Aftermath

The genocide in Cambodia ended in 1979, after the Vietnamese invaded and overthrew the Khmer Rouge. In the present day, there are large amounts of leftover munition remain in Cambodia as remnants of the bombings. Following the Khmer Rouge’s end in 1979, over 64,000 deaths have been traced to the presence of unexploded bomb clusters. Today, Cambodia, as well as Laos, remain some of the most highly affected countries by unexploded bombs and landmines.

The Khmer Rouge displaced many Cambodians, and thousands fled for safety. Refugees would stay in camps, usually located in areas on the border of Cambodia and Thailand, as well as in the Philippines, for several months before being transported to the U.S. One of the most well-known camps that housed Cambodian refugees was the Khao-I-Dang camp, which opened in 1979 right after the fall of the Khmer Rouge.

Khao-I-Dang managed to amass over 100,000 Cambodian refugees and eventually reached a population of around 160,000 people. A portion of Khmer refugees would stay in camps like this for several months before being transported to the West; predominantly France, the U.S., and Australia, while others would return to Cambodia after the conflicts de-escalated. According to the National Library of Medicine, around 158,000 Cambodians arrived in the U.S. as refugees starting in 1975. As they made their arrival, they dispersed across the country. Cambodian communities became concentrated in specific areas of the US. Thousands settled into the West and East Coasts. Just like Little Italy or Chinatown, Cambodians formed “Cambodia Town.”