Committee:​ UNHCR

Topic:​ Reparations in Cambodia

Author: ​Anna Alvis

Report of the chairs

I. Letter from the Chairs

Esteemed delegates, welcome! I'm excited to see papers like this being discussed,

seeing as many times big countries function in theUnited States unchecked. I hope that

through this debate all countries, big and small, can through debate and research see how

size DOES matter, exspecially in political situations where large countries can aide in

genocide then go on their merry way.

II. Background of topic

The Khmer Rouge (Meaning ‘Red Khmers’, red as in communist and Khmer as in

the Cambodian people) was an extreme comunist uprising in Cambodia with the goal of

returning the country to a classless, agrarian society, inspired by the rural farming

communities of the northeast of Cambodia and their ‘pureness’ considering they were not

consumed with wealth, status, or religion (“Khmer Rouge.”, 2017). The Khmer Rouge

started as a communist party in Cambodia in the 1960’s, and after the Monarch was

ousted in a political coup, the Khmer Rouge saw their chance and took power. In 1975,

already having control of 85% of Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge took the Capitol, Phonm

Phen (“Khmer Rouge History.”). Two days after taking the capitol, the Khmer Rouge
forced some 2,000,000+ people from the cities into rural dwellings to build their ideal

agrarian society (“Khmer Rouge History.”). While in power, one fifth of the

population-1.7 to 2.2 million people- were killed through starvation, mass executions,

desaise, and overwork (“Khmer Rouge History.”). Being part of the Cham, Vietnamese,

or Chinese minority, having a higher education, speaking multiple languages, or just

being accused of being a traitor to the government got 100,000+ people executed

(“Khmer Rouge History.”) . Executions were common, with multiple prisons popping up

across the country in now abandoned schools, hospitals, and old government buildings.

During the khmer rouge, over 17000 people were sent to Tuol Sleng Prison, and only 20

survived (“Khmer Rouge.”, 2017). Soldiers, children, foreigners, common people were

all sent there after others turned them in, due to a complete culture of mistrust and fear. If

anyone saw you expressing love to your partner, wearing glasses, speaking a language

besides khmer, or acting in anyway above others, you would be sent to be executed.

In 1979, after over 30,000 Vietnamese ethnics were killed along the

Cambodia-Vietnam border, The Vietnamese took back Phnom Penh, the capital of

Cambodia (Elich, 2014). Still, political unrest plagued Cambodia until the late 90s. Half

a million people, including most of the Khmer Rouge forces,fled to the Thai border to

refugee camps, and from there the international chaos began (“Khmer Rouge History.”).

International connections within the Khmer Rouge started in the early 1800’s and

span to now (UNITED NATIONS ADVANCE MISSION) . In the 1800’s France

colonized Cambodia. Because Cambodia was seen as a ‘crop field,’ no infrastructure was

built while the economy expanded, which led to multiple economic collapses, and dissent
to turn to the pro-communist sentients beginning to rise throughout Asia (“Khmer

Rouge.”, 2017). Seeing as this was all happening during the cold war, the United States

could not allow for more communism to spread (“Khmer Rouge History.”). A

Pro-American group, headed by Lon Nol, overthrew the Monarch, Prince Norodom

Sihanouk with help from the Vietnamese (“Khmer Rouge History.”) (Widyono). Later,

Vietnam would return. The Viet Cong (the North Vietnamese communist forces) ran

supply lines from China through Cambodia, which led the United States to bomb the

eastern portion of Cambodia. There was no regard for human life (Morris, 2015). From

1969 to 1973, the United States dropped 500,000 tonnes of bombs on Cambodia, killing

at least 300,000 people (“Khmer Rouge History.”). The destruction and extreme unrest

caused fueled the anti-western sentiments starting to build in Cambodia, and the Khmer

Rouge started to find their hold, who then teamed up with the disposed Prince Sihanouk

(“Khmer Rouge.”, 2017). In 1975 they took Phnom Phen. The actions of the United

States and their bombing of eastern Cambodia were later found to be illegal (Morris,

2015). After the five years of khmer rouge rule, and the attempts of expansion into

Vietnam, within two weeks Vietnam took back Phnom Penh, and pushed the Khmer

Rouge Leadership to the Thai border, where they hid among the refugee camps, and some

were granted refugee status to go abroad.

If you thought it couldn’t get messier, it does. After the Vietnamese pushed out

the Khmer Rouge, Cambodia had three forces ruling it. There was a Royal Party, the

Khmer Rouge who claimed to have given up on such extreme forms of communism, and

the Vietnamese government. The United Nations had discontinued aid to Cambodia
during the Khmer Rouge period, but quickly restarted aid programs (“The UN in

Cambodia.”).The United Nations Border Relief Operation (UMBRO) was created in

1982 to aid the Thai-Cambodia border (“The UN in Cambodia.”). Many different non

governmental organizations started supplying aid to the border. However, the actions to

create this piece are questionable. China was supplying the Khmer Rouge with

approximately 100 million usd worth of military aid per year through the 1980’s (Morris,

2015). In 1885, the covert CIA support of the Khmer Rouge was worth 12 million usd,

and congress voted to add on 5 million usd per year in over aid, all to the Khmer Rouge.

In 1989 USAID reached its export peak of 13 million usd worth of non-lethal military

weapons being shipped to the Thai-Cambodian Khmer Rouge camps (Elich, 2014). The

United States spent 10 million+ usd on funding Khmer Rouge soldiers and pressuring

relief agencies to continue their support of the Khmer Rouge along the Thai border

(Morris, 2015). The World Food Programme gave the Khmer Rouge via the Thai army

12 million usd of food, benefiting 20-40 thousand Khmer Rouge soldiers (Pilger, 2000).

China and Thailand helped support Khmer Rouge camps after they were ousted from

Phnom Penh in 1979 (“Khmer Rouge History.”). Due to the aftermath of the cold war,

The United States wouldn’t recognize a communist Vietnam backed government, so their

support fell to the Khmer Rouge, who claimed to have turned away from their ‘extreme

comunist’ beliefs (Elich, 2014). This support was also found in the United Nations seat

being awarded to a Khmer Rouge member from 1979 through 1991. The three

governments- Khmer Rouge, FUNCINPEC (the royalist party), and the Khmer People’s

National Liberation Front (KPNLF) (pro american)- continued to quarrel and operate in
different parts of the country, but by a vote of the United states, a Khmer Rouge Delegate

represented Cambodia in the United Nations (Widyono).It wouldnt be until 1989 that the

United States woud admit the Khmer Rouge period (1975-1979) was a genocide (Morris,

2015). In later reports, it was found that the United States, along with the UK, were

supplying the forces with military tactics training, landmine usage, and supplies to the

Khmer Rouge. England’s Special Air Service had trained Khmer Rouge soldiers for over

4 years on their secret bases in Thailand (Pilger, 2000). The SAS taught the khmer rouge

soldiers how to use mines and booby traps among other things (Pilger, 2000).

Finally in October, 1991, the Paris Peace Agreements on The Comprehensive

Political Settlement of the Cambodan Conflict were signed, and established the United

Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC), a sub group dedicated to

supporting the creation of a stable government in Cambodia (“The UN in Cambodia.”).

UNTAC had the most people employed and the highest cost of any operation in UN

history, with 25,000 people involved and costing 3 billion usd (Ol, 2016). Through

UNTAC, elections were held in which 90% of eligible voters participated, and 370,000

refugees were resettled from the Thai Border camps (Widyono). What it didn’t do is end

the Khmer Rouge, who just waited until UNTAC ended to attack from their jungle

hideouts once again. It also didn’t honor the point of view of the citizens of Cambodia,

and most Cambodians saw it as a way for countries like Vietnam, China, and the United

States to get closure (Ol, 2016).

In 1997, the United Nations in partnership with the new Cambodia, the Royal

Government of Cambodia, and created a tribunal to try the leaders of the Khmer Rouge,
 called the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) (Widyono) . In

2012, only three leaders had been tried; Pol Pot, the leader of the Khmer Rouge had died

of natural causes in 1998 in his jungle home, and two of the leaders were deemed unfit

for trial (Fletcher, 2009) . It wouldn’t be until November 2018, 40 years after the Khmer

Rouge, that Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, and Kaing Guek Eav aka Dutch- higherups in

the Khmer Rouge Government- were also found guilty of genocide over the Cham and

Vietnamese minorities (“Khmer Rouge: Cambodia's Years of Brutality.”, 2018).

Currently a former Khmer Rouge leader serves as the prime minister, and many more live

among the population. Only three people of the entire Khmer Rouge Regime were ever

jailed. Most people cite the end of the Khmer Rouge in 1999, when all of the leaders had

defected to the new government or died (“Khmer Rouge History.”).

III. Current Standings

After the initial Khmer Rouge period, one fifth of the Cambodian population was

dead, much more crippled, wounded, and sick. With so many people dying, now 50

percent of the population is under 20, and begining to forget how tramatic the genocide

was, considering they didn’t live through it (Quackenbush, 2019). However, even without

living through it, up to 40% of the population has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, 27%

acute anxiety, and 16.7% depression (Hruby, 2014). Even the children born in the United

States to Khmer Rouge refugees are more likely to have mental health problems

(Quackenbush, 2019). But in a country without medical infrastructure, the entire country

has 40 psychiatrists, most in the cities when 80% of the population lives in rural areas
 (Jensen, Baker-Munton, 2019). On the prevalence of mental health in Cambodia, Chhim

Sotheara of the Transcultural Psychosocial Organisation said, “During the Khmer Rouge

regime, people were trained not to trust each other. This has continued among

Cambodians today.” (Staff, 2019).

Along with mental health, the scars of the 30 years of terror are seen in the land

mines. Mines are active up to 50 years after laid, and just a few years after laid

cambodian people were forced to return to their mine infested farms if they wanted to

have enough money to eat (Davies, 2018). In the 1990s there were more landmines in

Cambodia then people, now 50% of landmines have been cleared thanks to ngos like

HALO trust (Dunlop, 2017). Since 1979 there have been more than 64,000 casualties and

25,000 amputees from landmines in Cambodia (“Cambodia.”).There are 3 million active

mines in Cambodia right now, but mines are deployed 25 faster then they are cleared

(Davies, 2018). 1997 the Anti-Landmine treaty is signed by 141 countries, outlining the

ending of land mines and the recovery of still active ones (Davies, 2018). China, Iraq,

Iran, India, USA, and Russia did not sign (Davies, 2018).

IV. Directive

The gencodie in Cambodia spanned forty years, and there is more to unpack of

those 40 years then you can in one debate. This debate will focus on the times after the

inital ‘Khmer Rouge’ and on the international response and involvment in the genocide.

Under the idea of reparations, discussing topics such as tribunals, monetary investment

and grants, treaties, and delegation of resources to Cambodia are encouraged, noting how

after the Khmer Rouge Cambodia was initially forgotten in the international community.
 It should also be recognized how foriegn actions contributed to the widespread death,

ptsd, and unrest in Cambodia. Another important factor of this debate is recognizing the

shortcomings of international response in the years 1980-1995, and how the charity given

is different from systematic change. Through this debate the goal is not to ‘solve’ the

Khmer Rouge, but instead on creating stability in Cambodia based on past shortcomings.

V. Note to delegates

President Carter called it one of “the worst violators[s] of human rights in the

world today.” (ushmm) And yet, the Khmer Rouge is not listed anywhere in the United

States education standards. I recognize how broad this debate could be, but I hope yall

recognize how important this debate could be also. Many scholars believe the Khmer

Rouge wouldn’t have happened if it weren't for other countries meddling in Cambodia,

one of the main countries the United States. However, as students in the United States, it

is not even part of the curriculum. If we don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it,

so this is my gift to the future, hoping this never happens again.

VI. Delegations

Cambodia

Where the Khmer Rouge took place, and the main country being talked about in

debate

China
 Deng XiaoPing, the leader of China at the time, was a large supporter of the

Khmer Rouge. He funded and supplied the Khmer Rouge, and helped train many of the

government officials.

United States of America

Anti-communist, intervined multiple times in the Khmer Rouge through overt

action

Thailand

Supported Khmer Rouge troops along the Thai Cambodian border

India

Did not sign the Anti-Land mine action suit

Vietnam

Neighbor of Cambodia, and ended the Khmer Rouge government reign. During

the Khmer rouge, a main target group was ethnic vietnamese people, and the Khmer

Rouge also attempted to invade Vietnam.

Russia

As the Soviet Union, supported the Khmer Rouge and communist actions.

Singapore

Factories create landmines and sell to United States, etc

Myanmar

Factories create landmines and sell to United States, etc

Rwanda

Included in debate because of the Rwandan genocide, use how the government

and the United Nations handled the genocide there to apply to Cambodia.

Armenia

Included in debate because of the Armenain genocide, use how the government

and the United Nations handled the genocide there to apply to Cambodia.

United Kingdom

The Special Air Services trained Khmer Rouge soldiers in using landmines

South Africa

Experience with genocide and reperations

Germany

Experience with genocide and reperations

France

France colonized Cambodia until their independence in the 1950s. Many

Cambodian students would go to France to study, including most of the higher ups in the

Khmer Rouge.

Iraq

Does not support ending Land mines

Iran

Does not support ending Land mines

Canada

Reparations for first nations is often questioned

 Chile

Reparations for indeginous people is often questioned

VII. References

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www.gapyear.com/articles/features/landmines-in-cambodia.

Dunlop, Nic. “Beating the Odds and Clearing Landmines in Cambodia.” ​Al Jazeera​, Qatar, 12

Sept. 2017,

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ia-170830073311964.html.

Elich, Gregory. “Who Supported the Khmer Rouge?” ​CounterPunch.org,​ CounterPunch, 4 Nov.

2014, www.counterpunch.org/2014/10/16/who-supported-the-khmer-rouge/.

Fletcher, Dan. “The Khmer Rouge.” ​Time,​ Time Inc., 17 Feb. 2009,

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