By Sok Khemara, VOA KhmerWashington
16 April 2008
Opposition leader Sam Rainsy will lead a Buddhist ceremony at the Chhoeung Ek “killing fields” April 17 to commemorate the fall of Phnom Penh and the ascent of the Khmer Rouge in 1975.
Such events have been controversial over the years, with former Khmer Rouge calling it a day of victory that liberated Cambodians from foreign colonialism.
April 17, 1975, marked the beginning of Year Zero, when Khmer Rouge guerillas marched the populace into collective agrarian camps, under a policy that would lead to the deaths of nearly 2 million people.
“The ceremony is to pay respect to the memory of the victims and to ask for faster prosecution of all the former Khmer Rouge surviving leaders,” the Sam Rainsy Party said in a statement.
Five aging former leaders of the regime are now in detention at the Khmer Rouge tribunal, awaiting trial on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Such events have been controversial over the years, with former Khmer Rouge calling it a day of victory that liberated Cambodians from foreign colonialism.
April 17, 1975, marked the beginning of Year Zero, when Khmer Rouge guerillas marched the populace into collective agrarian camps, under a policy that would lead to the deaths of nearly 2 million people.
“The ceremony is to pay respect to the memory of the victims and to ask for faster prosecution of all the former Khmer Rouge surviving leaders,” the Sam Rainsy Party said in a statement.
Five aging former leaders of the regime are now in detention at the Khmer Rouge tribunal, awaiting trial on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
7 comments:
Yes, I am sure that Ah Savage Killer Xam Rainxy would love to take us back to Year-Zero to finish us off so that he can sell Cambodia to the west, but the Khmer people ain't fool enough to fall for that.
why are you talking about the past?, we need to rebuild our kingdom of Cambodia for all khmer people everywhere in this world. I am the khmer person,I love my people and my Country.
NO more war.
No more killing.
No more pain.
Reading what 7:43AM has written so far, we can easily conclude that he's no less atrocious than HunXen. This guy must be a very good barking to defend his master at all time. He be be paid a lot of money. "Bird of a feather flock together." Men of the same vicious mind bind their association.
Dear Author;
under a policy that would lead to the deaths of nearly 2 million people.
it's meant that "there is no death as yet under that policy".
To be precisely, you should have written "Under a policy that led to the deaths of nearly 2 million people".
Why not hold a ceremony during the Pjoum Ben when everyone are celebrating and paying respect to their ancestors rather on the 17th April.
Yes, I am sure that Ah Savage Killer Hun Sen would love to take us back to Year-Zero to finish us off so that he can sell Cambodia to youns, but the Khmer people ain't fool enough to fall for that.
yes, cambodia ought to have a day to commemorate the victims of the KR so history wont' ever be allowed to repeat itself in cambodia again and again. it is a good idea to have a commemoration day to mark this history in cambodia so not only future generation can not forgot, but also to remind the nation not ever to allow this kind of uncontrolled atrocity to happen again to the people of cambodia.
10:02 am don't mind 7:43 am, he is under duress by Ah Kwack while posting this.
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