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Route Map 
Phnom Penh, Cambodia »
December 20, 2010
The next day I went to the Choeung Ek Killing Fields. One of many in Cambodia. 20% of the population of Cambodia was murdered just thirty years ago, by their own people. I'd say that's worse than Nazis, if any speculation of bad or worse can be applied.
Europe fought wars. East wanted to kill the West, North the South, and all the other combinations always existed. There were religion wars, burning witches, inquisitions. But here, in Cambodia, it was their own people turn onto each other en masse. The Khmer Rouge, without mercy and discrimination, exterminated their own people. The leaders of this movement succeeded in indoctrinating part of Cambodia's citizens to the point that one would mercilessly kill their family just because someone else told them they are the enemy.
The Khmer Rouge soldiers used to wear those red, sometimes of different color, scarves. Nowadays, after the amnesty, I can still see many people wear them. And I don't get it. I don't blame the older people in remote rural areas. Perhaps they still don't know the truth. They are still the victims and they don't even know it. But what about the people in the cities? What's even more disturbing to me is that some tourists buy them and wear them the same way the Khmer Rouge crazies used to wear them. Talk about stupidity and ignorance of the white man, and a tourist who likes all the things which are 'cool'. What are they thinking? Or are they. Or maybe I do understand - there are still so many people who simply can't think for themselves. It happens in almost any country.
The Choeung Ek Killing Field is connected to the S-21. That's where the convicted prisoners would end up.
Photo: Choeung Ek, Phnom Penh, Cambodia → The entrance.
Photo: Choeung Ek, Phnom Penh, Cambodia → Right after the gate, the area looks like a memorial park. The truth is that the trucks which brought prisoners would stop and un load very close to this area, on the right, sending the prisoners to a couple small barracks which don't exist anymore.
Photo: Choeung Ek, Phnom Penh, Cambodia → The memorial.
Photo: Choeung Ek, Phnom Penh, Cambodia → The entrance to the memorial. There are several floors with bones arranged on them. Some contain skulls, some selected types of bones.
Photo: Choeung Ek, Phnom Penh, Cambodia → The skulls are grouped into age categories. Women aged 15 - 20, man 40-50, and so on...
Photo: Choeung Ek, Phnom Penh, Cambodia → The skulls were brought here from the excavated mass graves.
Photo: Choeung Ek, Phnom Penh, Cambodia → ...
Photo: Choeung Ek, Phnom Penh, Cambodia → The memorial monument.
Photo: Choeung Ek, Phnom Penh, Cambodia → The actual killing fields, right behind the memorial. These are mass graves. People were brought here, told to kneel at the adge of a grave, and a guard would strike them behind their head with a metal rod. Then, when the person fell down, they would cut his or her throat and push down to the pit.
Photo: Choeung Ek, Phnom Penh, Cambodia → This is the 'Magic Tree'. There was a speaker hanging from it and they would play music to conceal the moans of those being killed.
Photo: Choeung Ek, Phnom Penh, Cambodia → There were headless bodies found in this grave.
Photo: Choeung Ek, Phnom Penh, Cambodia → Walking around the fields, there are mass graves basically everywhere.
Photo: Choeung Ek, Phnom Penh, Cambodia → You can still see pieces of clothes sticking out from the ground here and in many other places. Also bones. I was told that the floods are bringing them up to the surface. You can see them here in the bottom right corner.
Photo: Choeung Ek, Phnom Penh, Cambodia → Some of the clothes were picked up and put here.
Photo: Choeung Ek, Phnom Penh, Cambodia → Some of the clothes.
Photo: Choeung Ek, Phnom Penh, Cambodia → And bones. They are on some paths around the graves, so you can't help but step over them
Photo: Choeung Ek, Phnom Penh, Cambodia → I kept walking around looking at the dirt. I found this tooth, right on the surface. I touched it and wondered if this was from the woman I saw at S-21? I wondered if I should pick it up and rest it with the clothes and pieces of bones I have seen collected by people. But I left it there. Maybe that's where it belongs, with the dust and leaves... I will get there at one point too. It will be easier to meet.
Photo: Choeung Ek, Phnom Penh, Cambodia → Walking around the pond, which is on the grounds of the fields, there were these farmer's children hanging around. I took their photo and thought of those who were killed here just a short time ago.
Photo: Choeung Ek, Phnom Penh, Cambodia → This is the children killing tree.
Photo: Choeung Ek, Phnom Penh, Cambodia → Time to go back. Time to continue live and appreciate life. I hope there will be no more killing fields, and I hope the greed and insensitivity of people with power and money will one day stop. I hope we will never meet again, though I will never forget you Choeung Ek.
Photo: Choeung Ek, Phnom Penh, Cambodia → I am glad to see that there is life at the killing fields. Be it a small lizard. It's a good start.
My life has always been about freedom and I shall continue to walk this path.
Safe travels ! ........... Stan
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stan@ancientnomad.com
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