Who was the leader of the Khmer Rouge regime?
Pol Pot was the leader of the Khmer Rouge regime. He was a former student in Paris who formed a secret Marxist circle with Ieng Sary and Khieu Samphan to plot a revolution.
Questions about Khmer Rouge
Short answers, pulled from the story.
When did the Khmer Rouge capture Phnom Penh?
The Khmer Rouge captured the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh on the 17th of April 1975. This event marked the beginning of the most radical social engineering experiment in human history known as Year Zero.
How many people died during the Khmer Rouge regime?
The Cambodian genocide which took place under the Khmer Rouge regime led to the deaths of 1.5 to 2 million people. This figure represents around 25% of Cambodia's population.
Who coined the term Khmer Rouge?
King Norodom Sihanouk coined the term Khmer Rouge in the 1960s to describe his political enemies. He later allied with the group to fight against the United States-backed coup d'état of 1970.
When did the Khmer Rouge surrender completely?
The Khmer Rouge was largely dissolved by the mid-1990s and finally surrendered completely in 1999. Ieng Sary was arrested in 2007 but died of heart failure before the case against him could be brought to a verdict.