Saturday, March 28, 2009

Ex-Khmer Rouge Still Dominate Regions Of Cambodia

During Pol Pot's reign in the 1970s, his Khmer Rouge killed between one million and two million people in their communist revolution. Skulls, like these on display in the Tuol Sleng museum, are all that remain of the anonymous victims of genocide. Justin Guariglia/National Geographic

From Yahoo News/AP:

ANLONG VENG, Cambodia – Just as the chief Khmer Rouge torturer takes the stand before a United Nations-backed genocide tribunal, a mausoleum fit for a king will be unveiled for another murderous leader from the same regime.

The entombed Ta Mok, known to his victims as "The Butcher," remains a revered figure in Anlong Veng because practically everyone here — from the district chief to the tourism promoter, from the wealthiest businessmen to dirt-poor farmers — was once Khmer Rouge.

Read more ....

My Comment: The sad part of Cambodia is that the survivors are all Khmer Rouge. Their opponents were murdered a long time ago in the killing fields.

Cambodia's healing will not occur for the next 50 years. It is only when this generation is gone, and future generations without blood on their hands are in positions of power .... that reconciliation with this horrid past can then begin.

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