The Endurance of the Cambodian Family Under the Khmer Rouge Regime: An Oral History

Abstract

The story of the 500 Thieves is a popular millennial story that predicts the coming of a group of bandits who would reverse the order of Cambodian society, turn life completely upside down, and halt all time for a period of years. The Khmer Rouge (KR) invaded the entire country in preparation for a nationwide “liberation campaign.” This chapter examines the relationship between the loyalties within the family and those imposed by the state by reviewing KR policies intended to undermine the family and by evaluating the success of families in resisting these policies. During the pre-KR period, the family and the economic, cultural, and religious institutions that supported it, formed the very foundation of Cambodian society. The KR attack on the family and its institutions thus threatened Cambodian society in a very fundamental way. When families finally settled into the collectives, the KR continued their policy of execution.