Kamala Sarup: When Khmer Rouge Butcher Ta Mok Died

Ta Mok, "Butcher" one of the main leaders of Cambodia's brutal Maoists Khmer Rouge regime, has died. He refused to surrender and he was captured in 1999. He was expected to be one of the first person tried for genocide and crimes against humanity.

Cambodia's "Killing Fields" extremist Maoists regime, under an estimated 1.7 million people were executed. Many of their victims were tortured, others died of starvation, disease and overwork.

The purpose of Khmer Rouge assault same as what we believe. They never accepted a peace and justice solutions. Problem with Khamer Rouge with terrorism because they never wanted peace only killing innocent, and destroying children.

There are different visions in this world of individuals. Maoists, Extremist, Socialists Marxists and those on the left-wing see individuals as but representatives of "sectors" in society (ultimately based, they claim, on economics).

The other view is that all people are capable of equal stature as citizens, that their ability to think and express exists independently of any category or sector. Those who represent this second trend have produced the great advances we call civilization. Those of the first trend have given us the greatest crimes humanity has ever witnessed.

Beyond all else, those who feel one's essence, especially Maoists Khamer Rough terrorists political power, must be rooted in sectors, whether of gender or class or tribe or ethnicity or language, refuse to concede the independent existence of thought, or ideas, of notions of beauty or truth.

"Poetry such as yours cannot be considered, they would claim without relating it to its "class background." That this is not only wrong but obscene, when considered at its most basic level, is why we struggle against such people. Tom said me recently.

1. The Khmer Rouge regime is remembered mainly for the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people. In terms of the number of people killed as a proportion of the population of the country it ruled, it was one of the most lethal regimes of the 20th century.

In power, the Khmer Rouge carried out a radical program that included isolating the country from foreign influence, closing schools, hospitals and factories, abolishing banking, finance and currency, outlawing all religions, confiscating all private property and relocating people from urban areas to collective farms where forced labor was widespread. The purpose of this policy was to turn Cambodians into "new people" through agricultural labor. These actions resulted in massive deaths through executions, work exhaustion, illness, and starvation.

The Khmer Rouge attempted to turn Cambodia into a classless society by depopulating cities and forcing the urban population into agricultural communes. The entire population was forced to become farmers in labour camps. During their four years in power, the Khmer Rouge overworked and starved the population, at the same time executing selected groups (including intellectuals) and killing many others for even minor breaches of rules. (Source:Wikipedia, 2006)

Fall of the Khmer Rouge

The Khmer Rouge regime was removed from power in 1979. In 1996, following a peace agreement, the Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot formally dissolved the organisation. After a decade of inconclusive conflict, all Cambodian political factions signed a treaty in 1991 calling for elections and disarmament. But in 1992 the Khmer Rouge resumed fighting and the following year they rejected the results of the elections. There was a mass defection in 1996 when around half the remaining soldiers (about 4,000) left. Factional fighting in 1997 led to Pol Pot's trial and imprisonment by the Khmer Rouge itself. Pol Pot died in April 1998, and Khieu Samphan surrendered in December. On December 29, 1998 the remaining leaders of the Khmer Rouge apologised for the deaths in the 1970s. By 1999 most members had surrendered, or been captured. (Source:Wikipedia, 2006)

Peace And Extremists

Knowing what I do about state of the world and how all the extremists are causing so much turbulence in it, but still I'm optimistic overall about peace prospects in the world.

We may be on cusp of a war against extremists either Khame Rouge Maoists or Al Queda .

Peace would start by our heart refusing to go along with extremist who will kill us, who will kill our children and rape women.

I always believe peace depends on all sides wanting it and compromising to achieve it.

Thus, we must serve our people with justice, economic justice. Extremists comes from same thing - injustice - in Nepal just like everywhere else. And the extreme poverty makes it much worse.

We need to take a humanist and non violence position against all wars, terrorism and extremism.

A Nepali Journalist and Story Writer Kamala Sarupis specialising in in-depth reporting and writing on Peace,Anti War, Women, Terrorism, Anti Fascism, Democracy, and Development. Some of her publications are: Women's Empowerment (Booklet). Prevention of trafficking in women through media,(Book) Efforts to Prevent Trafficking in for Media Activism (Media research). Two Stories collections. Her interests include international conflict resolution, cross-cultural communication, philosophy, feminism, political, socio-economic and literature. Her current plans are to move on to humanitarian work in Nepal in the near future. She also is experienced in organizational and community development.

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