06/05/13

John Pilger: How Thatcher helped Pol Pot | Green Left Weekly

JohnPilger:HowThatcherhelpedPolPot
Tuesday,April9,2013
ByJohnPilger(/taxonomy/term/806)
ThecorporatemediawilleulogiseMargaretThatcher,and
criticisethosewhodareuseherdeathtopointouthermany
terriblecrimes.Butamonghermanycrimesthatwillgo
unmentionedwasthesupporthergovernmentgaveinthe
1980stothegenocidalPolPotledKhmerRouge.Belowis
anarticlebyindependentjournalistJohnPilgeronthe
supporttheWest,includingThatcher,gavetheKhmer
Rouge.ItwasfirstpublishedonApril17,2000intheNew
Statesman.Visitwww.johnpilger.com
(http://www.johnpilger.com)formorearticles.
***
OnApril17[2000],itis25yearssincePolPot'sKhmer
RougeenteredPhnomPenh.Inthecalendaroffanaticism,
thiswasYearZeroasmanyastwomillionpeople,afifthof
Cambodia'spopulation,weretodieasaconsequence.Tomarktheanniversary,theevilofPolPotwillberecalled,
almostasaritualactforvoyeursofthepoliticallydarkandinexplicable.
Forthemanagersofwesternpower,notruelessonswillbedrawn,becausenoconnectionswillbemadetothemand
totheirpredecessors,whowerePolPot'sFaustianpartners.Yet,withoutthecomplicityofthewest,YearZeromight
neverhavehappened,northethreatofitsreturnmaintainedforsolong.
DeclassifiedUnitedStatesgovernmentdocumentsleavelittledoubtthatthesecretandillegalbombingofthenneutral
CambodiabyPresidentRichardNixonandHenryKissingerbetween1969and1973causedsuchwidespreaddeath
anddevastationthatitwascriticalinPolPot'sdriveforpower.
"TheyareusingdamagecausedbyB52strikesasthemainthemeoftheirpropaganda,"theCIAdirectorofoperations
reportedon2May1973."Thisapproachhasresultedinthesuccessfulrecruitmentofyoungmen.Residentssaythe
propagandacampaignhasbeeneffectivewithrefugeesinareasthathavebeensubjecttoB52strikes."
IndroppingtheequivalentoffiveHiroshimasonapeasantsociety,NixonandKissingerkilledanestimatedhalfa
millionpeople.YearZerobegan,ineffect,withthemthebombingwasacatalystfortheriseofasmallsectariangroup,
theKhmerRouge,whosecombinationofMaoismandmedievalismhadnopopularbase.
Aftertwoandahalfyearsinpower,theKhmerRougewasoverthrownbytheVietnameseonChristmasDay,1978.In
themonthsandyearsthatfollowed,theUSandChinaandtheirallies,notablytheThatchergovernment,backedPol
PotinexileinThailand.Hewastheenemyoftheirenemy:Vietnam,whoseliberationofCambodiacouldneverbe
recognisedbecauseithadcomefromthewrongsideofthecoldwar.FortheAmericans,nowbackingBeijingagainst
Moscow,therewasalsoascoretobesettledfortheirhumiliationontherooftopsofSaigon.
Tothisend,theUnitedNationswasabusedbythepowerful.AlthoughtheKhmerRougegovernment("Democratic
Kampuchea")hadceasedtoexistinJanuary1979,itsrepresentativeswereallowedtocontinueoccupying
Cambodia'sseatattheUNindeed,theUS,ChinaandBritaininsistedonit.
Meanwhile,aSecurityCouncilembargoonCambodiacompoundedthesufferingofatraumatisednation,whilethe
KhmerRougeinexilegotalmosteverythingitwanted.In1981,PresidentJimmyCarter'snationalsecurityadviser,
ZbigniewBrzezinski,said:"IencouragedtheChinesetosupportPolPot."TheUS,headded,"winkedpublicly"as
ChinasentarmstotheKhmerRouge.
Infact,theUShadbeensecretlyfundingPolPotinexilesinceJanuary1980.Theextentofthissupport$85mfrom
1980to1986wasrevealedincorrespondencetoamemberoftheSenateForeignRelationsCommittee.OntheThai
borderwithCambodia,theCIAandotherintelligenceagenciessetuptheKampucheaEmergencyGroup,which
ensuredthathumanitarianaidwenttoKhmerRougeenclavesintherefugeecampsandacrosstheborder.
TwoAmericanaidworkers,LindaMasonandRogerBrown,laterwrote:"TheUSgovernmentinsistedthattheKhmer
Rougebefed...theUSpreferredthattheKhmerRougeoperationbenefitfromthecredibilityofaninternationally
knownreliefoperation."UnderAmericanpressure,theWorldFoodProgrammehandedover$12minfoodtotheThai
armytopassontotheKhmerRouge"20,000to40,000PolPotguerillasbenefited,"wroteRichardHolbrooke,the
thenUSassistantsecretaryofstate.
Iwitnessedthis.TravellingwithaUNconvoyof40trucks,IdrovetoaKhmerRougeoperationsbaseatPhnomChat.
ThebasecommanderwastheinfamousNamPhann,knowntoreliefworkersas"TheButcher"andPolPot'sHimmler.
Afterthesupplieshadbeenunloaded,literallyathisfeet,hesaid:"Thankyouverymuch,andwewishformore."
InNovemberofthatyear,1980,directcontactwasmadebetweentheWhiteHouseandtheKhmerRougewhenDr
RayCline,aformerdeputydirectoroftheCIA,madeasecretvisittoaKhmerRougeoperationalheadquarters.Cline
wasthenaforeignpolicyadviseronPresidentelectReagan'stransitionalteam.

www.greenleft.org.au/node/53763

1/3

06/05/13

John Pilger: How Thatcher helped Pol Pot | Green Left Weekly

By1981,anumberofgovernmentshadbecomedecidedlyuneasyaboutthecharadeoftheUN'scontinuing
recognitionofthedefunctPolPotregime.Somethinghadtobedone.Thefollowingyear,theUSandChinainvented
theCoalitionoftheDemocraticGovernmentofKampuchea,whichwasneitheracoalitionnordemocratic,nora
government,norinKampuchea(Cambodia).
ItwaswhattheCIAcalls"amasterillusion".PrinceNorodomSihanoukwasappointeditsheadotherwiselittle
changed.Thetwo"noncommunist"members,theSihanoukists,ledbythePrince'sson,NorodomRanariddh,andthe
KhmerPeople'sNationalLiberationFront,weredominated,diplomaticallyandmilitarily,bytheKhmerRouge.Oneof
PolPot'sclosetcronies,ThaounPrasith,rantheofficeattheUNinNewYork.
InBangkok,theAmericansprovidedthe"coalition"withbattleplans,uniforms,moneyandsatelliteintelligencearms
camedirectfromChinaandfromthewest,viaSingapore.ThenoncommunistfigleafallowedCongressspurredon
byacoldwarzealotStephenSolarz,apowerfulcommitteechairmantoapprove$24minaidtothe"resistance".
Until1989,theBritishroleinCambodiaremainedsecret.ThefirstreportsappearedintheSundayTelegraph,written
bySimonO'DwyerRussell,adiplomaticanddefencecorrespondentwithcloseprofessionalandfamilycontactswith
theSAS.HerevealedthattheSASwastrainingthePolPotledforce.
Soonafterwards,Jane'sDefenceWeeklyreportedthattheBritishtrainingforthe"noncommunist"membersofthe
"coalition"hadbeengoingon"atsecretbasesinThailandformorethanfouryears".Theinstructorswerefromthe
SAS,"allservingmilitarypersonnel,allveteransoftheFalklandsconflict,ledbyacaptain".
TheCambodiantrainingbecameanexclusivelyBritishoperationafterthe"Irangate"armsforhostagesscandalbroke
inWashingtonin1986."IfCongresshadfoundoutthatAmericansweremixedupinclandestinetraininginIndo
China,letalonewithPolPot,"aMinistryofDefencesourcetoldO'DwyerRussell,"theballoonwouldhavegoneright
up.ItwasoneofthoseclassicThatcherReaganarrangements."Moreover,MargaretThatcherhadletslip,tothe
consternationoftheForeignOffice,that"themorereasonableonesintheKhmerRougewillhavetoplaysomepartin
afuturegovernment".
In1991,Iinterviewedamemberof"R"(reserve)SquadronoftheSAS,whohadservedontheborder."Wetrainedthe
KRinalotoftechnicalstuffalotaboutmines,"hesaid."WeusedminesthatcameoriginallyfromRoyalOrdnancein
Britain,whichwegotbywayofEgyptwithmarkingchanged...Weevengavethempsychologicaltraining.Atfirst,
theywantedtogointothevillagesandjustchoppeopleup.Wetoldthemhowtogoeasy..."
TheForeignOfficeresponsewastolie."BritaindoesnotgivemilitaryaidinanyformtotheCambodianfactions,"
statedaparliamentaryreply.Thethenprimeminister,Thatcher,wrotetoNeilKinnock:"IconfirmthatthereisnoBritish
governmentinvolvementofanykindintraining,equippingorcooperatingwithKhmerRougeforcesorthosealliedto
them."
On25June1991,aftertwoyearsofdenials,thegovernmentfinallyadmittedthattheSAShadbeensecretlytraining
the"resistance"since1983.AreportbyAsiaWatchfilledinthedetail:theSAShadtaught"theuseofimprovised
explosivedevices,boobytrapsandthemanufactureanduseoftimedelaydevices".Theauthorofthereport,Rae
McGrath(whosharedajointNobelPeacePrizefortheinternationalcampaignonlandmines),wroteintheGuardian
that"theSAStrainingwasacriminallyirresponsibleandcynicalpolicy".
WhenaUN"peacekeepingforce"finallyarrivedinCambodiain1992,theFaustianpactwasneverclearer.Declared
merelya"warringfaction",theKhmerRougewaswelcomedbacktoPhnomPenhbyUNofficials,ifnotthepeople.
Thewesternpoliticianwhoclaimedcreditforthe"peaceprocess",GarethEvans(thenAustralia'sforeignminister),set
thetonebycallingforan"evenhanded"approachtotheKhmerRougeandquestioningwhethercallingitgenocidal
was"aspecificstumblingblock".
KhieuSamphan,PolPot'sprimeministerduringtheyearsofgenocide,tookthesaluteofUNtroopswiththeir
commander,theAustraliangeneralJohnSanderson,athisside.EricFalt,theUNspokesmaninCambodia,toldme:
"Thepeaceprocesswasaimedatallowing[theKhmerRouge]togainrespectability."
TheconsequenceoftheUN'sinvolvementwastheunofficialcedingofatleastaquarterofCambodiatotheKhmer
Rouge(accordingtoUNmilitarymaps),thecontinuationofalowlevelcivilwarandtheelectionofagovernment
impossiblydividedbetween"twoprimeministers":HunSenandNorodomRanariddh.
TheHunSengovernmenthassincewonasecondelectionoutright.Authoritarianandattimesbrutal,yetby
Cambodianstandardsextraordinarilystable,thegovernmentledbyaformerKhmerRougedissident,HunSen,who
fledtoVietnaminthe1970s,hassincedonedealswithleadingfiguresofthePolPotera,notablythebreakaway
factionofIengSary,whiledenyingothersimmunityfromprosecution.
OncethePhnomPenhgovernmentandtheUNcanagreeonitsform,aninternationalwarcrimestribunalseemslikely
togoahead.TheAmericanswanttheCambodianstoplayvirtuallynoparttheirunderstandableconcernisthatnot
onlytheKhmerRougewillbeindicted.
TheCambodianlawyerdefendingTaMok,theKhmerRougemilitaryleadercapturedlastyear,hassaid:"Allthe
foreignersinvolvedhavetobecalledtocourt,andtherewillbenoexceptions...MadeleineAlbright,Margaret
Thatcher,HenryKissinger,JimmyCarter,RonaldReaganandGeorgeBush...wearegoingtoinvitethemtotellthe
worldwhytheysupportedtheKhmerRouge."
Itisanimportantprinciple,ofwhichthoseinWashingtonandWhitehallcurrentlysustainingbloodstainedtyrannies
elsewheremighttakenote.
(https://www.greenleft.org.au/donate/details)

FromGLWissue960

www.greenleft.org.au/node/53763

2/3

06/05/13

John Pilger: How Thatcher helped Pol Pot | Green Left Weekly

(/node/53754)

www.greenleft.org.au/node/53763

3/3