ANOTHER DAY OF HISTORY
Well today we were up and ready at a decent time. After a lovely breakfast at Anise, we headed to S-21, one of the sites where people were imprisoned and tortured before death during the Cambodian civil war.
The Cambodian Civil War started like this (in a very simplified version):
The Vietnam (Civil) War is going on next door (north Vietnam and south Vietnam are fighting). North Vietnam is using Cambodia's border to pass supplies, etc. to its supporters in the south. The Americans, who support the south have been bombing Cambodia's border region (as they essentially took it upon themselves to intervene in Vietnams war). The north Vietnamese move further into Cambodia to avoid the bombings, therefore causing Cambodia to get bombed deeper into their country. This created turmoil, rioting, etc. Cambodians also began killing any Vietnamese in their country (as they could not differentiate between north- and south-supporters).
While the head of Cambodia, communist Prince Sihanouk, is out of country, he gets overthrown by his conservative General, Lon Nol (in a coup d'état in 1970). Most middle-class and educated Cambodians supported this, as it meant possible reinstatement of foreign (U.S.) aid, etc., but rural villagers and peasants did not, as they wanted Cambodia to be self-sufficient, relying on themselves.
Over the next five years there was increase in the division of people's goals for Cambodia, until the Khmer Rouge took over the country in 1975.
The Khmer Rouge were communist extremists, pushing for a classless, agrarian society. They pushed millions of people out of the cities into rural areas, began killing anyone who was educated, professional, wore glasses, was part of the former military, was not full-Cambodian, etc. They controlled what people wore, rationed food (starving millions), trained children in torture, separated parents and children, etc. The Khmer Rouge had many similarities to the Nazis.
Over 20,000 mass graves have been found all around Cambodia, with, disputably, 2.2 - 3 million bodies. It's estimated that half of these people died by execution, and half from starvation or disease.
The current Tuol Sleng Museum site used to be a high school, but the Khmer Rouge turned it into the notorious S-21 (Security Prison 21).
SCHOOL ROOMS WERE DIVIDED UP INTO BRICK CELLS (above)
INSIDE A CELL (above)
There were various forms of torture. A local artist has depicted some of the forms in paintings, as shown below, after interviewing people imprisoned and tortured by the Khmer Rouge.
Above: THEY (KHMER ROUGE) WOULD TAKE BABIES AND CHILDREN, ESPECIALLY SOMS WHO COULD JOIN THEIR ARMY, AWAY FROM PARENTS.
Above: THEY WOULD STARVE PEOPLE AND HANG THEM OUTSIDE IN THE HOT SUN.
Above: THEY WOULD TIE HANDS BEHIND BACKS AND THEN LIFT AND HANG PEOPLE (the life is still in the yard of the museum; it used to be used for a children's game at the high school)
Above: THEY WOULD CUT THE STERNUM AND INSERT INSECTS TO CRAWL AROUND/EAT INTERNAL ORGANS.
Above: THEY WOULD REMOVE FINGERNAILS WITH PLYERS AND THEN POUR ALCOHOL OVER THE AREA.
Above: THEY WOULD HANG PEOPLE UPSIDE DOWN AND NEARLY-DROWN THEM (people were too starved and weak to fight back)
It was quite a humbling experience, as one could imagine. The Khmer Rouge were in power until 1979. Our next stop was The Killing Fields, the site where people were brought from S-21 to be executed in mass graves.
A little light humor on the way, as our tuk tuk driver bought us masks to wear for the trip out and back (because of the dust/vehicle pollution in the area.)
THE KILLING FIELDS:
Above: THE MEMORIAL, housing over 9,000 skulls of victims inside.
Above: DUE TO EROSION, PIECES OF CLOTHING, BONES, TEETH, ETC. CONTINUE TO BE EXPOSED. (Thy remove them, as needed, and add them to the various keepsake boxes)
Above: THIS IS THE TREE WHERE CHILDREN WERE KILLED. THE KHMER ROUGE WOULD HOLD SMALL CHILDREN BY THE FEET AND SWING THEM SO THEIR HEADS HIT THE TREE. THEY WOULD DO THIS REPEATEDLY UNTIL SUCCUMBING TO DEATH. (ALTHOUGH GRUESOME, I BELIEVE IT IS IMPORTANT TO SHARE KNOWLEDGE OF THE PAST, TO ENSURE WE DON'T REPEAT THE SAME HISTORY.)
Above: WE SAW A FEW OF THESE $2 BILLS... WE THOUGHT IT WAS FUNNY BECAUSE WE THOUGHT IT WAS FAKE. HOWEVER AFTER RETURNING HOME, WE FOUND OUT THERE ACTUALLY ARE $2 AMERICAN BILLS, BUT THEY ARE LESS THAN 1% OF THE PRINTED CURRENCY. I WONDER WHY...
After our productive day, we cooled off with beer and fruit shake to celebrate the last day of my third decade!
Then it was shower time before a relaxing traditional Khmer massage, which using a variety of techniques. Quite an interesting experience, really. It's very gentle but combines stretching with massaging with increasing circulation.
Then we went to a little Italian pizza place next to our hotel for an appy and beer/wine. That's where the magic began... Sun down, sparkly white lights around the tables, and...
SHE SAID "YES!"
We spent the rest of the evening wandering along the Tonle Sap river, looking, shopping, eating. Unfortunately the night market was closed during the week :(
