Today—May 20, 2011—government officials, monks, villagers and students attended the “Day of Remembrance” holiday at the Choeung Ek killing fields to honor those who lost their lives during the Khmer Rouge regime (1975-1979). Thirty-eight years ago on May 20, 1973, the Khmer Rouge communist group organized cooperatives in their liberated zone in order to collectivize people, forcing them to eat and work collectively. Later, after this group took power in April 1975, communal work and eating was implemented in the entire country, resulting in the death of nearly two million people from overwork, starvation, illness and execution.
The “Day of Remembrance” is a national holiday so that we can remember what happened during the Khmer Rouge regime. It is celebrated every year by the ruling Cambodian People’s Party. Although the opposition party rejects or ignores this day, May 20 is still remembered by many survivors who want to keep it a national holiday so that the next generation can learn about the past and not forget.