Speaking of Pol Pot...

[Ash]

In the previous "EVIL" thread, J.R. mentions Pol Pot as a real-life evil person.

I couldn't agree more.  His Khmer Rouge (I think I spelled that right) was responsible for how many thousands or millions of killings and executions in Cambodia.  (was it Cambodia?  When it comes to SE Asia my history's a little vague)

I have two questions:  Was Pol Pot finally put to death for his crimes?

Was the movie "The Killing Fields" based on those events?  (I haven't seen it)

[J.R.]

Pol Pot was put under house arrest. That's right, he killed hundreds of thousands of people and his punishment is about the same as small drug offenders.

[Dano]

He died a few years ago - I cannot remember exactly how, but I think it was natural causes.  It's been a long time since I saw the Killing Fields, but I think that was about a reporter covering the mass murder committed by the Khmer Rouge.

[Ash]

Now that you mention it, I do remember hearing the news a few years back that he eventually died of natural causes.  

Probably in the newspaper or on ABC news.

I'll dig a little deeper and let you know what I find.

I CAN tell you this:
I would not have wanted to be in his shoes as he stood before God to be judged.

No sir!

[Neville]

"The killing fields" is indeed based on actual events. I don't like the movie, my main problem with it is that the whole thing is told from the western point of view. Anyway it is a valuable document, because there are practically no images of what happenned under the khmer rouge regime.

About Pol Pot, he was arrested as a result of an internal purge of the khmers, and they obviously had no intention of incarcerating him. The whole thing was a kind of operation to wash the face of the khmer rouge in front of the world. The country is still very unstable, even after all this decades. Last image I saw of Pol Pot was him burning in a funerary pile composed, among other things, of his own matress. Hope hell exists.

[raj]

Actually Killing Fields is told from the point of view of a Cambodian journalist, I think his last name was Ng, who went through it.  Ng finally escaped to America, and lived in Los Angeles.  Until he was murdered in a mugging.

[Chadzilla]

raj wrote:
>
> Actually Killing Fields is told from the point of view of a
> Cambodian journalist, I think his last name was Ng, who went
> through it.  Ng finally escaped to America, and lived in Los
> Angeles.  Until he was murdered in a mugging.

Yes and no -

I know the actor who played the role of the reporter Ng was later murdered, the actual man, I don't know.  And I think that the whole Western POV debate comes from the film's narrative primarily being seen through the eyes of a western reporter (played by Sam Waterson, I believe) and the impact his friend's suffering has on him, which is a pretty standard Western narrative technique.

[Fearless Freep]

"The killing fields" is indeed based on actual events. I don't like the movie, my main problem with it is that the whole thing is told from the western point of view
...
Hope hell exists.

Interesting that you complain about a movie being told froma western point of view and then conclude with a desire for judgement that is based on a mostly western religious concept.

[raj]

True, but it's probably more like a split narrative.  Now that I'm recalling it more ISTM that there was the part about the western reporter (I think he worked for the NY times) trying to find out about the Cambodian guy as well as the part about him being in the camps.  Though to be fair, I'm not sure I'd want to sit through 90-120 min about life in those camps.

So it was the actor who was murdered?  I thought perhaps he also had gone through the camps.  I could be wrong though.  Thanks.

[Neville]

Can't help it, I am a westerner, and I don't pretend my post is a full cronicle of the Cambodja terror regime, as that movie does.

[frannie]

Its a holiday in Cambodia
Where people dress in black
A holiday in Cambodia
Where you'll kiss ass or crack

Pol... Pot
Pol... Pot
Pol... Pot
Pol... Pot
Pol... Pot
Pol... Pot

sorry for the DK riff

[raj]

No apologies, it's been a while since I've played that album. (smiles)

[Dano]

Funny side note:

The actor who played the cambodian journalist won an Oscar for that movie.  On one episode of the Simpsons, Homer had an Oscar Award lying around the house that had that actor's name on it, crossed off and "Homer J Simpson" written by hand.  This version of that episode ran only once for some reason.  In subsequent showings of the episode, Homer's Oscar originally belonged to Don Ameche (for Cocoon...  *shudder*).  Not sure why they changed it.  Probably because Ameche's performance was a joke in a movie that was a joke, while the Cambodian guy gave a great performance in a great movie.

That scene where the Cambodian guy is forced to leave the protection of the embassy and all the other reporters had to say goodbye, knowing he'd probably die was really sad.

[Chadzilla]

Dano wrote:
>
> Funny side note:
>
> The actor who played the cambodian journalist won an Oscar
> for that movie.  On one episode of the Simpsons, Homer had an
> Oscar Award lying around the house that had that actor's name
> on it, crossed off and "Homer J Simpson" written by hand.
> This version of that episode ran only once for some reason.
> In subsequent showings of the episode, Homer's Oscar
> originally belonged to Don Ameche (for Cocoon...
> *shudder*).  Not sure why they changed it.  Probably because
> Ameche's performance was a joke in a movie that was a joke,
> while the Cambodian guy gave a great performance in a great
> movie.
>

Perhaps it had to do with the actor's being murdered in a Home Invasion style robbery (was his Oscar taken?  Don't know).  Anyway, perhaps they changed it for that reason...just a thought.

[Dano]

Chadzilla wrote:  Perhaps it had to do with the actor's being murdered in a Home Invasion style robbery (was his Oscar taken? Don't know). Anyway, perhaps they changed it for that reason...just a thought.

*****  Ooh.  Didn't know that.  I bet you're right.