Phnom Penh

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At first Phnom Penh did not appeal the way most of Vietnam did. There was not the same buzz about the place. However, after a wee scout around we found it wasn't too bad after all.

If we thought we had seen some horrifying acts of cruelty in Vietnam then there are no words to describe the genocide that took place in Cambodia under Pol Pot in the 1970s. Again we had read a book (First They Killed my Father) written by a survivor, so we had a fair idea of what to expect when we visited Tuol Sleng, a former High School used by the Khmer Rouge as a prison and torture centre. People were kept here, cuffed at the ankles, in huge rooms or single cells, tortured till they gave their 'confession', then taken to the Killing Fields of Choeng Ek to be killed and buried in mass graves. Whole families were arrested together to wipe out the 'traitors' together. Children (13 - 14 years old) who had been through special training camps were used to guard the prisoners and torture them. It was heartbreaking stuff.

We followed this with a trip to Choeng Ek. Only part of the site has been excavated and they have already found thousands of victims buried there. There is a huge memorial Stupa filled with skulls found there, some showing all too clearly how the person was killed - an iron bar was used to save precious bullets. The killing tree, located next to a pit where many women were found, was used to kill their children.

The guards, in their defence, were working to strict orders. To a certain extent they had been brainwashed into believing 'the enemy' were not human, they were worse than animals. To fail to carry out an order from Angkar (the organisation) would mean certain death. However. this cannot condone the treatment of these people. No one has been brought to trial for this atrocity. Pol Pot, the creator of this 'revolution' died without facing up to his actions.

It was not just in Phnom Penh that people suffered, in 1975 the city was cleared and everyone moved to the country to start a new agricultural country in Year 0. Anyone who had been educated or who had worked for the government was killed. People had to work the land on very little food, most of what they grew was exported to China to pay for the weapons China supplied. Many people died from starvation or lack of medical treatment (when Pol Pot was removed from power, there were only 50 doctors left in Cambodia).

Nowadays, Cambodia seems to be getting back on her feet although there is a huge gap between the few rich and the many poor.

We visited the Royal Palace which is basked in wealth. There is 1 gold statue of Buddha containing 2086 diamonds (and that's only 1 in the collection!). The silver Pagoda containing this Buddha as well as a Jade Buddha) has a silver floor. The national museum next door holds many ancient relics including lots of Hindu artefacts showing the great influence India once had on Cambodian culture.

Education is provided in Cambodia but 57% of schools do not have toilets, those who do often have inadequate provision, eg. one Primary School I read about has 10 for 670 pupils. Apparantly this is one of the main reasons that girls do not continue their education. There are also loads of kids living and working on the street who have no choice but to work to support their families. There doesn't seem to be a lot of support for the poor here.

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