The Khmer Rouge Legacy to Hun Sen: Handling Battlefield Soldier Corpses as Expendable Military Resources

The handling of Cambodian soldiers' corpses who became "missing" or were left on battlefields is rooted in deeply ingrained military, political, and historical ideas in Cambodia, especially during the Khmer Rouge period, continuing to the present era (Hun Sen / Hun Manet).

1. Khmer Rouge Era (1975–1979): "No corpse, no problem"

During this period, soldiers' or civilians' corpses held no spiritual value under Buddhist principles because the Khmer Rouge abolished all religion and rituals.

• Corpse management methods: Mass Graves: When many died, bodies were buried together in "Killing Fields" for expediency.
• Abandonment to decay: In remote battlefields, dead soldiers were often left in forests to decompose naturally or be eaten by animals, avoiding transport burdens.
• Conversion into fertilizer: Survivor testimonies and evidence indicate that in some areas, the Khmer Rouge ground or burned bones to use as fertilizer under rapid economic development policies.
• Reason for becoming 'missing': Due to lack of systematic records and the prohibition of funeral rites, relatives could not trace death evidence. Disappearances thus reduced the state's responsibility to support bereaved families.

2. Hun Sen Era (Conflict along the Thai-Cambodian border)

The image of Cambodia refusing to repatriate its soldiers' corpses (e.g., clashes near Preah Vihear or Ta Krabei/Ta Meun Thom) has strategic and self-interest reasons as follows.

• "No corpse = no loss" strategy: Maintaining image: Hun Sen and the Cambodian government often declare to the public and world that their army is strong and suffers minimal losses. Taking back many corpses would prove their defeat or heavy damage.
• Budget saving: When soldiers are classified as "missing" instead of "killed in action" (KIA), the government may avoid or delay compensation payments to families.

Using corpses as psychological warfare weapons:

• Biological/odor weapon: Analysts suggest that leaving decomposing corpses near Thai military bases creates pollution and psychological pressure on opposing soldiers forced to endure the smell and pathogens.
• Information distortion: Sometimes, Hun Sen claims the decaying corpses are "Thai soldiers' bodies" to accuse Thailand of concealing their death toll.
• Khmer Rouge ideological legacy: Since many top Cambodian leaders (including Hun Sen) were former Khmer Rouge, they absorbed the view that "soldiers' lives are expendable resources," and honoring corpses is less important than political victory.

Comparison table of corpse management