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Unfortunately Claire got poorly and so spent most of her time in Phnom Penh in bed :(
I went to see the Killing Fields and S21, they were pretty tough going! The most intense, heart breaking afternoon ever. But i am so gald i went as it made me appreciate Cambodia and the people so much, the people are incredible and deserve a lot of respect from the world. They have so much spirit and determination, its very impressive. The smiliest people so far!
The Killing Fields were done really well, you listen to a personal tape as you walk around the area and take it at your own pace, stopping at certain points and listening to what happened and accounts from people who survived it. The whole story of the Khmer Rouge is heart breaking, mostly i think because it was Cambodians killing Cambodians and in such horrible ways. Beating them over the head to save money on bullets, slicing their throats with parts of bark from a sugar plant instead of using anything else and using acid to hide the smell of bodies and to 'finish the job'. There is a monument in the middle which holds 17 levels filled with skulls and bones of the victims, each skull labelled and identified. You can even see bits of bone and clothing resurfacing as you walk around the grounds due to the weather wearing the ground away.
S21 was the prison where victims were taken for torturing. It was very eerie walking around it and standing in tiny cells where people had suffered horrible things and eventually died. Nothing has been changed, it has been left the way it was the day the Khmer Rouge lost power. There were 7 survivors who were found on that day and their terrible stories are explained in S21. There are also photos of every single man, woman and child that went into that place, its overwhelming seeing thousands of photos and knowing what kind of things happened to them. One of the sad things is that before this happened the building was a school, so there were photos of how it was used before the Khmer Rouge decided that education was to no longer exist in Cambodia.
Many people had no choice but to confess to things that they hadn't done because they couldn't take the torture anymore.
At the end there is a display of the ongoing work and education which shows the Cambodian people determined to keep peace in their country and around their world. Heart warming pictures drawn by children of all ages representing love and peace. Again making me appreciate the people of this country.
Pol Pot said some awful things, i remember the quote "it is better to kill an innocent person than to spare an enemy."
It was a shocking day but a very powerful one and probably one of the most memorable days of my whole trip. To think this all happened 40-ish years ago is unbelievable. I then noticed how you never see any old people in Cambodia, everyone is young, there simply aren't any old people in the country.
xxx
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