Lost in Cambodia | The life and death of Malcolm Caldwell

🌈 Abstract

The article explores the lives and ideological commitments of two men - Malcolm Caldwell, a Scottish academic and peace activist, and Kaing Guek Eav (also known as Duch), the head of the notorious S-21 prison under the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. It examines how their paths crossed and how their unwavering belief in communist ideologies led them to embrace the Khmer Rouge's brutal regime, despite its horrific atrocities. The article also delves into the complexities of the Khmer Rouge's rise to power, the legacy of the Cambodian genocide, and the ongoing efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice.

🙋 Q&A

[01] Malcolm Caldwell and Kaing Guek Eav

1. What were the main similarities between Malcolm Caldwell and Kaing Guek Eav?

• Both had a pedagogic background, with Caldwell being a history lecturer and Duch a former schoolteacher.
• Both maintained an unwavering belief in Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge revolution, despite the regime's horrific atrocities.

2. How did Caldwell's political views and ideological commitment shape his perception of the Khmer Rouge regime?

• Caldwell was a staunch supporter of the Khmer Rouge, dismissing reports of genocide and praising the regime's "economic achievements."
• He was untroubled by the stories of atrocities told by others, such as the book "Cambodia: Year Zero" by François Ponchaud, which he had dismissed based on Noam Chomsky's critique.
• Caldwell's ideological commitment led him to overlook the regime's brutality and focus on his belief in the Khmer Rouge's revolutionary agenda.

3. How did Caldwell's meeting with Pol Pot unfold, and what was the outcome?

• Caldwell was the first and only British person to be invited to meet Pol Pot, the leader of the Khmer Rouge.
• During the meeting, the two men discussed revolutionary economic theory, and Caldwell left the meeting praising Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge's political outlook.
• Later that night, Caldwell was shot and killed, though the exact circumstances and motivations behind his murder remain unclear.

[02] The Khmer Rouge Regime and the Cambodian Genocide

1. What were the key factors that contributed to the Khmer Rouge's rise to power in Cambodia?

• The backdrop of the Vietnam War and the American bombing campaign in Cambodia, which destabilized the country and led to the overthrow of the Lon Nol government.
• The tendency among many anti-war protesters to see the Khmer Rouge as a national liberation movement fighting against American influence.

2. How did the Khmer Rouge regime implement its policies and what were the consequences?

• The Khmer Rouge's policies of collectivization, slave labor, and the elimination of "class enemies" led to the deaths of an estimated 2 million Cambodians, more than a quarter of the population.
• The regime's obsession with rice production targets, despite a lack of expertise and peasant support, resulted in widespread famine.
• The network of torture camps, such as the notorious S-21 prison run by Duch, was the only area of the regime's infrastructure that met its targets.

3. What challenges have there been in bringing the Khmer Rouge perpetrators to justice?

• For 20 years after the Vietnamese invasion, Duch lived at liberty, with the Khmer Rouge receiving support from the US and China due to their opposition to the Vietnamese-backed government in Phnom Penh.
• The Cambodian government has been accused of delaying and obstructing the trials of senior Khmer Rouge leaders, with concerns about the involvement of former Khmer Rouge members in the current government.
• The trial of Duch at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) has been a lengthy and complex process, highlighting the challenges of delivering justice for the Cambodian genocide.