Cheung Ek Killing Fields: A Reflection.

The Killing Fields of Cambodia

Immersing myself in Cambodian culture has been eye-opening and thoroughly fascinating.  Prior to embarking on this trip I felt compelled to find out as much of Cambodia's story as I could and I read up on Cambodia's tragic history including the book: 'First They Killed My Father' by Loung Ung.  It was Cambodia's dreadful history that first compelled me to volunteer here and explore this recovering country; so of course my stay in Cambodia would not be complete without visiting the Cheung Ek Killing Fields just outside the centre of Phnom Penh. 

Our hostel offered a day trip to the Killing Fields memorial site and the S1 prison - to hire a tuk tuk there and back for the day is $18; so myself, my two friends and another two English men joined us to split the cost.  The journey via tuk tuk took approx 45 mins and as usual wasn't uneventful! Our tuk tuk was all but falling apart and our driver had to stop to pump up the tires with air and re-arrange us to balance out the weight and put us back on an even keel! It had been raining the night before and as we ventured farther from the centre the dirt track, pot-hole-filled roads became worse and worse and our little rickety tuk tuk had to negotiate round the deep puddles, making it a bumpy ride!  But the journey was interesting and the shanty homes and shops of locals lined the tracks with children waving and smiling at our passing tuk tuk. 

Although I knew a good amount about the Khmer Rouge regime and the horrors it entailed I didn't really know what to expect from my visit to the Killing Fields.  It's a small entry fee which includes headphones and an audio in the language of your choice.  

I am not going to detail all about the history in this post, nor do I have photos to share.  For me, it's not a place to take pictures; which is how I felt at Auschwitz too.  The Cheung Ek Killing Fields is a strangely serene, and beautiful place.  It's a place to just walk round, quietly listening to the audio and peacefully thinking of the events that took place there and the people who suffered and lost their lives to the Pol Pot regime.  

S21 prison is perhaps more what a visitor might expect - a museum like experience detailing the events and some personal stories of victims and the only twelve survivors.  It's a somber day; but one that lets you understand the past and subsequent present struggles of Cambodia.  

I have included a single photo below; it's an excerpt of one of the information posts at the S21 prison.  Two things really struck me as I came away from the prison:-

1.  How easily Pol Pot managed to hide the genocide from the rest of the world and how easily the rest of the world disbelieved the stories from the few refugee survivors who made it out of the country.  I personally find it difficult to believe that the world could simply dismiss such horrific reports leaking out from Cambodia's refugees; was it simply easier for the world to look the other way? 

2. Since the truth about Cambodia's dictator of terror; Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge genocide was finally exposed it has taken years for anyone to be brought to justice.  Pol Pot himself lived out the rest of his life with his wife and escaping justice. There is a theory that at the age of 72 he committed suicide to escape finally being handed over to America. 

  

This is my personal reflection of my own experience visiting the Killing Fields and S21 Prison in Phnom Penh: opinions are my own.  For anyone visiting Cambodia I think it's worthwhile to take the time to visit here and listen and learn about Cambodia's past.  

So as a final thought... genocides have occurred throughout our history; the holocaust, Armenian genocide, Cambodia genocide, Rwandan genocide; to name only a few, will there be more in the future? it seems likely, but I hope that the world doesn't leave it as long as it did with Cambodia to stand up and listen and take action.