76-16-B4
- Main Page \ Reagan Radio Commentaries \ 1977
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Cambodia[edit]
Transcript[edit]"Murder of a Gentle Land" is the well documented story of what has happened to Cambodia since the Communist take over. The authors, both experienced journalists, toured refugee camps in Thailand, monitored Cambodian radio and press reports, interviewed hundreds and hundreds of Cambodian refugees and then cross-checked the stories they heard to establish their veracity. The crime is unquestionably premeditated, cold-blooded murder of possibly one-third of the entire population of Cambodia. And, the method of killing covered the entire spectrum of man's inhumanity to man back through the ages; starvation, thirst, beating, butchery by blade and, of course, shooting. The victims ranged from the tiniest of babes to the aged and infirm. The murderers are the Communist rulers of what remains of Cambodia. Since that broadcast, the authors have submitted testimony to the human rights subcommittee of the House International Relations Committee. John Barron appended a letter from Anthony Paul to his testimony. Paul had just returned from another several hundred mile trip through the refugee camps. He wrote, "I had expected some evidence of slackening of terror in Cambodia. It is true that fewer refugees are escaping from that country into Thailand -- the present rate being about 100 per month -- but the stories they bring suggest the killings have not yet stopped". The author's testimony didn't get much press attention, but one Washington journal, HUMAN EVENTS, reported the continuing story of barbarity and bloodshed including the account of a British correspondent who has toured the refugee camps. Ian Ward of the London DAILY TELEGRAPH says, -- QUOTE -- "Daily acts of unspeakable barbarism continue to be perpetuated in the name of this once gentle country's Communist revolution". -- UNQUOTE. He confirms the victims number more than two million so far. Mr. Paul told of a 27-year-old philosophy student named Main Hom who told him the slightest form of irregular behavior was punished with often brutal and immediate execution. He related the case of a 20-year old girl seized and carried off, her arms tied behind her back. Her crime? Reading an English language textbook. Two days later, he came upon her about 15 feet off a jungle path. She had been buried up to her neck. She was still alive, her head and mouth moving but no words or sound came from her. He could only hurry by. Later he learned she had died. Barron's testimony was that a tragedy of terrible proportions has befallen the people of Cambodia and will continue so long as the legislatures of the· world remain silent. Human Events reports that one Congressman on the committee -- a former anti-war liberal -- was appalled by what he heard. Calling it one of the most monstrous crimes of the century , he said -- QUOTE -- "The question is, what can we do about it? We have to bring this criminal regime to its senses". -- UNQUOTE. Am I wrong or wasn't this the type of thing the United Nations was established to eliminate? But whether the U.N. protests or not -- and the odds are against it -- wouldn't we feel better if our own Government expressed its repugnance and, in a voice heard round the world, proclaimed that Cambodia's present rulers are unfit to associate with the world family of nations? This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening. |
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