member_of_political_party vorn vet
Kampuchea ( Khmer :      , " Kâmpchéa "), officially known as Democratic Kampuchea ( Khmer :                  , " Kâmpchéa Prâcheathippadey ") ( DK ) from 5 January 1976 , was the name of the ___MASK45___ ( KR )- controlled state that , between 1975 and 1979 , existed in present - day Cambodia . It was founded when the ___MASK45___ forces defeated the Khmer Republic of Lon Nol in 1975 . During its rule between 1975 and 1979 , the state and its ruling ___MASK45___ regime was responsible for the deaths of millions of Cambodians through forced labour and genocide . After losing control of most of Cambodian territory to Vietnamese occupation , it survived as a rump state supported by China . In June 1982 , the ___MASK45___ formed the Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea with two non - communist guerilla factions , which retained international recognition . The state was renamed Cambodia in 1990 in the run up to the UN - sponsored Paris Peace Agreement conference of 1991 . Khmers rouges ( French for " ___MASK61___ Khmers " " Khmer Kraham "), more commonly known in English as ___MASK45___ , was the name given to the followers of the ___MASK19___ in Cambodia . It was formed in 1968 as an offshoot of the Vietnam People ' s Army from North Vietnam , and allied with North Vietnam , the Viet Cong , and the Pathet Lao during the Vietnam War against the anti - communist forces from 1968 to 1975 . The ___MASK45___ emerged victorious in the Cambodian Civil War , overthrew the military dictatorship of the Khmer Republic and installed their own government Democratic Kampuchea in 1975 , led by Pol Pot , Nuon Chea , Ieng Sary , Son Sen , and Khieu Samphan . This was followed by the Cambodian genocide from 1975 until 1979 , when the ___MASK45___ were finally removed from power by Vietnam in the Cambodian  Vietnamese War . The military power of the ___MASK45___ organization was not broken however , and a long era of guerrilla warfare involving large swaths of the Cambodian countryside began . Many different military factions were involved in the guerrilla war era and it ended around 1994 . The ___MASK45___ organization is remembered especially for orchestrating the Cambodian genocide , which resulted from the enforcement of its social engineering policies . Its attempts at agricultural reform led to widespread famine , while its insistence on absolute self - sufficiency , even in the supply of medicine , led to the death of thousands from treatable diseases such as malaria . Arbitrary executions and torture carried out by its cadres against perceived subversive elements , or during purges of its own ranks between 1975 and 1978 , are considered to have constituted genocide . The Khmer ___MASK93___ ( Khmer :            ); also known as the State of Cambodia was ___MASK44___ - wing pro  United States military - led republican government of Cambodia that was formally declared on 9 October 1970 . Politically , the Khmer ___MASK93___ was headed by General Lon Nol and Prince Sisowath Sirik Matak that took power in the 18 March 1970 coup against Prince Norodom Sihanouk , then the country ' s head of state . Vorn Vet ( 1934 -- 1978 ) born Pen Thuok , was a deputy prime minister for the economy of Democratic Kampuchea . He was murdered at the S - 21 security camp in 1978 . The Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea ( CGDK ) ( Khmer :                              ); renamed to the National Government of Cambodia from 1990 , was a coalition government in exile composed of three Cambodian political factions : Prince Norodom Sihanouk ' s ___MASK23___ , the Party of Democratic Kampuchea ( often referred to as the ___MASK45___ ) and the Khmer People ' s National Liberation Front ( KPNLF ) formed in 1982 , broadening the " de facto " deposed Democratic Kampuchea regime . For most of its existence , it was the internationally recognized government of Cambodia . Marshal Lon Nol ( November 13 , 1913  November 17 , 1985 ) was a Cambodian politician and general who served as Prime Minister of Cambodia twice ( 1966  67 ; 1969  71 ), as well as serving repeatedly as Defense Minister . He led the ___MASK57___ coup of 1970 against Prince Norodom Sihanouk and became the self - proclaimed President of the newly created Khmer Republic , ruling until 1975 . He was the founder and leader of the short - lived ___MASK76___ , and commander - in - chief of the Khmer National Armed Forces .