Gina Lee - Informative Writing
Gina Lee
Mrs. Manning
English 9 D Block
November 2, 2016
Mrs. Manning
English 9 D Block
November 2, 2016
Q: Who was Pol Pot and How did he Manage to Conceal his Identity during the Cambodian-Vietnamese war?
May 19, 1925, a valiant Cambodian is born; 1962, a dauntless leader arises within the undergrounds of the Khmer communist movement. Saloth Sar’s, or as mostly refer to as, Pol Pot’s, mysterious methods for domination are one of a kind, and Ben Kleman explains Pot’s life story in the article “Pol Pot” from the database Global Issues in Context. Pol Pot was the secretive, isolated leader of the Khmer Rouge party who concealed his identity through codenames, shadowy institutions, and limited trust in his peers.
First introduced to communism through his brother Chhay, Pol Pot became leader of the Khmer communist movement in 1962, and from this time forward, his power steadily rose (Kleman 1). Once he became the Prime Minster of the Democratic Kampuchea regime, he “evacuated Cambodia’s cities, launching a series of political and ethnic massacres” (Kleman 2), which caused devastation in the city of Phnom Penh. He killed many innocent citizens, even prosperous families such as Loung Ung’s parents, as shown throughout the memoir by Loung Ung, First They Killed My Father. A couple of months later, though, the Democratic Kampuchea regime fell during a Vietnamese invasion, and Pol Pot mysteriously died in the jungles along the Thailand border on April 15, 1998 (Kleman 2).
Pot was able to stay anonymous throughout his domination by stealthily gaining power underground, limiting his trust in only a few Khmer communists, and developing the Angkar (Kleman 1). He saw the “need for war and secrecy as the basis of the revolution, Khmer Rouge” (Kleman 2), and thought being unrevealed was the best way to rise in power. In his attempt to stay unidentified, Sar created a string of code-names: the “Original Cambodian”, “Original Khmer”, “Organization”, and most commonly, Pol Pot, but he “never publicly admitted his real name” (Kleman 2). Out of his many stealthy ways, the Original Khmer’s most aggressive tactic was the Angkar, “a shadowy institution which documented and reported making speeches” (Kleman 2). Saloth often used this army, also known as Khmer Rouge, to launch massacres and proceed with expanding Pol’s government (Kleman 1).
Because of his devious methods of leadership and control while remaining incognito, Saloth Sar is viewed as an mysterious hero during the Democratic Kampuchea, but in reality his rule was rather brutal and hostile. His well-founded management was malicious, and it terrified not only Loung Ung, but the rest of Cambodia’s citizens as told throughout First They Killed My Father. Even his own brother, Chhay, became fearful of the Khmer Rouge and attempted to escape, but eventually got caught and killed (Kleman 2). Although Saloth Sar, otherwise Pol Pot, was merciless and prudent in his rule, he was still perceptive and remains as the figurehead of cunning leadership and ferocious command during the Cambodian-Vietnamese War.
First introduced to communism through his brother Chhay, Pol Pot became leader of the Khmer communist movement in 1962, and from this time forward, his power steadily rose (Kleman 1). Once he became the Prime Minster of the Democratic Kampuchea regime, he “evacuated Cambodia’s cities, launching a series of political and ethnic massacres” (Kleman 2), which caused devastation in the city of Phnom Penh. He killed many innocent citizens, even prosperous families such as Loung Ung’s parents, as shown throughout the memoir by Loung Ung, First They Killed My Father. A couple of months later, though, the Democratic Kampuchea regime fell during a Vietnamese invasion, and Pol Pot mysteriously died in the jungles along the Thailand border on April 15, 1998 (Kleman 2).
Pot was able to stay anonymous throughout his domination by stealthily gaining power underground, limiting his trust in only a few Khmer communists, and developing the Angkar (Kleman 1). He saw the “need for war and secrecy as the basis of the revolution, Khmer Rouge” (Kleman 2), and thought being unrevealed was the best way to rise in power. In his attempt to stay unidentified, Sar created a string of code-names: the “Original Cambodian”, “Original Khmer”, “Organization”, and most commonly, Pol Pot, but he “never publicly admitted his real name” (Kleman 2). Out of his many stealthy ways, the Original Khmer’s most aggressive tactic was the Angkar, “a shadowy institution which documented and reported making speeches” (Kleman 2). Saloth often used this army, also known as Khmer Rouge, to launch massacres and proceed with expanding Pol’s government (Kleman 1).
Because of his devious methods of leadership and control while remaining incognito, Saloth Sar is viewed as an mysterious hero during the Democratic Kampuchea, but in reality his rule was rather brutal and hostile. His well-founded management was malicious, and it terrified not only Loung Ung, but the rest of Cambodia’s citizens as told throughout First They Killed My Father. Even his own brother, Chhay, became fearful of the Khmer Rouge and attempted to escape, but eventually got caught and killed (Kleman 2). Although Saloth Sar, otherwise Pol Pot, was merciless and prudent in his rule, he was still perceptive and remains as the figurehead of cunning leadership and ferocious command during the Cambodian-Vietnamese War.
MLA Works Cited
Kiernan, Ben. "Pol Pot." Encyclopedia of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity, edited by Dinah L. Shelton, Macmillan Reference USA, 2005.
Global Issues in Context
Ung, Loung. First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers. New York: HarperCollinsPublishers, 2000. Print.
Global Issues in Context
Ung, Loung. First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers. New York: HarperCollinsPublishers, 2000. Print.
Jennifer Kim - Informative Writing
Jennifer Kim
Mrs. Manning
English 9 D Block
November 2, 2016
Mrs. Manning
English 9 D Block
November 2, 2016
Q: What was the purpose of the Khmer Rouge invasion and why were the citizens of Phnom Penh chased out during the Cambodian-Vietnamese War?
Like Bertrand Russell said, “War does not determine who is right — only who is left,” the truth never matters within a war, only the victor does. Likewise, the soldiers of the Khmer Rouge certainly didn’t make the best choices, yet their massive murder of others increased the possibility of their victory. The article provided by EBSCOhost, “Khmer Rouge”, allows the readers to understand the the Khmer Rouge’s desperate attempt to overrule and propose an equal environment. The Khmer Rouge, desperate to overrule Prince Sihanu’s government through Communism and agriculture, massacred around one to two million citizens of Cambodia (“Khmer Rouge”).
The Khmer Rouge was the walking advertisement for Cambodian Communist Movement” (“Khmer Rouge” 1). Even their name symbolized the communist beliefs since red or rouge was the most common color utilized for the representation of Communism (“Khmer Rouge”). Because their goal was to level all people, the soldiers attacked “corrupted” cities, especially that of Phnom Penh, where numerous intellectuals resided. In other words, they “sought to change the country into a classless state” (“Khmer Rouge” 1). Similarly, during the course of the autobiography First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung, the readers come to learn how all the powerful citizens were brought down to a lower class. Therefore, Loung’s father who was involved in previous military forces is segregated from his family. Before meeting death, the father gets prepared to be tortured severely; afterwards, he disappears.
Not only did the Khmer Rouge soldiers reach for a peasant-led society, but they also wished to create an agrarian-themed country (“Khmer Rouge”). In other words, all citizens were forced to work and earn the food for themselves. Most of these activities involved clearing the field, planting crops, and building canals under the Khmer Rouge’s supervision. Almost every job was related to agriculture as the Angkor, nickname for the Khmer Rouge, was simply focused on maintaining arable, priceless land. The nonfiction novel also mentions the strenuous work Loung’s family members performed which even caused the death of Keav, Loung's older sister. The “doctors” attempted to find the appropriate medicine to alleviate her symptoms; however, “Keav knows (knew) this is (was) a lie”, and that, in fact, there was no medicine to support her as all the real doctors were “killed by the Angkar long ago” (Ung 96).
Overall, war never favors the hidden truth as it simply admires the conqueror. Although the Angkor’s plan on building a Communist society may have appeared impossible, because the Khmer Rouge soldiers had prepared the sudden attack quite decently, the country may have entirely ended up in their hands; however, fortunately, were released after twenty one years. The soldiers purposely kicked out all intellectuals since they wanted a poor, yet agricultural society. This book, First They Killed My Father, by Loung Ung, clearly portrays the events throughout the war while “Khmer Rouge” from EBSCOhost builds the understanding of the malicious army who attempts to build a Communist and agricultural society.
The Khmer Rouge was the walking advertisement for Cambodian Communist Movement” (“Khmer Rouge” 1). Even their name symbolized the communist beliefs since red or rouge was the most common color utilized for the representation of Communism (“Khmer Rouge”). Because their goal was to level all people, the soldiers attacked “corrupted” cities, especially that of Phnom Penh, where numerous intellectuals resided. In other words, they “sought to change the country into a classless state” (“Khmer Rouge” 1). Similarly, during the course of the autobiography First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung, the readers come to learn how all the powerful citizens were brought down to a lower class. Therefore, Loung’s father who was involved in previous military forces is segregated from his family. Before meeting death, the father gets prepared to be tortured severely; afterwards, he disappears.
Not only did the Khmer Rouge soldiers reach for a peasant-led society, but they also wished to create an agrarian-themed country (“Khmer Rouge”). In other words, all citizens were forced to work and earn the food for themselves. Most of these activities involved clearing the field, planting crops, and building canals under the Khmer Rouge’s supervision. Almost every job was related to agriculture as the Angkor, nickname for the Khmer Rouge, was simply focused on maintaining arable, priceless land. The nonfiction novel also mentions the strenuous work Loung’s family members performed which even caused the death of Keav, Loung's older sister. The “doctors” attempted to find the appropriate medicine to alleviate her symptoms; however, “Keav knows (knew) this is (was) a lie”, and that, in fact, there was no medicine to support her as all the real doctors were “killed by the Angkar long ago” (Ung 96).
Overall, war never favors the hidden truth as it simply admires the conqueror. Although the Angkor’s plan on building a Communist society may have appeared impossible, because the Khmer Rouge soldiers had prepared the sudden attack quite decently, the country may have entirely ended up in their hands; however, fortunately, were released after twenty one years. The soldiers purposely kicked out all intellectuals since they wanted a poor, yet agricultural society. This book, First They Killed My Father, by Loung Ung, clearly portrays the events throughout the war while “Khmer Rouge” from EBSCOhost builds the understanding of the malicious army who attempts to build a Communist and agricultural society.
MLA Works Cited
"Khmer Rouge." EBSCO. World Book, Inc., Chicago, n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2016.
Ung, Loung. First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers. New York: HarperCollinsPublishers, 2000.
Ung, Loung. First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers. New York: HarperCollinsPublishers, 2000.
Bryana Lee - Informative Writing
Bryana Lee
Mrs. Manning
English 9 D Block
November 2, 2016
Mrs. Manning
English 9 D Block
November 2, 2016
Q: Were people able to survive the Cambodian-Vietnamese War by simply immigrating to other countries or were there any other ways to survive the war?
The Cambodian-Vietnamese War started on December 25, 1978. This war caused Phnom Penh to be destroyed and the people living in Phnom Penh to move to different cities in Cambodia. This information is from three sources, ABC-Clio, World Book Encyclopedia, and Opposing Viewpoint. During the Cambodian-Vietnamese War, immigrating was not a common option for surviving. Therefore, people didn’t survive by immigrating, but moved to different cities.
The war was initiated by the Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Rouge is a group of communist people. “...murderous Khmer Rouge regime, which slaughtered more than one million Cambodians between 1975 and 1979” (Nemeth). When Khmer Rouge invaded Phnom Penh, the people living there had to move to other cities because there was going to be a bomb being dropped in Phnom Penh. Also, while they were running away, a lot of other people were also being killed because they were caught by Khmer Rouge soldiers. According to the book, First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung, people were holding guns while running away. After all, the Vietnamese troops and Cambodian communists’ goal was defeating the Khmer Rouge. This was the reason why Phnom Penh was being destroyed.
After the war ended, Phnom Penh had only one million people left in their population. There were two million people before the war but after the bomb and the invasion, their population decreased by half. After the Khmer Rouge were defeated and overthrown by the Cambodian Communists, the people of Phnom Penh returned and rebuilt the city. They started to live their original life like before. “In 1979, Vietnamese troops and a Cambodian Communist group overthrew the Khmer Rouge and took control of Phnom Penh. People then began returning to the city. By the early 2000’s, the population had grown to an estimated 1 million.” (Keyes). Since the citizens came back to their homes fairly quickly, people did not immigrate much to other countries. Instead, they stayed in different parts of Cambodia, where they thought they were safe.
At its end, the Cambodian-Vietnamese war had killed a lot of people and was a very complicated war. But the reason that made this war was caused because of the citizens and people’s opinion opposing. After all, immigrating wasn’t an option for most of the people living in Cambodia at that point, especially with them living in one of the poor countries. Therefore, the answer to the question is no, the survivors did not survive through immigrating, but moved to a temporary shelter in other cities to evacuate from the dangerous city, Phnom Penh.
The war was initiated by the Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Rouge is a group of communist people. “...murderous Khmer Rouge regime, which slaughtered more than one million Cambodians between 1975 and 1979” (Nemeth). When Khmer Rouge invaded Phnom Penh, the people living there had to move to other cities because there was going to be a bomb being dropped in Phnom Penh. Also, while they were running away, a lot of other people were also being killed because they were caught by Khmer Rouge soldiers. According to the book, First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung, people were holding guns while running away. After all, the Vietnamese troops and Cambodian communists’ goal was defeating the Khmer Rouge. This was the reason why Phnom Penh was being destroyed.
After the war ended, Phnom Penh had only one million people left in their population. There were two million people before the war but after the bomb and the invasion, their population decreased by half. After the Khmer Rouge were defeated and overthrown by the Cambodian Communists, the people of Phnom Penh returned and rebuilt the city. They started to live their original life like before. “In 1979, Vietnamese troops and a Cambodian Communist group overthrew the Khmer Rouge and took control of Phnom Penh. People then began returning to the city. By the early 2000’s, the population had grown to an estimated 1 million.” (Keyes). Since the citizens came back to their homes fairly quickly, people did not immigrate much to other countries. Instead, they stayed in different parts of Cambodia, where they thought they were safe.
At its end, the Cambodian-Vietnamese war had killed a lot of people and was a very complicated war. But the reason that made this war was caused because of the citizens and people’s opinion opposing. After all, immigrating wasn’t an option for most of the people living in Cambodia at that point, especially with them living in one of the poor countries. Therefore, the answer to the question is no, the survivors did not survive through immigrating, but moved to a temporary shelter in other cities to evacuate from the dangerous city, Phnom Penh.
MLA Works Cited
Nemeth, Mary. "Leaving the killing fields: the prospect of civil war returns as the Vietnamese withdraw from Cambodia." Maclean's, 9 Oct. 1989,
p. 24+. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Accessed 1 Nov. 2016.
Kislenko, Arne. "Vietnamese Occupation of Cambodia." World History: The Modern Era, ABC-CLIO, 2016. Accessed 1 Nov. 2016.
Keyes, Charles, and Jane Keyes. "Phnom Penh." World Book Advanced. World Book, 2016. Web. 1 Nov. 2016.
p. 24+. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Accessed 1 Nov. 2016.
Kislenko, Arne. "Vietnamese Occupation of Cambodia." World History: The Modern Era, ABC-CLIO, 2016. Accessed 1 Nov. 2016.
Keyes, Charles, and Jane Keyes. "Phnom Penh." World Book Advanced. World Book, 2016. Web. 1 Nov. 2016.
Subin Kim - Informative Writing
Subin Kim
Mrs. Manning
English 9 D Block
November 2, 2016
Mrs. Manning
English 9 D Block
November 2, 2016
Q: What Were the Arguments For and Against the Khmer Rouge During the Cambodian Civil War?
An innocent bystander gets hurt in a fight. This saying is not always true, but it was evident during the Cambodian War. As to this war, there were essentially three sides: the Democrats, the Communists (later called the Khmer Rouge) and the citizens who were stuck in the middle of the two. People who were against the Khmer Rouge argued over their extreme violence, while people who were for the Khmer Rouge praised them for their “purification” of Cambodia.
Before the Communists were in power, a Democratic government, led by Prime Minister Lon Nol, had been in place. He allied with the government of the United States and “attempted to expel Vietnamese Communists from the country” (Stock 2). During the Vietnamese Civil War, many of their communists had fled to Cambodia due to threats from the Democrats in Southern Vietnam. The determination of Lon Nol, however, was poison rather than medicine. Due to Lon Nol’s numerous bomb attacks near the Vietnamese encampments, many civilians lost their lives (Stock 2). Later on, the uprising of the citizens overthrew Lon Nol and ironically helped the Khmer Rouge — Northern Vietnamese at the time — strengthen their power through anti-Lon Nol opinions.
In 1975, having gained more power, Pol Pot, the leader of Khmer Rouge, began to expel all “corrupted” citizens from Cambodia. These people were namely the wealthy ones from the city and the supporters of the previous democratic government. Pot conducted a genocide of these citizens, and regardless of age, treated them with hostility and extreme violence. During this period of ethnic “purification”, “roughly half of the 425,000 Chinese who were living in Cambodia during this time lost their lives” (Stock 3). The Chinese were not the only ones killed as many other ethnic minorities were also victims of this event. Eventually, this mass killing led the majority of citizens to hold opinions against the Khmer Rouge. Their violence was too much to handle.
However, some viewed this genocide as a great change for Cambodia. According to the Communists, who supported and received help from the Khmer Rouge, this event was helpful to Cambodia because it eliminated “bad” influences that affected the citizens’ minds. Unequal luxury and anything foreign were some factors of these unacceptable influences. During this time, due to the power of Pol Pot, supporters of the Communists had more power than the ones against them. Cambodia was taken over by the Communists.
Eventually, the Khmer Rouge declined in power when “Vietnam launched a full-scale invasion of Cambodia” (Stock 3). This led to the expulsion of Communism in Cambodia and turned the country into a constitutional monarchy. Despite the major arguments between the Democrats and the Communists, due to Vietnam intervention, the Communists were simply expelled from Cambodia. The arguments of Communists and Democrats were at an end.
Before the Communists were in power, a Democratic government, led by Prime Minister Lon Nol, had been in place. He allied with the government of the United States and “attempted to expel Vietnamese Communists from the country” (Stock 2). During the Vietnamese Civil War, many of their communists had fled to Cambodia due to threats from the Democrats in Southern Vietnam. The determination of Lon Nol, however, was poison rather than medicine. Due to Lon Nol’s numerous bomb attacks near the Vietnamese encampments, many civilians lost their lives (Stock 2). Later on, the uprising of the citizens overthrew Lon Nol and ironically helped the Khmer Rouge — Northern Vietnamese at the time — strengthen their power through anti-Lon Nol opinions.
In 1975, having gained more power, Pol Pot, the leader of Khmer Rouge, began to expel all “corrupted” citizens from Cambodia. These people were namely the wealthy ones from the city and the supporters of the previous democratic government. Pot conducted a genocide of these citizens, and regardless of age, treated them with hostility and extreme violence. During this period of ethnic “purification”, “roughly half of the 425,000 Chinese who were living in Cambodia during this time lost their lives” (Stock 3). The Chinese were not the only ones killed as many other ethnic minorities were also victims of this event. Eventually, this mass killing led the majority of citizens to hold opinions against the Khmer Rouge. Their violence was too much to handle.
However, some viewed this genocide as a great change for Cambodia. According to the Communists, who supported and received help from the Khmer Rouge, this event was helpful to Cambodia because it eliminated “bad” influences that affected the citizens’ minds. Unequal luxury and anything foreign were some factors of these unacceptable influences. During this time, due to the power of Pol Pot, supporters of the Communists had more power than the ones against them. Cambodia was taken over by the Communists.
Eventually, the Khmer Rouge declined in power when “Vietnam launched a full-scale invasion of Cambodia” (Stock 3). This led to the expulsion of Communism in Cambodia and turned the country into a constitutional monarchy. Despite the major arguments between the Democrats and the Communists, due to Vietnam intervention, the Communists were simply expelled from Cambodia. The arguments of Communists and Democrats were at an end.
MLA Works Cited
"Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge Create the Killing Fields: 1975–1979." Global Events: Milestone Events Throughout History, edited by Jennifer
Stock, vol. 2: Asia and Oceania, Gale, 2014. Global Issues in Context
Stock, vol. 2: Asia and Oceania, Gale, 2014. Global Issues in Context