Killing Fields

Content Advisory Warning – contains text and graphics not suitable for those who only want to see the fun parts

After arriving in Phenom Penh we were up early to visit two of the more horrible places I hope we’ll see on this trip, though Vietnam is sure to have a few too. .,

First we went to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, It’s a place with a crumbling school courtyard and childrens swings (well, the supports are left), which the Khymer Rouge put to brutal use converting it into a detention and torture centre – killing over 14,000 people here.

There’s a one hour video at 10am, and another at 2pm I think it is, worth catching, though again utterly depressing. The film focuses on a couple – probably fairly typical of the time, and how their lives were torn apart, she being abused by soldiers, and eventually how they both were relocated to S21 (not that anyone was told this – they were usually told they were to work in a new rice field from then on or something)

They did have the oddest regulations – well, odd except when you understand that they were just trying to destroy all social cohesion, all independence. Besides killing all intellectuals (even the engineers), people were forbidden from showing love, (any emotion but esp. that one), from looking anywhere but straight ahead (you weren’t allowed to turn your head) etc. etc. Any infringement would at best get you a beating, but more likely get you killed.

It’s hard to describe going through the rooms where they document the torture, pulling fingernails off and covering the fingers with alcohol, they way they used to string people up from the childrens swing (frame) before pushing them head first into barrels of effluent before continuing the torture.

It’s simply staggering that this went on until 1979 (the year I was born). Pol Pot, the leader of this regime died under house arrest a year later, but was never indicted for genocide (As far as I know) and declared ‘My conscience is clear’.

You’d hope in this day and age that these things no longer happen.. and while I’m sure nothing as permanently damaging happens on a small base in Cuba.. Sometimes you wonder (well I do) and I’d imagine China might have some pretty nasty things going on in there… Maybe I’ll have to go look up Amnesty International and stop complaining!

After our energy had been totally broken by S21 (after only three or so hours) it was off to the Killing Fields. Each detention section had an associated execution centre, and the Killing Fields was the one for S21.

Looks quite nice really, until you realise this where the 14,000 bodies are.. all in mass graves, they’re still uncovering more all the time. The stupa (pic on the right) contains 17 levels of human skulls (8985).

I wasn’t really sure whether to write up about this, but it is important. And, in a way, it makes Cambodians all the more impressive that they are fundamentally a pretty happy bunch of people!, especially in the country at any rate.

Just a couple of quiet quiet drinks this evening.