Democratic Kampuchea

Democratic Kampuchea (in Khmer, កម្ពុជា ប្រជាផិបតេយ្យ) was the official name of Cambodia under the government of Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge party from 1975 until 1979. The period saw the death of approximately 1.7 million Cambodians as a combined result of political executions, starvation, and overwork. A 1984 movie, The Killing Fields, dramatized the horrors of Khmer Rouge rule.

The End of CGDK and the Khmer Rouge

A UN-led peacekeeping mission that took place from 1991-95 sought to end violence in the country and establish a democratic system of government through new elections. The '90s saw a marked decline in insurgent activity, though the Khmer Rouge later renewed their attacks against the government. On 1997, Pol Pot ordered the execution of his right-hand man Son Sen for attempting a peace negotiation with the Cambodian government. In 1998, Pol Pot himself died, and other key KR leaders Khieu Samphan and Ieng Sary surrendered to the government of Hun Sen in exchange for immunity from prosecution, leaving Ta Mok as the sole commander of the Khmer Rouge forces; he was detained in 1999 for "crimes against humanity." The organization essentially ceased to exist.

Related Topics:
Hun Sen - Ta Mok

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The Khmer Rouge was the only member of the CGDK to continue fighting following the reconciliation process. The other two political organizations that made up the CGDK alliance ended armed resistance and became a part of the political process that began with elections in 1993. http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/dpko/co_mission/unamicbackgr.html

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