The killing fields and S-21

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We wanted to see some sites while here in Phenom Penh and our Guest house had the perfect solution, a 1 day tour around them all.
A few of us set off in the house mini-bus and first up was a stop at a shooting range, a bit bizarre we thought but we'll check it out, a couple of pistols and some boring rifles maybe.
Upon arrival hunger pangs were calling for breakfast and first thing that happens was one of the guys brought over the menu, brilliant, food, right, lets get stuck in. Wrong! it was indeed a menu, but stick the food, this was the menu for the weapons and I'm not talking spud guns here......
Top of the list was a kalashnikov - AK47, then to follow were numerous pistols, Tommy gun, M60 Machine gun, over the page for Hand Grenades, Anti-aircraft Misslesa and a Rocket Launcher. I did not find this a highlight, especially when we were also headed to the killing fields. So I became the photographer for Darren who I met on the boat yesterday. I did not find the shooting of the M60 Machine gun pleasant. I wanted to leave but we were on a tour and there was no where to go, I didn't last long as a photographer.

It was totally unexpected which made it all the more fun. However, it was a little bit of a strange prelude to what was to follow, a trip to the Cambodian Killing Fields - mass graves from the 70's civil war. This was an experience which will not be forgotten. Towers of skulls to start with then a tour around the big holes in the ground which were the mass graves of thousands of people. Bones and Clothes are still coming up through the ground, Some estimates say that 40% of the population were murdered by Pol Pot's regime over a 4 year period - Gut wrenching stuff.
After the Killing Fields we then went to a place called S21, this used to be a high-school until the Khemer Rouge comandered it and turned it into an interogation prison. The class rooms wereturned into Prison cells used to house and torture prisoners. This was very very grim indeed including photographs and biographies of some of the people who were killed there. 14,000 people went through the gates, just 7 got came out alive when the Vietnamese freed them. Just awfull stuff but it has to be visited.
A little overwhelmed this afternoon we were taken to the kings palace which was, well, a palace, very pretty admittedly.

If you haven't guessed, I am very behind in blogging. Currently I am in Vietnam. I will catch up when I have time. I traveling all through Vietnam and then will continue on to South Korea.

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Photos

skulls at the Killing Fields
The Cambodian people killed at the killing fields were not killed by guns but bludgeoned to death, you can tell by the skulls.

Monument at the killing fields
The children of Cambodia are not taught about this genocide in school. They just want to forget it.

teeth at the Killing Fields
As you walk around the area, you find yourself walking over graves, where clothes and bones and teeth are suddenly appearing.

S-21
S-21 or Tuol Sleng was the most secret organ of the KR regime. S-21 stands for the security office 21. It was designed for interrogation and extermination of anti-Angkar elements.

The rules at S-21
Horrible and Scary. I couldn't believe what I was reading.