“A Day to Remember”, Assigned As an Official Holiday in Cambodia

Phnom Penh- The new holiday has been assigned to May 20th in the occasion of the official “A Day to Remember” of Cambodia, according to the announcement made by the government of Cambodia.

The day has been assigned in order to remind Cambodian of all victims, the grief, and enormous tragedy which had taken place during Khmer Rouge regime from 17^th April, 1975 to 6^th January, 1979.

It is now set as the holiday in Cambodia, and people can perform any ceremonies according to their beliefs, religions or traditions.

It is noted that up to two million people has lost their lives in the brutal Khmer Rouge Regime from 1975-1979. Led by Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge had the plan to bring back Cambodia to the Middle Ages by forcing millions of people from the cities to work on communal farms in countryside. Most family members died from execution, starvation, disease and overwork.

At the regime of “Year Zero”, Pol Pot isolated his people from the rest of the world and set about emptying the cities, abolishing money, private property and religion, and setting up rural collectives. Hundreds of thousands of others died from disease, starvation or exhaustion as members of the Khmer Rouge – often just teenagers themselves – forced people to do back-breaking work.

Hundreds of thousands of the educated middle-classes were tortured and executed in special centres. One of which was the S-21, located in Phnom Penh, Tuol Sleng, where as many as 17,000 men, women and children were imprisoned during the regime.

Cambodia during Khmer Rouge regime

Cambodia during Khmer Rouge regime