Indiza yandizela phansi, ilandela uMfula iMekong entshonalanga usuka eVietnam. Lapho sesifikile eCambodia, esakubona kwasithulisa sonke esikebheni. Kwakubonakala kungekho muntu, kungekho mnyakazo, ngisho nesilwane, njengokungathi abantu abaningi base-Asia bamise emngceleni.
Yonke imizana yayingenalutho. Izihlalo nemibhede, amabhodwe namacansi kulele emgwaqweni, imoto eceleni, ibhayisikili eligobile. Ngemuva kwezintambo zikagesi eziwile kwakulele noma kuhlezi isithunzi somuntu esisodwa; ayizange inyakaze. Kusukela emadlelweni, imigqa yotshani obude basendle yayilandela imigqa eqondile. Evundiswa izinsalela zezinkulungwane ngezinkulungwane zamadoda, abesifazane nezingane, lawa aphawula amathuna avamile esizweni lapho abantu abangaba izigidi ezimbili, noma abangaphezu kwengxenye yesine yabantu, "bebengekho".
Lapho kukhululwa ikamu lokufa lamaNazi eBelsen ngo-1945, umlobeli we-Times wabhala: โKuwumsebenzi wami ukuchaza okuthile okungaphezu kokukucabanga kwesintu. Ngazizwa kanjalo ngo-1979 lapho ngingena eCambodia, izwe elivalwe ngaphandle cishe iminyaka emine kusukela ngo-โYear Zeroโ.
Unyaka onguZero wawuqale ngemva nje kokuphuma kwelanga ngo-April 17, 1975 lapho abashokobezi bakaPol Pot beKhmer Rouge bengena enhloko-dolobha, iPhnom Penh. Babegqoke ezimnyama futhi bamasha belandelana begudla ama-boulevards abanzi. Ngehora lokuqala, batshela idolobha ukuthi lishiywe. Abagulayo nabalimele baphoqwa bekhonjwe ngezibhamu emibhedeni yabo yasesibhedlela; imindeni yahlukaniswa; abadala nabakhubazekile bawela eceleni komgwaqo. "Ungathathi lutho nawe," kusho amadoda amnyama. "Uzobuya kusasa."
Kusasa alifikanga. Kwaqala inkathi yobugqila. Noma ubani owayenezimoto โnokunethezekaโ okunjalo, noma ubani ohlala edolobheni noma edolobheni noma owayenekhono lesimanje, noma ubani owayazi noma osebenza nabantu bakwamanye amazwe, wayesengozini enkulu; abanye kakade base begwetshwe ukufa. Ngaphandle kwenkampani yeRoyal Cambodian Ballet yabadansi abangama-500, mhlawumbe abangama-30 basindile. Odokotela, abahlengikazi, onjiniyela, othisha babulawa indlala, noma basebenza baze bafa, noma babulawa.
Kimina, ukungena kumswakama othulile, ompunga wePhnom Penh kwakufana nokungena edolobheni elilingana neManchester ngemva kwenhlekelele yenuzi eyayisindise izakhiwo kuphela. Kwakungekho mandla, amanzi okuphuza, izitolo, noma izinkonzo zanoma yiluphi uhlobo. Esiteshini sesitimela izitimela zazingenalutho ezigabeni ezihlukahlukene zokusuka eziphazamisekile. Izimpahla zomuntu siqu nezingcezu zezingubo zaziphaphazela ezinkundleni zokuxhumana, njengoba zazindiza phezu kwamathuna agcwele ngaphesheya.
Ngahamba ngoMonivong Avenue ngaya eMtatsheni Wezincwadi Kazwelonke owawuguqulwe waba ihhoko lezingulube, njengophawu, zonke izincwadi zawo zashiswa. Kwakufana nephupho. Kwakunenkangala lapho kwakumi khona isonto lamaGoth Roman Catholic; lalidiliziwe ilitshe ngetshe. Lapho izimvula zeziphepho zantambama ziqala ukuna, imigwaqo engenabantu yavele yagcwala imali. Ngazo zonke imvula imvula enkulu engenamsebenzi yamalitha amasha nangasetshenziswanga aphuma eBhange LaseCambodia, i-Khmer Rouge eyaliqhumisa ngesikhathi bebaleka.
Ngaphakathi, incwadi yesheke ivuliwe phezu kwekhawunta. Ipheya lezibuko lalibekwe phezu kwebhula elivuliwe. Ngashibilika ngawa phansi ngishwabana nezinhlamvu zemali.
Emahoreni ambalwa okuqala ngangingazi lutho ngisho nezinsalela zabantu. Izimo ezimbalwa zomuntu engangizibuka zazibonakala zingahlangani, futhi lapho zingibona, zazingena emnyango. Ingane ingene ku-wardrobe elele ngecele okwakuyisiphephelo sayo. Esiteshini esibhidlikayo sika-Esso isalukazi nezinsana ezintathu ezacile bacathama bezungeza ibhodwe elinengxube yezimpande namaqabunga, elibhodla umlilo obuswa imali yephepha: indida enyantisayo: abantu ababedinga yonke into babenemali yokushisa.
Esikoleni samabanga aphansi esibizwa nge-Tuol Sleng, ngadlula kulokho okwase kube "ithimba lokuphenya" kanye "nophiko lokuhlukumeza nokubulala abantu abaningi". Ngaphansi kwemibhede yensimbi ngathola igazi nezigaxa zoboya zisephansi. โAkuvunyelwe nhlobo ukukhuluma,โ kusho uphawu. "Ngaphambi kokwenza okuthile, noma yini, kufanele kutholwe imvume yomphathi wejele."
Ngemva kwesikhashana, umsindo owodwa waba nokuvumelanisa okubi: ukukhuphuka nokuwa imini nobusuku. Ngaphandle kobisi nemithi, izingane zazihlaselwa izifo ezigwemekayo ezifana nesifo sohudo. Kwakubonakala sengathi isisekelo somphakathi sase siqale ukuwohloka. Ukuhlola kokuqala kwembula ukuthi abesifazane abaningi base beyekile ukuya esikhathini.
Okwakuhlanganisa lokhu kwaba ukuhlukaniswa okwabekwa eCambodia ngamazwe aseNtshonalanga ngoba abakhululi bayo, amaVietnam, babevela ohlangothini olungalungile lwempi yamakhaza, bexosha iMelika ezweni labo ngo-1975. ICambodia yayiyimfihlo engcolile yaseNtshonalanga kusukela uMengameli uRichard. U-Nixon kanye nomeluleki wakhe wezokuphepha kuzwelonke u-Henry Kissinger bayalele "ukuqhuma kwamabhomu okuyimfihlo", okunweba impi yaseVietnam iye eCambodia ekuqaleni kwawo-1970, kwashona amakhulu ezinkulungwane zabantu. "Uma lokhu kungasebenzi," umsizi wezwa uNixon ethi kuKissinger, "kuzoba imbongolo yakho, Henry." Kwasebenza ekunikezeni uPol Pot ithuba lakhe lokuthatha amandla.
Lapho ngifika ngemva kwalokho, lwalungekho usizo lwaseNtshonalanga olwalufikile eCambodia. I-Oxfam kuphela eyedelela iHhovisi Lezangaphandle eLondon, elaliqambe amanga ngokuthi abaseVietnam bavimba usizo. Ngo-September 1979, indiza ye-DC-8 yasuka e-Luxembourg, igcwele i-penicillin eyanele, amavithamini nobisi ukubuyisela izingane ezingaba ngu-70,000 - konke kwakhokhelwa abafundi be-Daily Mirror ababephendule imibiko yami kanye nezithombe zika-Eric Piper kumarekhodi amabili omlando. amaphepha athengisa wonke amakhophi.
Kulandela kusukela ku-Mirror, ngo-Okthoba 30, 1979, i-ITV yasakaza uNyaka we-Zero: ukufa buthule kweCambodia, idokhumentari engayenza no-David Munro ongasekho. Kwafika amasaka angamashumi amane ezitudiyo ze-ATV eBirmingham, nge-ยฃ1 million ezinsukwini ezimbalwa zokuqala. "Lokhu okwaseCambodia," kubhala umshayeli webhasi laseBristol ongaziwa, ehlanganisa umholo wakhe wesonto. Isalukazi sathumela impesheni izinyanga ezimbili. Umzali oyedwa wamthumelela imali ayeyongile engu-ยฃ50. Abantu bazwakalise lowo muzwa ongapheli wokuhlonipheka nomphakathi okuwumgogodla womphakathi waseBrithani. Bengacelwanga, banikeze imali engaphezu kuka-ยฃ20 million. Lokhu kwasiza ukutakula ukuphila okuvamile ezweni elikude. Yabuyisela amanzi ahlanzekile e-Phnom Penh, izibhedlela eziningi nezikole, yasekela amakhaya ezintandane futhi yavula kabusha imboni yezingubo eyayidingeka kakhulu.
Ukuthululwa komphakathi okungaka ngale ndlela kwephule ukuvinjwa kohulumeni baseMelika nabaseBrithani eCambodia. Ngokumangalisayo, uhulumeni ka-Thatcher wayeqhubekile nokweseka umbuso owawungasekho we-Pol Pot ku-United Nations waze wathumela ne-SAS ukuthi iyoqeqesha amasosha akhe ayedingisiwe emakamu aseThailand naseMalaysia. NgoMashi odlule, owayeyisosha lakwa-SAS uChris Ryan, manje osengumbhali odayisa kakhulu, wakhala engxoxweni nephephandaba โlapho uJohn Pilger, intatheli yakwamanye amazwe, ethola ukuthi siqeqesha iKhmer Rouge eMpumalanga Ekude [thina] sathunyelwa ekhaya futhi mina. bekufanele sibuyise u-ยฃ10,000 ebesiwunikezwe wona wokudla nendawo yokuhlala.โ
Namuhla, u-Pol Pot ushonile futhi idlanzana lezalukazi zakhe liqulwa enkantolo ye-UN/Cambodian ngamacala abhekiswe esintwini. UHenry Kissinger, okuqhunyiswa kwakhe ngebhomu kwavula umnyango wephupho elibi le-Year Zero, usagcwele amathafa. Abantu baseCambodia bahlala bempofu kakhulu, bancike ekuvakasheni okuvame ukutshala kanye nokusebenza kanzima.
Kimina, ukuqina kwabo kuhlala cishe kuwumlingo. Eminyakeni eyalandela ukukhululwa kwabo, angikaze ngiyibone imishado eminingi kangaka noma ngithole izimemo zomshado ezingaka. Baba izimpawu zokuphila nethemba. Noma kunjalo, eCambodia kuphela lapho ingane ingabuza umuntu omdala, njengoba ingane eneminyaka eyishumi nambili yangibuza, ngokwesaba okuwela ubuso bakhe: "Ingabe ungumngane? Ngicela usho."
www.johnpilger.com