DETAILS
May 19, 1928 - April 15, 1998
Born in Kompong Thom, Cambodia
When Pol Pot was born, he was originally name Saloth Sar and was born in the small fishing village of Prek Sbauk. His family was of Chinese-Khmer descent. His brother was a court official while his sister was a concubine of the king. His father had political connections in the royal court and was often visited by Court Officials and rarely by the Cambodian king Sisowath Monivong.
In 1934 Pot moved to live with his brother who resided in Phnom Penh and went on to spend a year studying in a Catholic school. Later on he went to attend high school in Kompong Cham but was not successful in his studies and went on to study carpentry in a technical school. Later on he received a scholarship from the government to study radio electronics in Paris. Eventually while in Paris Pol Pot became more involved in political studies, particularly the concept of communism.
Later Pol Pot joined the "United Khmer Issarak (Freedom) Front" which opposed the French control over Cambodia and later went on to found the Workers Party of Kampuchea. Pol Pot infiltrated the group by becoming the party secretary and disappeared into the forest area around Cambodia. Eventually this Communist Cambodian group overtook Phnom Penh and Pol Pot became premier.
He began to remove his rivals one by one and forced hundreds of thousands of his own people into labour under his communist regime. Through his reign of power, he killed roughly 20 percent of the total population of Cambodia, killing just over 1 million. They were denied both food and medical care. Anyone that seemed intellectual or had knowledge in politics was disposed of.
Eventually Pol Pot came under siege by Vietnamese attacks and was forced to flee along with his party to the Cardamom Mountain Range in January 1979. After living underground for many years, the Cambodian Government Hunted down Pol Pot and he was sentenced to life in prison, but died while under house arrest in 1998.
Born in Kompong Thom, Cambodia
When Pol Pot was born, he was originally name Saloth Sar and was born in the small fishing village of Prek Sbauk. His family was of Chinese-Khmer descent. His brother was a court official while his sister was a concubine of the king. His father had political connections in the royal court and was often visited by Court Officials and rarely by the Cambodian king Sisowath Monivong.
In 1934 Pot moved to live with his brother who resided in Phnom Penh and went on to spend a year studying in a Catholic school. Later on he went to attend high school in Kompong Cham but was not successful in his studies and went on to study carpentry in a technical school. Later on he received a scholarship from the government to study radio electronics in Paris. Eventually while in Paris Pol Pot became more involved in political studies, particularly the concept of communism.
Later Pol Pot joined the "United Khmer Issarak (Freedom) Front" which opposed the French control over Cambodia and later went on to found the Workers Party of Kampuchea. Pol Pot infiltrated the group by becoming the party secretary and disappeared into the forest area around Cambodia. Eventually this Communist Cambodian group overtook Phnom Penh and Pol Pot became premier.
He began to remove his rivals one by one and forced hundreds of thousands of his own people into labour under his communist regime. Through his reign of power, he killed roughly 20 percent of the total population of Cambodia, killing just over 1 million. They were denied both food and medical care. Anyone that seemed intellectual or had knowledge in politics was disposed of.
Eventually Pol Pot came under siege by Vietnamese attacks and was forced to flee along with his party to the Cardamom Mountain Range in January 1979. After living underground for many years, the Cambodian Government Hunted down Pol Pot and he was sentenced to life in prison, but died while under house arrest in 1998.