Customer Reviews

Cambodia: A Shattered Society

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My family and I had endured unspeakable torment under the Khmer Rouge Regime. At times, the information Dr. Martin presents is a bit hard to swallow, but it's the truth. For those who have attempted to ostracize Dr. Martin for her earnest work, I'd like you to know unless you went through what many victims of the holocaust went through you cannot even begin to fathom what we as a collective have witnessed and endured.

"Cambodia, a Shattered Society?" claims that two million people died in the 1975-1979 Khmer Rouge reign of terror.

Khmer Rouge Marxist guerrilla forces made their first appearance in the late 1960s. The authoritarian regime fought them, but some villagers sided with Vietnamese Communists because of government land seizures.

There are some serious problems with terminology. The guerilla subversion was called a "republican" war, yet it had no republican characteristics. The effort to root out communists was called a "witch-hunt," but the concept of a witch-hunt requires that there be no actual witches. Students were always called "intellectuals" when they might better have been labeled "dupes." And Mao was "the great helmsman." I guess this is what you get when you have a leftist writing about a leftist atrocity. This is either a bad translation, or the author is guilty of sloppy thinking.

When the Marxists gained power, and they immediately followed the predictable pattern. They set out to eliminate any source of opposition. There was war against religion, the bourgeoisie, and former state employees.

Then Phnom Penh was emptied when power-tripping, intolerant social planners forced everyone out of the cities and into the country. Stragglers were shot, people could only obtain a starvation diet, they were conscripted to do forced labor, and worse. Families were separated, spies were everywhere, and individuals were no longer able to take the initiative to decide their future. Cambodians faced arbitrary arrests.

The revolutionary cadres ignored local peasants' proven methods, and they introduced Chinese methods of agriculture that were unsuited for local varieties. If anyone ate a grasshopper on the sly, broke a tool, or relaxed the pace of work, they were declared a traitor to the revolution.

God was the Communist Party. In other words, it was Hell on earth. The welfare of the people was not an objective. Well, collectivists and social planners, there you have it: your dream, Cambodia.

But to be fair, it wasn't bad for everyone. "The leaders had veritable feasts, commanding officers and soldiers possessed several cars..." The rest of the people traveled on foot.

Maybe these atrocities were even too much for the Vietnamese. They occupied the country, but weren't really too hard on their brother Marxists. All they wanted was to grab some territory, send over some settlers, rape some chicks, and stop the tide of blood from rising. Vietnamese immigrants continued to settle, leading to political, social and economic difficulties.

We're told that, "Vietnam imposed on Cambodia a painful and complete protectorate, against the will of the entire population..." And, right after that we were told that, "They did not mistreat the people, who welcomed them as liberators." That's what is exasperating about this book: was the occupation against the will of the people, or did the people welcome the liberators?

Maybe this is the ultimate political correctness. Every time a statement is made, immediately contradict it, and that way nobody's feelings are hurt...or maybe the book is therefore unacceptable to everyone.

Unfortunately, this book was so loosely documented that now I'm wondering if the body count was inflated.

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