Summary: Past Still Haunts Khmer Genocide

Graceffo, Antonio "Past Still Haunts Khmer Genocide Survivor." "Past Still Haunts Khmer Genocide Survivor." World & I, vol. 21, no. 4, Apr. 2006, p. 8. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ulh&AN=21413726&site=ehost-live. This source shares a history of loss, suffering, and survival for the Cambodians who experienced the trauma of the Cambodian genocide. Every single Khmer living in Cambodia was either a victim or perpetrator. The Khmer Rouge liked the country people, who they called “old people.” They hated the city people though. They called them “new people.” At the time, no one understood what was happening at the time. They just knew they had to survive. Most Cambodians didn’t think of fleeing to America before 1979, because they had never heard of it. The
"Cambodian Genocide." Modern Genocide: Understanding Causes and Consequences, ABC-CLIO, 2017, moderngenocide.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1743010. Accessed 15 Nov. 2017. This source shows how nothing could have stood in the way of Khmer Rouge's overarching project of radical reestablishment of society and social engineering. The Cambodian society tore apart starting with the large mass of people separated from their homes. The towns and cities were brutally evacuated as new rulers arrived. The entire population faced miserable conditions. They faced a fear of never eating, never seeing their families, and not getting health care. Forty percent of deaths were mostly from disease and starvation. The Cambodians produced three tons of rice per hectare across the country. Much of the rice was exported to China, rather then given to the population. Of course, every single Cambodian suffered, but specific groups experienced more sickening persecution. Social and religious groups could not carry their religion out, speak their own languages, and practice cultural acts. They suffered worse pain. This genocide is one of the greatest tragedies of the 20th