvation.
As the situation deteriorated into famine, Pol Pot continued to view agriculture as a military operation, blaming any shortfalls in production on supposed enemies. Those who criticized the CPK’s policies were arrested, tortured, and executed. Many experienced doctors were executed or hid their professions, leading to a lack of medicine and healthcare during a time of widespread illness and starvation.
The Khmer Rouge utilized secret police to round up, torture, and execute anyone seen as an enemy, including foreigners and ethnic minorities. Innocent men, women, and children were coerced into confessing to imaginary crimes. One engineer, Chum May, was tortured for 12 days and nights at S21, forced to sign a false confession that he was working for the CIA.
Most foreigners had left Cambodia before the end of the civil war, but some were imprisoned at S21, including British teacher John Dawson. He was captured while traveling and later tortured, leading to a confession that mixed true events with false accounts about being a CIA agent. Most inmates were eventually taken to sites known as The Killing Fields, where more than one million people were executed and buried in mass graves during the CPK’s rule.
Starvation and executions under the Khmer Rouge resulted in approximately 1.5 to 2 million deaths, nearly a quarter of Cambodia’s population at that time. After the Vietnamese seized Phnom Penh in 1979, Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge fled to Thailand to wage a guerrilla war. Over time, the CPK’s power waned, and the Khmer Rouge disbanded. Pol Pot died of a heart attack in 1998, claiming in his final interview that his conscience was clear and that everything he had done was for his country.
Khmer Rouge – A communist guerrilla organization which opposed the Cambodian government in the 1960s and waged a civil war from 1970, taking power in 1975. – The Khmer Rouge regime, led by Pol Pot, was responsible for the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people in Cambodia.
Pol Pot – The leader of the Khmer Rouge and the Prime Minister of Cambodia from 1976 to 1979, known for his brutal regime and policies that led to mass genocide. – Pol Pot’s radical policies aimed at creating a classless agrarian society resulted in widespread suffering and loss of life.
Famine – An extreme scarcity of food, often caused by war, natural disasters, or economic collapse, leading to widespread hunger and mortality. – The Irish Potato Famine of the 1840s led to the death of approximately one million people and caused mass emigration.
Genocide – The deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, or cultural group. – The Rwandan Genocide of 1994 resulted in the deaths of an estimated 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu people.
Torture – The act of inflicting severe pain or suffering on someone as a punishment or to extract information or a confession. – During the Spanish Inquisition, torture was used as a method to extract confessions from accused heretics.
Agriculture – The practice of cultivating the soil, producing crops, and raising livestock for human use and consumption. – The development of agriculture was a key factor in the rise of settled societies and the growth of civilizations.
Socialism – A political and economic theory advocating for collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods. – The implementation of socialism in the Soviet Union aimed to eliminate class distinctions and distribute resources more equally among the population.
Healthcare – The organized provision of medical care to individuals or a community, often considered a fundamental human right. – The introduction of universal healthcare in the UK after World War II significantly improved public health and access to medical services.
Executions – The carrying out of a sentence of death on a condemned person as a legal penalty. – The execution of Louis XVI marked a pivotal moment in the French Revolution, symbolizing the end of absolute monarchy in France.
Starvation – A severe deficiency in caloric energy intake, leading to extreme hunger and potentially death. – The Siege of Leningrad during World War II resulted in the starvation of hundreds of thousands of civilians due to the prolonged blockade by German forces.
