April 17, 1975

Today is the 36th anniversary of the Khmer Rouge's takeover of Phnom Penh. On April 17, 1975 Khmer Rouge troops, who had long surrounded the capital, defeated the nationalist forces (forces backed by the United States) and "liberated" the city.  The Khmer Rouge took the nation province by province, moving from north to south, enlisting provincial citizens who were eager to support the utopian ideals of Pol Pot and his Marxist part - Democratic Kampuchea.

The Khmer Rouge received a heroes welcome by many Cambodian citizens who believed that the liberation of the city was nothing less than the end of the bloody civil war. However, starting on April 17 and lasting for weeks afterwards, the Khmer Rouge evacuated the city, forcing the population to leave their belongings behind and head to designated provinces in which they would participate in agrarian labor camps.

Pol Pot's goal was to create a classless society in which no citizen owned more than the next. All Cambodians were placed on farms for the betterment of the country. Those were were ethnically different, educated or suspected of being opposed to the revolution were killed and placed in mass graves throughout the country. Religion was outlawed, families were torn apart and marriages were forced as a way to create an ideal Khmer ethnic population. The Khmer Rouge lasted for four years and, after it was forced to retreat back to the provinces by the Vietnamese military, was responsible for the death of an estimated 2-3 million people.

Today is the end of Khmer New Year and most of Phnom Penh's citizens are making their way back to the city from the provinces. Leanne and I went to the grocery store and enjoyed the traffic-free streets and quite round-abouts. It was these clear streets that reminded me of the date and made me remember that not so long ago, these same streets were emptied by the Khmer Rouge and their malicious plans for the nation began to take shape.

Many of the problems facing Cambodia still stem from the genocide. An uneducated majority, families doing whatever it takes to just afford their next meal and a population ridden with the residue of PTSD. This is a fascinating place and today is the anniversary of a moment and time when the history of this country changed so dramatically.