war. The Khmer Rouge, Cambodia’s communists, were led by Pol Pot, a ruthless guerilla leader. In 1975 the Khmer Rouge took over just as Vietnam fell to the communists. The Khmer Rouge began a brutal and diasterous social reorganization, forcing urban people to relocate to communal farms. The middle and upper class population, including most of the educated and government workers, was assassinated. In just four years, two million—20 percent of the population—died from overwork, malnutrition and disease. Vietnam invaded Cambodia in 1979 and defeated the Khmer Rouge militarily, much to the relief of the world. But Pol Pot and his 35,000 fighters fled to the western Cambodians learned recently that their mountains where they continued to carry government was entertaining two former on a guerrilla war. leaders of the Khmer Rouge. This rebel The Vietnamese established their own group is blamed for the deaths of two Cambodian government and left the counmillion Cambodians. try in 1992. But the government was in Cambodia, with 69,898 square miles disarray. Hun Sen, a successor to the ap(181,035 sq. km), is about the size of Mispointed Vietnamese government, lost a souri. Located in Southeast Asia, it is bornational election in 1993, but refused to dered by Thailand on the west, Laos to the step aside. A deal was brokered allowing north, Vietnam to the east him to share power with King and the Gulf of Thailand Sihanouk’s son. In order to to the southwest. consolidate his power durCambodia has an idyling the next four years, howlic tropical setting. Lush ever, Hun Sen openly natural vegetation covers courted the Khmer Rouge, the mountains that surfinally deposing the Prince round the country. Much and becoming prime minisGulf of of the bowl-shaped lowter. Since then he has been Tonkin land is cultivated as rice accused of executing 40 opVientiane paddies. Although about position politicians. half the year its savanna Pol Pot died in a jungle climate is dry, multiple camp on April 15, 1998. With M crops are possible, which him out of the way, Hun Sen Andaman means that Cambodia negotiated with the Khmer Sea should be able to more Rouge leaders, initially ofthan feed its 11 million fering them clemency. Two Anghor inhabitants. of the top leaders and their Wat Tonle Sap The mighty Mekong families came to Phnom Penh River flows through and were reportedly enterGulf of Cambodia, annually tained royally by Hun Sen. Thailand Phnom back-flowing during Meanwhile, the world Penh Ho Chi flood stage into Tonle watched in dismay as two Minh City Sap, a large shallow lake. alleged perpetrators of N 250 Km The capital, Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s “killing fields” is located at the junction 250 Mi. roamed free across the very of the Mekong and the ©2000 maps.com countryside where their tributary connecting Geography in the News # 464 atrocities occurred. Tonle Sap. And that is Geography in the News, Cambodia’s legislature. By summer, PresiBetween A.D. 800 and 1400, the Khmer Jan. 15, 1999. dent Nixon had authorized American empire ruled present-day Vietnam, Laos planes to bomb suspected communist (The author is a professor of Geography at and Thailand and had its capital at Anghor camps and trails inside Cambodian terriAppalachian State University, Boone, Wat in northern Cambodia. When the tory. Within a year, all of Cambodia was NC)#464 Thais captured Anghor, the Khmers reesinvolved in the expanded Southeast Asian CAMBODIA’S LEGACY OF TEARS tablished Kampuchea (KAM-poo-CHEah), their kingdom at Phnom Phenh. Kampuchea, alternately called Cambodia, became a French protectorate in 1863. The Japanese occupied the country from 1941 through 1945, but after World War II, Cambodia moved toward independence, achieving it in 1953. Cambodia’s King Sihanouk stepped down from his throne in 1955, took the title of prince and entered politics. The United States sent the country millions of aid dollars between 1955 and 1963, as the Vietnam War was beginning to gear up. The prince suspected that the United States was trying to overthrow his government, so he stopped accepting the aid. Cambodia tried to remain neutral in conflicts between the communists and noncommunists in Southeast Asia. Meanwhile, however, Viet Cong from North Vietnam were using trails and camps inside eastern Cambodia, utilizing its neutral territory to move war materiale to the south. As Sihanouk had suspected, a U.S. supported coup led by General Lon Nol overthrew Sihanouk in 1970 and dissolved China Myanmar Vietnam Laos Cambodia © 2000 maps.com g ekon Thailand