B-52 bombingPHNOM PENH, Cambodia, April 6 (UPI) -- A notorious former Khmer Rouge prison commander on trial for war crimes says U.S. backing for Cambodia's right-wing government set the stage for genocide.
Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch, testified during his trial on charges that he oversaw the torture and execution of 17,000 victims at the S-21 prison camp that Pol Pot's communist Khmer Rouge movement would have died off in 1970 had not U.S. President Richard Nixon backed right wing military strongman Lon Nol, The Times of London reported.
When the autocratic Prince Norodom Sihanouk was deposed in a 1970 coup the leftist Khmer Rouge was in disarray but the overt backing of Lon Nol by Nixon and U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger as the Vietnam War raged nearby generated a backlash against the government and rescued Pol Pot's movement from oblivion, Duch reportedly testified.
"I think the Khmer Rouge would already have been demolished," The Times quoted him saying. "But Mr. Kissinger and Richard Nixon were quick (to back Lon Nol) and then the Khmer Rouge noted the golden opportunity."
The reign of the Khmer Rouge from 1975-79 saw the deaths of 1.7 million Cambodians through execution, starvation and overwork, historians say.
Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch, testified during his trial on charges that he oversaw the torture and execution of 17,000 victims at the S-21 prison camp that Pol Pot's communist Khmer Rouge movement would have died off in 1970 had not U.S. President Richard Nixon backed right wing military strongman Lon Nol, The Times of London reported.
When the autocratic Prince Norodom Sihanouk was deposed in a 1970 coup the leftist Khmer Rouge was in disarray but the overt backing of Lon Nol by Nixon and U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger as the Vietnam War raged nearby generated a backlash against the government and rescued Pol Pot's movement from oblivion, Duch reportedly testified.
"I think the Khmer Rouge would already have been demolished," The Times quoted him saying. "But Mr. Kissinger and Richard Nixon were quick (to back Lon Nol) and then the Khmer Rouge noted the golden opportunity."
The reign of the Khmer Rouge from 1975-79 saw the deaths of 1.7 million Cambodians through execution, starvation and overwork, historians say.
16 comments:
Yes,because the left wing led by CHOMKUOT sIHANOUK WAS ALWAYS A PRO VIETCONG.
If Cambodian peoples voted to you
as a Cambodia leader .
What should you going to do in the
first things ?
What kinds of your proof or your
plan that you had to do as safe in
the Cambodia nation ?
A lot of young Cambodian were not borne during the Khmer Rouge rein of terror. Yes, the American B52 bombing of Cambodia from 1969 to 1975(after the 2nd Tet offensive) made the Khmer Rouge bad and inhumain. Definitely, we must say that the American and the Vietnamse shared the responsibility for atrocity in Cambodia.
If i were Sihanouk,i would not abdicate the throne. I will not involve in politic and stay well above it.I would rather stay as the symbol of the nation,in that spirit i think i can unite our people.I definitely let our people decide the affair of the state .I believe people will respect this institution(monarchy) more if i choose this path.And i firmly believe our country will be much prosper if we choose to govern our country democratically, where there is a govt by the people,for the people and of the people.A system of check and balance that what we so despately need.
This is a blame game and finger pointing. Butcher Duch blames the U.S. while the U.S. was trying to prevent Vietcong from invading the south. Then our former king supported Vietcong which lead to his over thrown by Lt. Lon Nol.
Nice try Mr. Butcher. No matter what you're still guilty and murderer.
9:44
A real Yankee or just Yankee Khmer ?
US is to blame for the death of Khme people, US also to blame for bombard cambodia...
victims 1975
US is to blame for the death of Khmer people, US also to blame for bombard cambodia...
victims 1975
Nixen and Hen. kissenger are to blame for killing 2 millions of khmer people, US bombard my cambodia, US is to blame for killing my cambodia, US must help rebuilt my belove cambodia back to the way it was...
victims 1979
correction = victims 1975
Samdech Euv always thinks he is best, for example, he believes he can actually sing!!! Yes, better than Samouth. And for his politics, he also believes his decisions were devined and flawless...nothing about lending a murderous hand to the VCs and the KRs, but everything to the US and Lon Nol...
Oui, oui, mes petit peuples, l'etat c'est moi!!!
10:20AM, the US did help rebuilt your cambodia back to the way it was..... under chinese and vietnamese controls.
Your king always goes to china for whatever reasons and the vietnamese come and go as they please in cambodia. True back then and still true now.
So spare us the lame attempt to accuse someone else of killing khmers. Your king and the kr cadres are not that innocent of this crime.
According to the KR, every nation involved in Indochina affairs is guilty of this genocide except the KR themselves.
They are always the innocent victims eventhough they're carrying the AK-47s.
I feel so sorry for them....why would anyone take advantage of them?
All they want to do is to bring cambodia back to the stone age and start all over.
Isn't that too complicated to understand?
Because of ah crazy Sihanuk support Youn Hanoi!!!!
Sihanuk was the khmer rouge leader and worked with ah Ho Chi Minh and kill the khmer people from 17.04.1975 till 1979 and ah Hun Xen continue to kill khmer till now!!!
Sihanuk is to be blamed for the death of 1.7 million because he supported VC during the conflict. We were supposed to be a neutral country, but why Sihanuk only skoaled the US for droping the bombs? Sihanuk shouldn't allowed VC to infiltrate Cambodia in the first place. Having said that, he had no intension for the Khmer suffering, but he was too greedy, too arogant and not as clevered. He thoughts that he could play the game by failing to realize that Uncle Ho played him. When uncle Ho promised him Kampuchea Krom after the victory of the war, the verbal contracted was forfeited after uncle Ho committed suicide after the war.
Did uncle Ho commit suicide as you said he did? Think again. The viets are manipulating the political game with cambodia. Did uncle Ho really die? Maybe it was a lie to rid any contract with Sihanook. The viet did fool king sihanook once or twice, now don't let the viet fool you or other khmer this generation.
Post a Comment