Im struggling to write today because I’m still in shock at what I’ve learned. We went to the S21 prison in the morning, which was originally a school that was then turned into a place of torture.
Quick understanding: the Khmer Rouge killed 25% of the population in cambodia in their attempt to take Cambodia back to the Middle Ages – millions of people living in cities were forced to work on communal farms, but this social engineering came at a cost as families died from execution, starvation, disease and more. Money was abolished and those that were skilled (teachers, doctors, lawyers) were killed. Everyone had to eat communal dinners and anyone caught ‘stealing’ a mango or any food for themselves was deemed selfish and killed. 5 year old children were taught to use guns and kill.
At S21 we had an audio guide which told the grim details of the place. The rooms had shackles where people were kept and the floors were dark from blood stains. People weren’t to die here so they just got tortured and interrogated day in day out, punished for doing nothing. The weird thing is that they documented their crimes and so there are pictures of all those that went to the prison available to see.
At the end of the tour we walked past a memorial site and just past that was a survivor, 1 of only 4. Chum Mey (now in his 80s) was initially beaten and tortured but kept alive by the Khmer Rouge for his ability to fix the leaders typewriters.
After a depressing morning we had an even more harrowing afternoon at the Killing Fields. This is where mass graves hold millions of people that were executed by the Khmer Rouge. The audio guide talks though various points, each more disturbing than the last.
At the end, we entered the memorial and paid our respects to the dead. May this never happen again.
