The genocide that took place from 1975-1979 would affect nearly everyone in the small country. With an estimated death toll of nearly 2 million in a nation of only 7.5 million people, virtually everyone would have been directly affected by the loss of life. Many more people were left without homes, food, or medical care. When the Khmer Rouge regime was toppled, while stopping the mass killings, left much of Cambodia occupied by its Vietnamese liberators, who would remain in the country until 1989. Among the largest issues facing Cambodia after the fall of the regime was its massive refugee crisis. Millions of refugees fled in all directions across the country, flooding into neighboring nations, mainly being Vietnam and Thailand (Kiernan 455). The loss of life would not fall with the regime, however, as many more Cambodians across all ethnicities and classes would perish due to the harsh conditions following the Vietnamese invasion. Many more Cambodians will die, around 650,000, due to starvation, disease, and exhaustion in the year following the collapse of the Khmer Rouge despite the official end of the genocide itself, showcasing the humanitarian crisis Southeast Asia and the world in general had on its hands.
Immediately following the liberation of Cambodia by Vietnamese forces, very little aid flowed into the devastated and war-torn nation, mainly due to political reasons. Due to the fact that Cambodia was liberated and now occupied by the communist Vietnamese, most of their early aid came from other communist nations, such as the Soviet Union, China, and Vietnam itself (Gottesman 80). However, the extent of the crisis in the country left these countries largely unprepared, as much of the food in Cambodia was consumed in the days immediately following the fall of the regime, with the people rushing to get their fill. The massive starvation and violence experienced by the Cambodians during the Khmer Rouge period and the months afterwards had profound effects on the people. Many who were children and adolescents experienced stunting of their growth due to poor nutrition and a much larger proportion of males being physically disabled due to the violence they experienced (Walque 11).
The massive amount of violence and trauma inflicted on the Cambodian people left its mark, with millions of them being scarred both mentally and physically. Mental illnesses such as PTSD skyrocketed in the years after the collapse of the Khmer Rouge. An estimated 20% of the population are thought to be affected by PTSD or similar mental illnesses, which only furthers the economic and social cost of the genocide, possibly even years afterward (PTSD and Disability in Cambodia). With so many people suffering from such a serious illness in one of the poorest nations in the world means the inevitably the majority of these people will go untreated and even undiagnosed, having untold effects on the Cambodian society of today.
The genocide perpetrated by the Khmer Rouge had not only an effect on the health of the country’s population but its economy as well. The destruction of key infrastructure in a nation that was already somewhat backwards would prove to have a disastrous effect on Cambodia. Hospitals, schools, along with the people educated enough to staff them were all gone. Before the Khmer Rouge’s assumption to power, very little of the Cambodian people participated in the international economy and now that number was even less. For many years following the genocide, the economy would be stagnate, as any intellectuals, political leaders, and professionals were largely killed off. The education system in Cambodia was totally destroyed during the years in which the Khmer Rouge, leading to a lower level of educational attainment in this period than previous generations (Walque 12). Many of them had little to no education and had been working at the forced labor communes established by the regime for nearly 5 years, giving them little experience in much else making it that much more difficult to reopen itself economically back to the world. However, the Vietnamese occupying forces solution to this crisis of unemployment was a move back to collectivization, albeit not forced at the point of violence anymore (Gottesman 91). Also, this collectivization was not taken to the extremes that the Khmer Rouge enforced, and slowly but surely a private sector was increasingly allowed in the Cambodian economy, as well as Vietnam itself. Eventually the economy would become increasingly privatized and modernized, as more people became educated and foreign aid continued to flow in.
For many Cambodians, the violence and suffering continued even after the official collapse of Pol Pot’s government. Many of the Khmer Rouge hierarchy along with thousands of their troops fled from the occupying Vietnamese forces and continued to wage a guerilla war for years after against the Vietnamese occupying forces. These rebels were based mostly out of Thailand, and had the support of the Thai government as well as China. The effects of the situation in Cambodia also had wider ranging effects throughout Southeast Asia, as Thailand was flooded with starving refugees and rebels as well as China launching an invasion of Vietnam in retaliation for their continued occupation of Cambodia (Becker 435).
In all, the consequences of the Khmer Rouge’s actions in Cambodia had immense effects on both Cambodia itself and its neighbors in the larger Southeastern Asian region. It sparked a massive humanitarian crisis spanning a large swathe of the continent, with refugees pouring in nearly every direction. It also led to violence springing up in most of its neighboring countries, as rebel groups continued to harass governments and brought conflict between sovereign nations, as they often had different geopolitical goals in the power vacuum that was left by the Khmer Rouge. Finally, the nature of the killings as well as the humanitarian crises brought attention to the plight of the Cambodians to the entire world, gradually getting the international aid they so desperately needed as well as bringing attention, finally, so the human rights violations being perpetrated for nearly half a decade.
Immediately following the liberation of Cambodia by Vietnamese forces, very little aid flowed into the devastated and war-torn nation, mainly due to political reasons. Due to the fact that Cambodia was liberated and now occupied by the communist Vietnamese, most of their early aid came from other communist nations, such as the Soviet Union, China, and Vietnam itself (Gottesman 80). However, the extent of the crisis in the country left these countries largely unprepared, as much of the food in Cambodia was consumed in the days immediately following the fall of the regime, with the people rushing to get their fill. The massive starvation and violence experienced by the Cambodians during the Khmer Rouge period and the months afterwards had profound effects on the people. Many who were children and adolescents experienced stunting of their growth due to poor nutrition and a much larger proportion of males being physically disabled due to the violence they experienced (Walque 11).
The massive amount of violence and trauma inflicted on the Cambodian people left its mark, with millions of them being scarred both mentally and physically. Mental illnesses such as PTSD skyrocketed in the years after the collapse of the Khmer Rouge. An estimated 20% of the population are thought to be affected by PTSD or similar mental illnesses, which only furthers the economic and social cost of the genocide, possibly even years afterward (PTSD and Disability in Cambodia). With so many people suffering from such a serious illness in one of the poorest nations in the world means the inevitably the majority of these people will go untreated and even undiagnosed, having untold effects on the Cambodian society of today.
The genocide perpetrated by the Khmer Rouge had not only an effect on the health of the country’s population but its economy as well. The destruction of key infrastructure in a nation that was already somewhat backwards would prove to have a disastrous effect on Cambodia. Hospitals, schools, along with the people educated enough to staff them were all gone. Before the Khmer Rouge’s assumption to power, very little of the Cambodian people participated in the international economy and now that number was even less. For many years following the genocide, the economy would be stagnate, as any intellectuals, political leaders, and professionals were largely killed off. The education system in Cambodia was totally destroyed during the years in which the Khmer Rouge, leading to a lower level of educational attainment in this period than previous generations (Walque 12). Many of them had little to no education and had been working at the forced labor communes established by the regime for nearly 5 years, giving them little experience in much else making it that much more difficult to reopen itself economically back to the world. However, the Vietnamese occupying forces solution to this crisis of unemployment was a move back to collectivization, albeit not forced at the point of violence anymore (Gottesman 91). Also, this collectivization was not taken to the extremes that the Khmer Rouge enforced, and slowly but surely a private sector was increasingly allowed in the Cambodian economy, as well as Vietnam itself. Eventually the economy would become increasingly privatized and modernized, as more people became educated and foreign aid continued to flow in.
For many Cambodians, the violence and suffering continued even after the official collapse of Pol Pot’s government. Many of the Khmer Rouge hierarchy along with thousands of their troops fled from the occupying Vietnamese forces and continued to wage a guerilla war for years after against the Vietnamese occupying forces. These rebels were based mostly out of Thailand, and had the support of the Thai government as well as China. The effects of the situation in Cambodia also had wider ranging effects throughout Southeast Asia, as Thailand was flooded with starving refugees and rebels as well as China launching an invasion of Vietnam in retaliation for their continued occupation of Cambodia (Becker 435).
In all, the consequences of the Khmer Rouge’s actions in Cambodia had immense effects on both Cambodia itself and its neighbors in the larger Southeastern Asian region. It sparked a massive humanitarian crisis spanning a large swathe of the continent, with refugees pouring in nearly every direction. It also led to violence springing up in most of its neighboring countries, as rebel groups continued to harass governments and brought conflict between sovereign nations, as they often had different geopolitical goals in the power vacuum that was left by the Khmer Rouge. Finally, the nature of the killings as well as the humanitarian crises brought attention to the plight of the Cambodians to the entire world, gradually getting the international aid they so desperately needed as well as bringing attention, finally, so the human rights violations being perpetrated for nearly half a decade.