Phnom Penh: The Killing Fields

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A quick blog update - by the way, sorry I've stopped saying hello at the beginning of the blogs, I just decided that after 25 blogs, I'd just dive straight in :-)

Anyway, the last 2 days have been spent in the capital of Camboda, Phom Penh (sounds a bit like Sean Penn). The main reason for our 6 hour journey to the capital is to visit some places that will give us a much needed Cambodian history lesson.

Before I came to Cambodia, I'd heard of Pol Pot. I knew he'd ordered mass genocide in Cambodia , but that's about all I knew. In order to learn more we spent a day visiting both the 'Genocide Museum' and the infamous 'Killing Fields'.

The Genocide Museum, is actually a former prison known as 'S-21' which the Khmer Rouge (led by Pol Pot) used for imprisoning, torturing (in a barbaric fashion) and killing anyone who they saw as a threat to their regime. It was actually a school before the regime took control which adds an eerie twist. They turned classrooms into cells and you can walk around and still see blood stains on the floor and the torture devices lying around.

The leaflet we are handed on the way in states that:

'Keeping the memory of the atrocities committed on Cambodia soil alive is the key to build a new strong and just state'

Around 20,000 people were killed in the prison and there are mugshot photos throughout the buildings. It's hard to believe how badly the prisoners were treated, but the evidence is there. It's a sobering afternoon, but the most horrific sight is still to come.

We make the 17km journey to the Killing Fields. This patch of land in the countryside is where the Khmer regime would take people to be systematically slaughtered. There are 126 mass graves there and it's believed that almost 2 million people were killed. These people were seen as 'educated', and therefore a threat to the Khmer Regime who wanted to build a communist state. It's incredible to think that this all took place in little over 30 years ago.

In the late 80's the government decided to build a tribute to the dead and created a massive structure to house all the skulls that were found in the killing fields.

Clio and I leave feeling a little shaken up by everything we've seen. It doesn't make me feel upset, just really, really shocked and angry. The facts that you are told are simply unbelievable. Although Phom Penh itself isn't a particularly memorable city, I'm so glad we came and learnt a little of the history of the country.

So, on a much more upbeat note, we're now sat on a bus heading to Sihanoukville, the only beach resort in the country for a few days of relaxation, before the 10 hour journey into Vietnam. Only 4 weeks to go now and we're getting very excited about getting back to Blighty

Ali and Clio x

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Comments

[Leila]

Hello, OMG, S-21 and the killing fields must have been a shocking site to see. I remember hearing on the news about the monument with the skulls being built. I was probably about 10 or 11. I only knew as much about Pol Pot as you, but I can imagine that it did give you a horrible eerie feeling. Thankfully you've had some good times in Vietnam :-) and even better (for us) you'll be home soooooooooooooooooooooooon! xx