Khmer Rouge: Mass Murders

In the 1970's Rouge oversaw the mass murdering of over 14,000 people known as the "Killing Fields" during the ultra-communist rule from 1975-1979. He was on trial in July of 2010 and only sentenced to 35 yrs and as it turns out he will actually serve half of that time which has Cambodian's very upset. In total 1.7 million people died during this communist rule. These deaths took place in a prison that was once a school. Other charges included rape, torture, crimes against humanity, and murder. During his trial and while receiving the verdict Rouge also known as Duch showed no remorse of emotion of any kind. Once his parole comes to trial he will be evaluated and the courts will determine whether or not he has been rehabilitated. The maximum sentence in Cambodia is only 40 years, so the fact that Rouge was not even sentenced to the max is a slap in the face to all Cambodians.

Cambodian Adoption and Orphanage Controversy

Since the year 2001 the US has banned adoption from Cambodia because it was found that women in Cambodia were being payed to give up their babies. Cambodia is one of the poorest countries and it is full of corruption because of this. If anyone were to research topics such as sex trafficking, orphanages, and adoption in Cambodia it is easy to see how corrupted they really are.
There are so many orphanages in Cambodia that they are actually becoming unnecessary and over funded. So many people from the West donate tons of money to Cambodian orphanages and even volunteer their time there that some organizations have found ways to take advantage of this. There are kids with living parents and or relatives that are in the orphanages for no legitimate reason but the more kids they have the more money they receive. Cambodia has altered its laws on adoption making them more morally sound and legitimate, but even this has not swayed the US on lifting its ban. Only time will tell how these issues with children in Cambodia will play out.

I personally have always wanted to adopt children from Cambodia, that's why I chose to study this country. There is such an epidemic for child sex trading and I wanted to save at least one child from that fate. As many American's may know actress Angelina Jolie adopted her first child Madox from Cambodia which came with much controversy. Hopefully America will lift the ban by the time I plan o adopting children. So far it seems that Cambodian agencies and government agencies are using homeless children and even one's with potential homes to get more money from rich foreigners. What's worse is this money isn't always going towards the benefit of the children.    

Vietnam and Cambodia: Friendship Flourishing

State Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan has expressed her belief that with efforts by states and people, the friendship between Vietnam and Cambodia will continue to grow and flourish.
  The Vice State President was speaking at a reception for visiting delegation of Cambodian citizens headed by Khun Chhy, former Cambodian Transport Minister, in Hanoi on March 29.

She applauded the traditional friendship and mutual assistance and fostered by generations of Vietnamese and Cambodians during the past struggle for national liberation and the current process of national construction and emphasized the need to uphold these precious traditions.

Khun Chhy appreciated assistance from the Vietnamese people to help the Cambodian people escape from genocide and said Cambodia will never forget the help and devotion of the Vietnamese volunteer soldiers in the past.
He informed the host that during the visit the delegation met Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts, who had helped the Cambodian people overcome their past difficulties.

The same day, the Cambodian delegation was received by Vu Xuan Hong, President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations, who expressed his hope that the visit would contribute to boosting the traditional friendship between the two people.

The Cambodian delegation also paid a tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum. 

Vietnam and Cambodia have shared a long history together, and it has not been a bright one. They border each other and as history shows countries that share a border are often prone to conflict and power struggles. This was certainly the case between Cambodia and Vietnam for a long time. They were even at war which started in 1962 and did not officially end until 1990. Vietnam had taken over the capitol of Cambodia and remained in control of several other territories for years. Because of the communist party ties between these two countries took a long time to mend. Since the 1990's their relationship has strengthened and it seems as though things may be looking up. Vietnam has been offering help for Cambodia's genocide effected victims. They have also opened up trade between borders.