Memories of a genocide

On our first day in Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh we got an insight into the county's horrifying recent history. Between 1975 and 1979 Cambodia was ruled by the Khmer Rough. When the Khmer Rough came into power after the civil war they forced everyone who lived in cities and towns to leave their homes and work on fields under slave like conditions.

The government killed anyone who was regarded a threat to their new society. Any opposition was killed as well as anyone with an education and anyone who spoke a foreign language. They even killed people who wore glasses since this could be seen as being intellectual. All the schools in Cambodia were closed and even young children were made to work the fields, often separated from their families.

The majority of all the food that was produced in Cambodia was exported in return for guns leaving a large part of the population to starve. During the four years that the Khmer Rough were in power more than 25% of the country's population was either killed or died of starvation. Over 1000 killing fields (execution sites with mass graves) have been discovered.

We visited the most notorious prison Tuol Sleng as well as the Choeung Ek killing fields. Tuol Sleng was a school before 1975 and had been turned into a genocide museum and Choeung Ek is now a memorial site. Both places give a very good insight into some of the unbelievable horrors committed during these years. Out of an estimated 20'000 prisoners at Tuol Sleng only seven people survived. The only two survivors that are still alive sit at the museum every day and talk to the visitors. 33 years after then last executions at Choeung Ek bone fragments, teeth and clothing material washes up to the surface on a rainy day.

We both felt very moved and humbled when visiting these two places. We learnt a lot this day and no matter how horrible the past may be, only by educating people about what happened can we prevent it from happening again.

Tuol Sleng - the former school turned into a prison

cell blocks

mass graves at Choeung Ek 

individual cell