Pol Pot

Saloth Sar (May 19, 1925 – April 15, 1998), better known as Pol Pot, was the ruler of the Khmer Rouge and the Prime Minister of Cambodia (officially Democratic Kampuchea during his rule) from 1976 to 1979, having been de facto leader since mid-1975.

Aftermath

The U.S. opposed an expansion of Vietnamese influence in Indochina, and in the mid-1980s supported insurgents opposed to the regime of Heng Samrin, approving $5 million in aid to the KPNLF of former prime minister Son Sann and the pro-Sihanouk ANS in 1985. Despite this, Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge remained the best-trained and most capable of the three insurgent groups, who despite sharply divergent ideologies had formed the Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea (CGDK) alliance three years earlier. China continued to funnel extensive military aid to the Khmer Rouge, and critics of U.S. foreign policy claimed that the U.S. was indirectly sponsoring the Khmer Rouge due to its diplomatic recognition of the CGDK. http://www.country-studies.com/cambodia/coalition-government-of-democratic-kampuchea.html http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa074.html http://www.hrw.org/reports/1989/WR89/Cambodia.htm

Related Topics:
KPNLF - Son Sann - Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea

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Pol Pot officially resigned in 1985, but continued as de facto Khmer Rouge leader and dominant force within the anti-Heng alliance. Opponents of the Khmer Rouge claimed that they were sometimes acting in an inhumane manner in territory controlled by the alliance.

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In 1989, Vietnam withdrew from Cambodia. Pol Pot refused to cooperate with the peace process, and kept fighting the new coalition government. The Khmer Rouge kept the government forces at bay until 1996, when the demoralized troops started deserting. Several important Khmer Rouge leaders also defected.

Related Topics:
1989 - 1996

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Pol Pot ordered the execution of his life-long right-hand man Son Sen and eleven members of his family on June 10, 1997 for wanting to make a settlement with the government (the news did not reach outside of Cambodia for three days). Pol Pot then fled his northern stronghold, but was later arrested by Khmer Rouge military Chief Ta Mok, and sentenced to lifelong house arrest. In April 1998, Ta Mok fled into the forest taking Pol Pot following a new government attack. A few days later, on April 15, 1998, Pol Pot died, reportedly of a heart attack. His body was burned in the Cambodian countryside, with several dozen Khmer Rouge in attendance. According to them, while his body burned, his right hand was raised high in a fist.

Related Topics:
Son Sen - June 10 - 1997 - Ta Mok - House arrest - April 15 - 1998

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