17 April 1975

Burial Site Po Tonle (Kandal Province) where 35,027 victims were killed and buried in 55 mass graves

Reflecting on the Khmer Rouge's seizure of power on 17 April 1975, it is clear the impact of this regime transcended the blood-soaked fields throughout Cambodia's verdant land. Forty five years had passed since the ordeal in my homeland, but I still feel it - the deep grief and psychological scars. Many victims/survivors are still living with the ghost behind us for whom truth remains hidden and justice is still beyond reach. To this day, if I am not mistaken, no other Khmer Rouge (beside Kaing Guek Eav known as Duch), living or deceased has expressed responsibility or remorse for the unspeakable cruelty that led to the tragic deaths of close to 2.2 million men, women, and children.