Persecution under the Khmer Rouge eroded their numbers, however, and by the late 1980s they probably had not regained their former strength.
Penganiayaan di bawah Khmer Merah mengakibatkan jumlah mereka terkikis, bagaimanapun, dan pada akhir 1980-an mereka mungkin tidak mendapatkan kembali kekuatan mereka sebelumnya.