The Truth of Genocide............

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Thankfully the bus journey from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh was efficient! We stopped halfway for toilet etc. and noticed that there some delicious foods on display – cockroaches, beetles and the like. Seemingly the locals will eat anything, why waste nutritious varied alternatives eh! Also I think at this point I should mention that our introduction to Cambodia hasn’t been a true reflection of how nice the locals have been so far and our experience since that first bus journey have been much more positive. A smile goes a long way here, even if you are rejecting a service being offered or just walking along the street!



We arrived in Phnom Penh and got a tuk tuk with a lovely man called Sai. We agreed with him that we would give him business the next day to go to the Killing Fields so it was handy. We had the guesthouse booked for one night only and it was unavailable so we walked around checking out the alternatives and found a place for 20 US Dollars. Sai also helped us get a tourist agency to arrange our Vietnamese visa with, it was a bit daunting handing over the passports to a complete stranger but Sai came through for us and we got them a day and a half later!



I didn’t get a good feel from Phnom Penh. It’s very dirty, the dirtiest place yet. The vibe couldn’t have been more different from Siem Reap it gave me an uneasiness, I don’t think I truly felt safe there. The night time was also weird because unless you want a “hostess” bar, the choices were limited. The streets were also really quiet at night, nearly opposite to most cities so far. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s very raw and basic there, the street markets are bustling but I’d be wary of buying anything there, one woman had a fly swat for her fish but she might as well have been trying to make ice with a blowtorch!!



One reason we visited Phnom Penh was to get an insight into the terrible things that happened here during the genocide under the leader called Pol Pot. So the two main places to visit, pay respects and get information are in the city. When the genocide began in the 1975 the soldiers moved all the city dwellers out to the country. The belief was that there shouldn’t be classes and that everyone should work on the land and be equal. Phnom Penh became a ghost city and much of it was destroyed by the Khmer Rouge (the organisation responsible). Intellectuals were wiped out; people who spoke foreign languages, wore glasses etc. were also automatically killed. When the people were moved to the country they were forced to work on the land for up to 15 hours a day with little food or drink. Even kids had to work. In the three years of Khmer Rouge Rule it is estimated that 3 million people were killed (out of 8 million of the total population).



The Killing Fields are located just outside the city. This is where people were taken to be killed from S 21 (a prison in the city) but also from surrounding areas. It is now a peaceful place in that it’s very quiet, there is an audio tour explaining the history and a large memorial building at the entrance. The audio tour really gave an insight into what happened here but the land itself told the darker picture. Mass graves were found everywhere; there are hollows in the ground one after the other. There are pieces of bone, teeth and clothes on the paths (where they have moved with heavy rain). The tour brings you through the usual sequence of events when a person arrived and the terrible things that were done. A person did not survive once they came here. The worst thing for me was a mass grave where women and children (over 100) were found. It wasn’t only that they found women and children but there was a tree right next to the grave. When the first people arrived at the Killing Fields once the Khmer Rouge were brought down, the tree was covered in blood, brains, bone, teeth and hair. It transpired that the soldiers used this tree as a killing aid for babies and young children. The soldiers would hold them upside down by their legs and hit their little heads and bodies off the tree and then throw them into the grave. How a human can do this is just not imaginable?



The memorial building houses 17 stories housing skulls and bones. They have all been forensically examined and categorised into age groups. You can also see how some of the people were killed based on the injuries inflicted in the skulls. This sombre place was really terrifying to me and it is a place I will never forget, let’s hope they are all at peace now.



After the killing fields we got off and made a quick stop at the Royal Palace. It was underwhelming to say the least. Half of the grounds were sealed off/unauthorised and even the buildings you could visit it wasn’t possible to take photos inside of them where all the cool stuff was. There seemed to be some big event that all the staff were getting ready for and they were laying out shed loads of fruit, pigs heads and the like. Obviously the royals were having some sort of banquet that evening!



As upsetting as the Killing Fields were our visit to Tuol Sleng or S21 was the most difficult day of my trip so far. The buildings at this site were originally a school before the Khmer Rouge took over but what they were used for during the three years of the genocide just further clarified the absolute evilness and cruelty bestowed on the people. There are four buildings in all here, labelled A-D. Each had its own function and they are left as they were found in 1978 (but cleaned up, I presume). The buildings were laid out differently some had just one large metal bed, some rooms were divided into brick cells, some into wooden cells, some covered by barbed wire to prevent the prisoners from committing suicide. The people here were tortured because they had supposedly been working with foreign organisations such as the CIA or KGB or perhaps they did one or two things wrong when working for the Khmer Rouge or perhaps a superior officer felt that they were against the beliefs of the Khmer Rouge. The people were then tortured to admit their wrongdoings (even if they didn’t have any, more often than not they didn’t).



I suppose the thing that was most chilling about here is that I could feel and sense the horror, even more than the killing fields. In some of the rooms, I got this horrible horrible feeling, I can’t even describe it but the worst were the photographs. One after another after another, they never seemed to end. The Khmer Rouge was meticulous in their documentation and each person was photographed, numbered, measured. Some of the faces were a stark reminder of how that person was feeling at that exact moment when being taken into this place. There were also pictures of people after torture, yes, dead bodies, absolutely mutilated. But as I walked around trying to compose myself I just saw one picture, I don’t know what it was about it but I couldn’t hold back the feelings I had and poor John had to console me outside for 10 minutes while I cried it off. I have put some photos in here for you to see. I have not taken any of those who were pictured after torture but just the few that I have will give you an idea of the suffering and the despair ahead of these people.



As we left, we had the privilege of meeting one of the only 7 survivors of Tuol Sleng. Now 82 years old he stood up and told how he managed to survive because he was able to fix the typewriters for the Khmer Rouge. He lost his wife but his 4 kids survived. He was there when the final moments of this evil place were written into history. He saw many people being taken away to be tortured or to the Killing Fields. Now because he only gets 25 US Dollars per month from the government he comes to the place where he lived in fear to sell his story. An absolute disgrace that he has to come to a place that probably haunts him day after day and now it forms his livelihood?



One of the nights we were here we decided to have dinner at a place called FRIENDS. It is a restaurant run by former street kids and all profits go towards helping them progress in their new careers but also to fund schooling for kids who are currently working on the streets or to fund official employment for parents of the kids so that the kids can actually go to school. It was very busy and great to see. The food was gorgeous and we went all out and had yummy cocktails and desserts just to give a bit more back to the charity! One of our most expensive meals but well worth the cause!



We have also noticed that I am getting the stares from locals again….. Not sure what it is, maybe my height, width, hair colour, big feet, white skin but it is definitely happening lots. Will continue on my quest to figure out why… John almost asked a group walking past us the last day but I stopped him, bad enough being stared at, never mind confronting them!!!





Our time in Phnom Penh has come to an end and we its time to move onto a new country, off to Vietnam next. I think Cambodia has helped me understand so much more about the world and has affected me a lot but hopefully for the better………

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