Ugly History: The Khmer Rouge murders - Timothy Williams

Dig into the era of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, which perpetuated a genocide that killed a quarter of the country’s population.

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From 1975 to 1979, the Communist Party of Kampuchea ruled Cambodia with an iron fist, perpetrating a genocide that killed one fourth of the country’s population. Roughly one million people were executed as suspected political enemies or due to their ethnicities, and another million died of starvation, disease, or overwork. How did this happen? Timothy Williams details the rise of the Khmer Rouge.

Lesson by Timothy Williams, directed by Héloïse Dorsan-Rachet.

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[wat]

If you somehow didn’t think that Pol Pot was already a monster, this man never faced justice as he was never arrested. In an interview after the regime, he stated that he regretted nothing as he was simply experimenting with the country. As such, he was hoping he could orchestrate a second revolution. All of this said with a soft voice deprived of any remorse or sorrow for the country he single-handedly brought down on its knees.

[phantanhuy]

I'm Vietnamese and back in my hometown we had a neighbor. He was born 1961 and was clearly not well mentally. He would always mumble gibberish, rarely does basic hygiene and this went on until he died around a year ago amidst the pandemic because he refused to eat and sleep for a whole week. My parents would later reveal that he used to be a soldier who was sent to Cambodia in the 1979 conflict and what he saw there scarred him so much it made him went insane. The horror of seeing all the lying corpses decaying was too much for him to handle and he had to be discharged. I've only met him a few times yet on every occasions, I could still see in his eyes how traumatized he was from the whole ordeal. R.I.P and I can only hope he had finally found salvation.

[ohgira]

I have a Cambodian friend, She used to told me about her grandparents’s survival story and i always want to know more about Cambodia’s history. Thank you for this❤

[sophyroeun]

Vietnamese soldiers saved my family that helped me and my family escaped to refugee camp in Thailand. I wanted to say thank you to all Vietnamese soldiers god bless you and your family and god bless your country also .

[quangthanhtruong]

My father was a Vietnamese soldier deploying during the liberation for the Cambodian in the late 70'. I heard so many horrendous story from him about the actrocity the Khmer Rouge had committed. It forever haunted him. Cambodian brother, we had endured a lot of suffering. We now must forgive the past and live in a harmony, prosperity future !

[liminalbrds]

I remember my dad telling me stories about how strict and poor ‘75-‘86 Vietnam was, but even the government then was shocked about the genocide in Cambodia at the time

[Connor-vjvf]

Visited Cambodia a few years ago:
- S21 prison is preserved as a museum and the cells still have the blood stains on the walls from people tortured there.
- The Killing Fields are gut wrenching. They stopped exhuming them as it was crippling the minds of the diggers, they wait for rain to bring them to the surface and only move the bones then.
- These pits are strewn with the clothes people were executed in, and their skulls were put in the middle to show the toll.
- Most were beaten rather than shot to keep the later victims calm
- The only pit without clothes was one where all the bodies were women. The suffering that place has seen is unimaginable

[yummygogo]

I am a Cambodian. My parents always told me about the story what they have been through. They said the real situation was more than the film. My grandfather was executed in 1977 because he was a lecturer. My grandfather corpse was never been found. My grandma became a widow at the age of 25 of five children. It's the worst regime and nightmare. My mom told me that it was all in the past and she just wants the best in the present. Only peace lead to development and happiness.

[rachelharson]

My dad is a Vietnamese soldier who came to Cambodia to fight against Pol Pot. He was badly wounded and all the scars still remain these days. It's pretty sad to know a fact that a lot of Cambodians today see us as invaders rather than liberators...Any Cambodian who read this comment, I just want to let you know that that small country Vietnam was the ONLY country at that time that stood beside and librated Cambodia from Pol pot.

[declanjames]

The Khmer Rouge has always been a deeply disturbing yet fascinating period to me

In the 1960s Cambodia saw a rise in popularity for psychedelic rock music, with artists like Ros Serey Sothea, Yol Aularong, Pan Ron, Etc. which I enjoy

The disturbing aspect of this however is that all these artists just seem to disappear after the Khmer Rouge took power, there are little records detailing what happened to them, and they are presumed killed. To think a country with such a vibrant culture could be so quickly hidden from the world and massacred is truly terrifying

[derkaiser]

Even though Vietnam and Cambodia were enemies the Vietnamese government was shocked at what was happening at fought against the Cambodians to try and make it stop. They deserve credit for that.

[AnimationFanboyk]

There's a French animated film named Funan which is based on the events of Cambodian genocide. This film is about Funan, his parents and the relatives of Funan, who got separated between him and his parents and we can see the struggles between those characters and we saw them lost their lives and the forshadowing sights such as death, execution, punishment, etc.

This film is good and dark at the same time and it even won Annecy. I highly recommend you all watch this film.

[kitjabhornisveryhappy]

As a Thai myself, I feel ashamed that Thai officials gave Pol Pot a hospitable residence and support after committing all those crimes.

[MalinaCC]

I’m the daughter of two Cambodia parents who made it out of the genocide alive, unlike so many, including my own uncles and grandfathers. It’s truly heartbreaking what they went through. Took me years to understand the gravity of what they had experienced. What they went through continues to impact them and their loved ones, even today. Many of my family members were able to make it out alive, but they still live with repressed trauma and pain that they passed onto the younger generation, myself included. I am still mourning what they went through but amazed by their strength. They came to a foreign world with no connections, no knowledge of English, but somehow managed to build a comfortable life for our family. Thanks to all those who’ve taken the time to learn about Cambodia and it’s history. If you know a Khmer person, get to know them…ask to hear their story and listen. We may seem a bit closed off and awkward at first (learned that in order to keep ourselves/family safe) but once you gain our trust, we will share more and more about ourselves and welcome you as family.

[hado]

I am a Vietnamese. My mother told me she had a Cambodian colleague who lost his family (parents and 4 other silblings) because of Pol Pot. He was lucky to survive, losing "only" two fingers. I am sorry for what happened to Cambodian people and glad that more people know about the period and appreciate more the strength of Cambodian people.

[rexonator]

Ted Ed, please bring back the mini series where two historical figures are presented in front of a judge and their lawyers defend them. It was brilliant.

[thenewongoam]

I'm from Thailand and this Genocide was happened in my neighbouring country of Cambodia, and The Cambodian Genocide was one of the most darkest moment in the Cold War Era.

[ranouk]

Probably not many Cambodian people are watching this ig, but i’m surprised that many people here are eagerly want to know about our dark history. I’m just a later generation who has been told and learnt a lot about this. I have to say that this video is so precise even some part feel quite new to me. Thank you so much for the video!

[crimmx]

as a cambodian, after watching this i never knew how cruel it was. it was far more than i expected. this video is unexpectedly excellent at showing what our ancestors went through.

[TheTriple]

As a Cambodian whose been following Ted-Ed for years now, I thank you with every fiber of my body for making this video.

I lost both my grandfathers during the regime, uncles and aunts whose faces I did not even get to see. My father was hospitalized because he was suffering from malnutrition at a far distance hospital. And when the Vietnamese helped liberated us, he was left for dead there alone as everyone fled for themselves. My grandmother and one of my auntie had to sneak through muddy fields and forests for miles in order to reach and save him.

While the rest of the world had moved on from the passage of wars, we are still trying to recover from our scars and wounds from the past. So again, thank you for making this video and spreading awareness of our daunting history to the rest of the world.