Bonjour Cambodia

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So we arrived in a busy Phnom Penh after an ok ride on dirt tracks passing reams of huts built from wood and straw, we didn’t quite realize how poor Cambodia is. As a city we didn’t find that much to do except maybe visit the Royal Palace so we just did the usual touristy things here; visited the S21 museum and the Killing fields and organized our Laos visa.

The S21 is a prison that the Khmer Rouge (lead by Pol Pot) tortured and killed many of their own people for reasons that are beyond thinking about. They were people from different classes ranging from scholars, doctors, peasants and foreigners, it only happened in the mid to late 1970s so not that long ago. We saw pictures of tortured victims and hundreds of pictures of victims; I found it all too much to bear but I am glad that I know what happened here and I hope to God nothing like this ever happens again. Still, no-one has been brought to justice for what happened and although there are a few government figures awaiting trial they are old so have still lived their lives and Pol Pot died so no justice for victims family and I am not really sure why? We then visited the killing fields outside Phnom Penh where the victims were killed and buried in mass graves again a very difficult experience but one that was important to do and see for ourselves.

We stayed in Phnom Penh for about 3 nights we noticed an increase in sleazy western guys with young Cambodian girls which made our skin crawl and the hotel where we stayed openly allowed western men to sleep with prostitutes…

We met a nice French couple and me and Dim practiced our French with them, we sat and had lots of beers and laughs. Here we decided to change our plans about going to Laos from Cambodia as we heard the roads are really bad and it takes a long time so we will go via Thailand instead and spend Christmas in Bangkok. Next stop Siem Reap

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Photos

Luc and Celine
Frenc friends!

S21 Prison
This used to be a school before the Khmer Rouge turned it into a prison.

People were tortured here.
they were strung upside down tortured until they went un-concious and then dunked in water to keep them awake so they could start the torturing again - sick.

Dutch - leader of S21
He is on trial and the only one who has admitted to carrying out such atrocities and apologised not like that means anything to victims families.

Pol Pot
Sick, sick man

Barbed wire
To stop people committing suicide

Tiny cells
They built about 20 + cells in one big room 6 by 3 foot not good..

Khmer fighters
They too were victims often forced into fighting and a lot killed anyway as Pol Pot's regime were very paranoid and suspicious of everyone.

Survivors
7 people survived out of 20,000 at S21, 6 of them are still alive today. We read small accounts of what they went through - truly horrific.

mass graves
there were lots of holes like this, one designated for women and children.

Tree where children were killed
Lots of children also got killed as the regime feared revenge attacks from them in the future - they would bang there heads off this tree.

Comments

[anonymous]

Love the photo!
LOVE the photo with the orange contrast and black and white in the background. How did you do that to the picture - Adobe Photoshop? Or was it your camera?

[No Filth Please]

Hi red-rose34 thanks for the comment on the photo. I did the effect in Photoshop (not that good with a camera yet!!) Glad you like it

[No Filth Please]

Hi red-rose34 thanks for the comment on the photo. I did the effect in Photoshop (not that good with a camera yet!!) Glad you like it