Meta House 50th Anniversary of Pol Pot Debate

Photo from Meta House

 By Julian Gagnon

Around one hundred people gathered (April 20) at the Meta House, a European cultural center in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to watch a discussion on the 50th anniversary of the Khmer Rouge's genocide.  

The panel included French historian Henri Locard, Royal University of Phnom Penh professor Keo Duong, French photographer Roland Neveu, Australian war reporter Huw Watkin, and moderated by Australian journalist Luke Hunt.  The panel debated the lead up to the genocide, the history of April 17, 1975, the day that the Khmer Rouge forced residents out of Phnom Penh, and the lasting effects of Pol Pot's regime on Cambodia.  

War tribunals in Cambodia estimated that 1.7 million to 2.3 million people were killed.  The question and answer period was dominated by the controversial visit of China's president Xi, who arrived in Cambodia on the 50th anniversary, and if that was insensitive given China's support for the Khmer Rouge.  

French historian Henri Locard was the first speaker and started the discussion in the pre-Khmer Rouge period where Norodom Sihanouk dominated Cambodian politics.  Locard noted that Sihanouk's rule laid the ground for the Khmer Rouge (Sihanouk later supported the Khmer Rouge from abroad after fleeing Cambodia) because of arbitrary arrests of citizens and the lack of free speech.  He also pointed out that it was not only Cambodians that suffered in the genocide, but also minority groups like the Chams (Muslims), Vietnamese, Chinese, and indigenous peoples.  

French photographer Roland Neveu recounted his time in Cambodia as a war photographer in 1975.  He provided the background and setting for his famous image taken on April 17, 1975, which he said "was almost yesterday in my mind."  Neveu recalled that he was lucky to be in the right place, with film, and the ability to get his images out of the country.

Photo from Meta House

Cambodian professor Keo Duong spoke about his interviews with rural villagers and their experience during the genocide.  Keo stated that many villagers were forced into labor, suffered from starvation, and killings.  In the question and answer period he highlighted that Westerners hear the experience of urban survivors more than rural Cambodians since people in urban areas were educated.  Keo warned that young Cambodians "only know that people died, had to work, or were starving.  They can't answer the question of why the genocide happened."

The final panelist was Huw Watkin, an Australian reporter that covered the post-genocide period in 1995 when the United Nations negotiated the structure of Cambodia's new government.  Watkin worked for The Phnom Penh Post for years and traveled extensively throughout the country.  He described the post-genocide environment as a failed experiment, exemplified through a series of murders of Cambodian journalists.  "You could see the suppressive machinery at work particularly against the media at that time," Watkin said.

Multiple periods of the Q&A session dealt with the recent visit of Chinese president Xi to Cambodia on April 17 since it was the 50th anniversary of the Khmer Rouge's rule and China had supported the communist regime.  One Chinese student first defended the president saying that she was sure that he did not know it was the anniversary and meant no disrespect towards the nation, but later shockingly stated "do not trust China."  

Australian journalist and moderator of the event Ken Hunt pointed out that Xi came because of an invitation from the royal family.  Regardless of the intent, the timing of the visit was controversial.  Some members of the audience felt the visit was disrespectful given China's contribution to the genocide, while another Chinese student argued the visit provided Xi and China the opportunity to reframe the relationship.

~ Julian Gagnon is the Academic Director - National High School Debate League of China. He is the Graduate Assistant Editor of the Hound Bytes Comm Studies Magazine ENMU. Julian lives in Cambodia.