Cambodia Genocide Research Paper

Cambodian lives were rattled in 1975-1979 when the Khmer Rouge Regime (Red Cambodians) took over Cambodia. Pol Pot, the leader of the Khmer Rouge, attempted to turn Cambodia into a communist nation. During this time, there were one and a half to three million deaths due to execution, starvation and disease. The Khmer Rouge took many Cambodians to camps to work on farms. Killing fields were set up over the country. Killing fields were where the Khmer Rouge took Cambodians who were no longer considered useful. People were blind folded, killed and buried in a mass grave yard. This mass genocide was a very scaring event and Cambodians today are still trying to move on and rebuild their lives. Sydney Schanberg, a New York Times reporter, and Dith Pran, Sydney’s friend and interpreter from Cambodia, are on assignment to report about the events taking
When things get out of hand, Sydney arranges for Dith’s family to evacuate to America. Dith decides to stay with Sydney to finish the report hoping things will get better. Dith, Sydney and two other reporters visit a hospital to talk to injured Cambodians. While there they are captured by Khmer Rouge soldiers. Dith convinces the soldiers not to kill them and they head to the French embassy along with many other Cambodians who are in need of refuge. After a couple of days, all the Cambodians are asked to leave the embassy. With a failed attempt to make a fake passport for Dith, he is asked to leave the embassy instead of returning to America with Sydney and the other reporters. He is soon captured and sent to a camp to work on the farm. After escaping the camp, he is recruited to a Khmer Rouge camp where the