Cheoung Ek, The Killing Fields

To say I enjoyed myself today would be a lie, but it certainly was an eye opening experience and one that will remain with me for a long time.

I still don't fully understand or even comprehend the enormity of the events that happened under the Khmer Rouge regime, I have now a little insight. The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek, bear witness to the mass executions of 17,000 men, women and children between 1975 and 1978. Some 8000 skulls are now stored lined shelf by shelf on the stuppa, the memorial, that now stands in the middle of Choeung Ek, as a tribute to the pour souls who were bludgened to death for the sake of saving bullets.

From what I gather, (and with the help of lonely planets helpful insight)the Khmer Rouge implemented one of the most heinous revolutions the world has ever seen. Cambodia became a Maoist, peasant dominated, agravian cooperative. During the late 70's, hundreds of thousands of Cambodians, including the majority of the country's educated, were relocated to the countryside, tortured to death or executed. Those who spoke a foreign language were viewed as parasites and killed. Thousands died of malnutrition and disease.

However, this is where I get confused. The Vietnamese then invaded and overthrew the Khmer Rouge, who fled to the jungle. From there they maintained a geurilla war against the Vietnamese. How could any nation knowingly back an army that caused so much cruelty to the human race ????