S3: Bonus: A Recount of My Interview With an Ex-Khmer Rouge Doctor
In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the Cambodian Nightmare30 Syys 2025

S3: Bonus: A Recount of My Interview With an Ex-Khmer Rouge Doctor

This is an episode that could be listened to if you’d like, or if you’d prefer to watch it (without ads!) then head to https://patreon.com/shadowsofutopia and watch it for free, no sign ups, no obligations. It's a nice pleasant video, and just one click away.

In this bonus episode, I sit down to go through and explain an interview I recently conducted with an ex-Khmer Rouge doctor, who we will refer to as ‘uncle’.

He lived through the events that we have been covering so extensively in the last few episodes of the podcast, the start of the war, Sihanouk’s call for his people to join the resistance against Lon Nol, the Vietnamese communists fighting in Cambodia, and training to become a Khmer Rouge doctor in their primary hospital during the civil war - and then going on to be become a surgeon in Phnom Penh during the regime’s time in power.

While he obviously has certain biases, and beliefs, about what the Khmer Rouge were, what went wrong, and why… This is still a fascinating piece of history to contend with. Hearing from the Khmer Rouge themselves about what they felt they were trying to accomplish, as well as his own thoughts about communism, and that he felt that nothing was going wrong in the country - until 1977. He did not blame Pol Pot, but, like many Khmer Rouge, he instead blamed ‘factions’, bad actors, saboteurs, and those who were colluding with the Vietnamese.

We get a very one sided view of the story here, and I put it into context for you, and challenge the views that this Khmer Rouge doctor had come to believe about their war, their time in power, and who was really responsible for what happened.

I must extend a deep gratitude to Chhay Lim, who organised this trip, and organised contacts for me to be able to speak with.




Jaksot(51)

S2 Ep10: The Cambodian Civil War Begins - Part One: The Samlaut Rebellion and the Three Ghosts

S2 Ep10: The Cambodian Civil War Begins - Part One: The Samlaut Rebellion and the Three Ghosts

What was the Samlaut Rebellion, and how did it start? Who was responsible for this outbreak of violence? What leads to Khieu Samphan disappearing over night? Time Period Covered 1967 In the first ...

10 Heinä 20231h 34min

S2 Ep8: Rolling Thunder in Vietnam, Clouds Over Cambodia

S2 Ep8: Rolling Thunder in Vietnam, Clouds Over Cambodia

How does the "Vietnam War" begin? How did the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK) get its name? Why did Sihanouk start making so many movies in the 1960's? Time Period Covered 1964 - 1967 In this e...

2 Maalis 20232h

S2 Ep7: A Khmer Rouge Ideology and Sihanouk's Dark Side

S2 Ep7: A Khmer Rouge Ideology and Sihanouk's Dark Side

Who was Nuon Chea? What does Buddhism have to do with Khmer Rouge ideology? Why did Sihanouk sever ties with the United States?   Time Period Covered 1963 - 1965 In this episode we explore the imp...

15 Marras 20221h 36min

S2 Ep6: The Path to the Second Indochina War - Part Three: Agent Orange, Kennedy and the Buddhist Crisis

S2 Ep6: The Path to the Second Indochina War - Part Three: Agent Orange, Kennedy and the Buddhist Crisis

What is Agent Orange and why did the Kennedy Administration decide to use it?    How did Diem's Regime collapse?   What was the Buddhist Crisis? Time Period Covered 1961 - 1963 In the final part...

7 Heinä 20221h 47min

S2 Ep5: The Path to the Second Indochina War - Part Two: The CIA, NLF and Diem

S2 Ep5: The Path to the Second Indochina War - Part Two: The CIA, NLF and Diem

How did a succession of US administrations become stuck in Vietnam?   How did Diem's policies create the conditions for insurgency?   What did the early activities of the NLF look like? Time Period...

27 Touko 20221h 20min

S2 Ep4: The Path to the Second Indochina War - Part One: The Two Vietnams

S2 Ep4: The Path to the Second Indochina War - Part One: The Two Vietnams

What occurred in a divided Vietnam in the aftermath of the Geneva Accords?   How did so many die during the North Vietnamese “Land Reform Campaign”?   Why was South Vietnam described as an ‘emerging f...

1 Touko 20221h 14min

S2 Ep3: The Khmer Rouge's New Vanguard

S2 Ep3: The Khmer Rouge's New Vanguard

How did Pol Pot become leader of the Khmer Rouge?   What did prominent communists like Khieu Samphan do in Sihanouk’s Cambodia? Were there limits to Sihanouk’s power and tightrope act?   Time Perio...

6 Helmi 20221h 23min

S2 Ep2: Maoism, the Great Leap Forward / Famine and the Sino-Soviet Split

S2 Ep2: Maoism, the Great Leap Forward / Famine and the Sino-Soviet Split

Why was one of the most prominent slogans of the Khmer Rouge about a "super great leap forward"? What is Maoism and why did the People's Republic of China provide a new ideological source for the wor...

5 Joulu 20212h 43min

Suosittua kategoriassa Yhteiskunta

olipa-kerran-otsikko
i-dont-like-mondays
sita
siita-on-vaikea-puhua
kaksi-aitia
gogin-ja-janin-maailmanhistoria
uutiscast
antin-palautepalvelu
poks
joku-tietaa-jotain-2
kolme-kaannekohtaa
mamma-mia
aikalisa
yopuolen-tarinoita-2
rss-murhan-anatomia
rss-palmujen-varjoissa
rss-nikotellen
meidan-pitais-puhua
naakkavalta
loukussa