Ugly History: The Khmer Rouge murders - Timothy Williams

翻译人员: Yuwei Wu 校对人员: Yip Yan Yeung

From 1975 to 1979, the Communist Party of Kampuchea

从 1975 年到 1979 年， 柬埔寨共产党以压迫式权威

ruled Cambodia with an iron fist,

统治柬埔寨，实施种族灭绝，

perpetrating genocide that killed one fourth of the country’s population.

杀害了该国四分之一的人口。

Roughly 1 million Cambodians were executed

大约有 100 万柬埔寨人

as suspected political enemies or due to their ethnicities.

因涉嫌政治敌人或种族而被处决。

The regime targeted Muslim Cham, Vietnamese, Chinese,

该政权的目标是 穆斯林占族、越南人、中国人，

Thai, and Laotian individuals.

泰国人和老挝人。

Outside these executions,

除了这些处决，

one million more Cambodians died of starvation, disease,

还有 100 多万 柬埔寨人死于饥饿、

or exhaustion from overwork.

疾病或过度劳累。

This genocidal regime rose to power amidst decades of political turmoil.

这个种族灭绝的政权是在 几十年的政治动荡中上台的。

Following World War II, Cambodia’s monarch, Prince Norodom Sihanouk,

二战结束后，柬埔寨君主诺罗敦·西哈努克 （Norodom Sihanouk）王子

successfully negotiated the country’s independence after roughly 90 years

在经历了大约 90 年的法国殖民统治后，

of French colonial rule.

成功地通过谈判实现了国家独立。

But Sihanouk’s strict policies provoked friction with many citizens.

但西哈努克的严格政策 引发了与许多公民的摩擦。

Especially militant communist rebels, who had long opposed the French

特别是激进的共产主义叛军， 他们长期反对法国，

and now turned their attention to overthrowing the prince.

现在把注意力转向推翻王子。

This unstable situation was further complicated

柬埔寨边界外爆发的战争使这种

by a war raging outside Cambodia’s borders.

不稳定局势进一步复杂化。

In Vietnam, millions of American troops were supporting

在越南，数百万美国军队

the non-communist south against the communist north.

支持非共产主义的南方 去对抗共产主义的北方。

While the US petitioned for Cambodia’s support,

当美国请求柬埔寨的支持时，

Prince Sihanouk tried to stay neutral.

西哈努克王子试图保持中立。

But in 1970, he was overthrown by his prime minister

但在 1970 年， 他被他的总理推翻，

who allowed American troops to bomb regions of Cambodia

总理允许美国军队轰炸柬埔寨地区，

in their efforts to target North Vietnamese fighters.

以打击北越武装分子。

These attacks killed thousands of Cambodian civilians.

这些袭击造成了 数千柬埔寨平民死亡。

To regain power after being overthrown,

王子被推翻后为了重新掌权，

the prince allied with his political enemies.

与政敌结盟。

The Communist Party of Kampuchea, also known as the Khmer Rouge,

柬埔寨共产党，也被称为红色高棉，

was led by Cambodians who dreamed of making their nation

是由柬埔寨人领导的， 他们梦想把自己的国家变成一个

a classless society of rice farmers.

由稻农组成的无阶级社会。

They opposed capitalist Western imperialism

他们反对西方资本主义帝国主义，

and sought to lead the country to self-sufficiency.

试图引导国家自给自足。

But to the public, they mostly represented a force

但对公众来说，他们大多代表着

fighting the pro-American government.

对抗亲美政府的力量。

Angered by destructive American bombing

许多柬埔寨人被 美国破坏性的轰炸激怒，

and encouraged by the prince’s call to arms,

并受到王子号召武装起来的鼓舞，

many Cambodians joined the Khmer Rouge.

加入了红色高棉。

Eventually, a full blown civil war erupted.

最终，一场全面的内战爆发了。

Over five years of fighting,

在五年多的战斗中，

more than half a million Cambodians died in this brutal conflict.

超过 50 万柬埔寨人 死于这场残酷的冲突。

But the violence didn’t end

但暴力并没有在 1975 年 4 月

when the rebels conquered Phnom Penh in April 1975.

叛军占领金边后结束。

Upon taking the capital,

在占领首都后，

the Khmer Rouge executed anyone associated with the previous government.

红色高棉处决了所有 与前政府有关的人。

Prince Sihanouk remained stripped of power and was put under house arrest,

西哈努克王子 仍然被剥夺权力并被软禁，

and the Khmer Rouge began evacuating city residents to the countryside.

红色高棉开始将 城市居民疏散到农村。

Those who couldn't make the trip by foot were abandoned,

那些不能徒步离开的人被遗弃，

separating countless families.

许多家庭被拆散。

In this new regime, every citizen was stripped of their belongings

在这个新政权中， 每个公民的财产都被剥夺，

and given the same clothes and haircut.

衣服和发型也需强制统一。

Private property, money, and religion were outlawed.

私人财产、金钱和宗教信仰 都是非法的。

The new agricultural workforce was expected to produce

新的农业劳动力预计将生产出

impossible amounts of rice,

数量不可能达到的大米，

and local leaders would be killed if they couldn’t fulfill quotas.

如果地方领导人不能完成配额， 他们就会被杀。

Many prioritized their orders to the capital above feeding workers.

许多人把给首都的订单 放在给工人提供食物之前。

Underfed, overworked, and suffering from malaria and malnutrition,

饥饿、过度劳累、疟疾和营养不良

thousands perished.

导致数千人死亡。

The Khmer Rouge members enforcing the system were no safer.

红色高棉成员强调 这个系统安全得不能再安全了。

When their plan failed to produce rice at the expected rates,

当他们的计划未能 以预期的速度生产大米时，

Khmer Rouge leadership became paranoid.

红色高棉领导人变得偏执。

They believed that internal enemies were trying to sabotage the revolution,

他们认为内部敌人试图破坏革命，

and they began arresting and executing anyone perceived as a threat.

于是开始逮捕和处决任何 被视为威胁的人。

This brutality continued for almost four years.

这种暴行持续了将近四年。

Finally, in 1979, Vietnamese troops

最终，在 1979 年，

working alongside defected Khmer Rouge members took control of the country.

越南军队与叛逃的红色高棉成员 一起控制了这个国家。

This political upheaval triggered yet another civil war

这场政治动荡引发了另一场内战，

that wouldn’t end until the 1990s.

直到 20 世纪 90 年代才结束。

In the years that followed,

在随后的几年里，

there was no easy path to justice for victims and their families.

受害者和他们的家人走上了一条 不容易的伸张正义之路。

A hybrid UN-Cambodian tribunal was established in 2003,

联合国柬埔寨联合法庭 于 2003 年成立，

but it only tried Khmer Rouge in the topmost leadership positions.

但只对红色高棉的最高 领导职位进行审判。

Lower level Khmer Rouge members appeared in court as well,

低级别的红色高棉成员 也在法庭上出席，

but they weren't placed on trial.

但他们没有受到审判。

Instead, they gave testimony and offered insight

相反，他们提供了证词，

into the cruel system that had enabled their superiors’ crimes.

并提供了对使他们的上级 得以犯罪的残酷制度的意见。

Some of these perpetrators were even legally acknowledged as victims,

其中一些犯罪者 甚至被法律认定为受害者，

because they constantly feared for their lives

因为他们经常担心自己的生命安全，

and committed violence as a means of self-preservation.

并以暴力作为自我保护的手段。

This perception of low level Khmer Rouge members

这种将低级别红色高棉成员

as victims rather than perpetrators extended beyond the courtroom.

视为受害者而非肇事者的看法 蔓延到了法庭之外。

Like other Cambodians, most Khmer Rouge members lost family,

像其他柬埔寨人一样， 大多数红色高棉成员失去了家人，

suffered hunger, were stripped of their homes and belongings,

遭受饥饿， 被剥夺了家园和财产，

and were overworked to exhaustion.

劳累过度到精疲力竭。

And the paranoia amongst Khmer Rouge leadership

红色高棉领导层的偏执

had led to a higher rate of execution for Khmer Rouge members

导致了红色高棉成员比民族多数人口

than the ethnic majority population.

有着更高的死刑率。

As a result, many Cambodians today don't just see the genocide

因此，今天许多柬埔寨人 不仅觉得种族灭绝是

as one committed against ethnic minority groups,

针对少数民族的，

but also as a broad campaign of violence impacting the entire population.

并且认为这是一场影响 整个人口的广泛暴力运动。

As of 2021, only three people have received prison sentences.

截至 2021 年， 只有 3 人被判入狱。

Many victims would like the tribunal

许多受害者希望法庭

to pursue further trials of Khmer Rouge leaders.

进一步审判红色高棉领导人。

However, a 2018 national survey revealed

然而，2018 年的一项 全国调查显示，

that most victims feel the tribunal has contributed to justice.

大多数受害者认为法庭 为正义做出了贡献。

In the wake of such tragedy,

在这样的悲剧之后，

it’s tempting to paint conflicts in simplistic terms—

人们很容易会用简单的术语 来描述冲突— —

casting one group as oppressor and the other as oppressed.

把一个群体描绘成压迫者， 而另一个群体则被压迫者。

But many Cambodians live with a more complex reality.

但许多柬埔寨人生活在一个 更加复杂的现实中。

Everyone suffered, even those who contributed to the suffering of others.

每个人都遭受了痛苦， 即使是那些造成他人痛苦的人。

This perception doesn’t excuse any acts of violence.

这种看法不能成为任何 暴力行为的借口。

But how a society remembers traumatic events

但是，一个社会 如何记住创伤性事件，

plays a part in who is seen as victim, who is seen as perpetrator,

在一定程度上决定了谁被视为 受害者，谁被视为行凶者，

and how a shattered society can build a path into the future.

以及一个支离破碎的社 会如何开辟通往未来的道路。