1media/map_10-20-small.pngmedia/map_10-20-small.png2020-07-04T07:09:02-07:00Cambodia9This contains the historical context for Cambodian refugees.image_header2020-07-22T14:21:32-07:00
Like Iraqis, the Cambodian people struggled through one unstable system after another.
In recent history there was an US backed government, the Khmer Rouge, and then an Australian backed government. Each of these systems had different ways of making life unbearable for Cambodians.
The nearby conflict in Vietnam was taking a toll on Cambodians. Carpet bombing was a regular occurrence. Under the guise of safety, the Khmer Rouge used this opportunity to topple the government and lead the people into the countryside. There, the people were told they were making a Utopia, but the reality was a lot more grim.
One fifth of the Cambodian population died during this time. The middle class and those in most professions— professors, doctors, lawyers— were murdered in mass killings. Others died as a consequence of breaking the regimes strict rules banning religion, private property, and cultural practices. In addition, many more Cambodians died as a result of the poor conditions they were forced to live in. They often lacked food, medical care, and access to stable housing. The labor camps they were forced to work in caused people to die from exhaustion.
Those who fled the regime faced a difficult journey. Children separated from their families, traveled in groups or alone, walking for days without food or water. They were sick, weak, and often became caught in the cross-fire between the Khmer Rouge and the Vietnamese forces. Once they completed the difficult journey, most found themselves stuck in Thailand's refugee camps where the situation was only moderately better.
Like in Cambodia, the situation in Thailand's refugee camps were dire. There was not enough food, shelter, and medical care to go around. Disease was widespread, it was crowded, crime was rampant, and the dead began to pile up. There were even instances of Thai soldiers firing on the Cambodian refugees. In the audio documentary Trampled Grass, they share the story of a woman in the refugee camp being raped by two soldiers. When this occurred two refugee men retaliated against them which led to the camp being fired on by more Thai soldiers.
With help from Australia, the Khmer Rouge was eventually overthrown and a new government was put in place. This government was intended to be a democracy, instead it became a dictatorship.
Now, Cambodians are being deported at a high rate from the United States and Australia. The deportations are separating families and sending people to an unrecognizable country.