CAMBODIA HISTORY

Cambodia has a very dark history during the 1970's.  The Khmer Rouge came into this country and completely disrupted life there.  One Saturday we visited two museums which reminds all about the horrible decade and the rehabilitation that needed to take place following that period.  We in the United States knew about the Vietnam war, but few really realized what was happening in Cambodia, especially following that war.

As we entered the first museum we were faced with this sign and believe me, this museum put all of us in a somber and respectful mood.  We read that on April 14, 1974 the Khmer Rouge informed people all over the country that the Americans were going to bomb them and they needed to leave their homes immediately.  They were told that they could return in 3 days.  It did not take them long on the road to realize that there was something dreadfully wrong.  If the people did not comply, they were beaten or simply shot right there. 

Very soon, people were taken to forced labor camps or other facilities.  They were indoctrinated by these cruel people that communal living was the best way to live, all working and eating together.  Family should not be important, only the Khmer Rouge Regime.  Religion was forbidden as the Regime was all the citizens should need.  All for the 'good of the regime'.  Children were separated from their parents and many of them died wherever they were placed.  Older children (5 years and above) were put into work camps to work at least 14 hours per day with VERY LITTLE food, 2 bowls of rice soup (with only a few grains of rice).  Many starved to death, were beaten, etc.

Toul Sleng was a school that had been converted to a prison/torture chamber.  Anyone who was educated, had served publicly or even wore glasses were considered threats to the Regime and were taken to a facility like this somewhere in the country.  When taken, they were told that they were going to a reeducation center.  There were about 300 such facilities across Cambodia (a country about the size of Kansas).  When they entered their photo was taken and there were hundreds of photos displayed in the museum.  This was the beginning of a sobering day.

These are leg irons that were used to immobilize the prisoners.  Their hands were also immobilized.  Some were put in large classrooms fastened to each other and they could not move about.  They were given very little food or drink.  They were tortured in many ways.  I have not included the grotesque pictures that we saw.  They were beaten, questioned dreadfully, fingernails pulled out, dunked in pots of putrid liquid, water boarded, etc. (any form of torture that can be imagined).  Many died while in the prison.

In 1979 the Vietnamese drove the Khmer Rouge out of Cambodia.  That did not end their plight however as citizens could not distinguish their enemies from their friends.  There was so much confusion in the country.  There were a few prisoners in Toul Sleng that survived their prison during the end of this regime.  These two have written books to remind Cambodians what they went through and to keep watch as it could happen again.

These authors are getting old now, but have stories to tell.  The average age in Cambodia is about 22 since so many were killed during that wicked regime (about 25% of the population).  Our students get very quiet if we mention this war.  Most know that they lost parents, grandparents, brother, sisters, etc.  It makes us stop and think about why we must remain vigilant in our own country concerning our government, our religion and our lives.

As prisoners were taken from Toul Sleng this would be their next stop and their final stop.  This is the Genocidal Museum in Phnom Penh.  There were many such places across Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge Regime.  Even small villages have such memorials across Cambodia.  This is a reminder of this terrible time when Cambodians were killing Cambodians.  The prisoners were loaded into the back of trucks and taken to this place to be killed and NOT in a humane fashion. 

Not only adults, but women and children were brought here.  Babies were slammed against a tree to die, or thrown into the air and used for target practice.  We cannot imagine such depraved action and neither can the Cambodian people.

This is the location of one of the mass graves that have been exhumed.  The executioners would beat and knock the prisoners across the back to the neck to kill them, then push the bodies into the pit to bury (dead or partially alive).  They put chemicals over the bodies to reduce the odor that might escape, then cover the bodies with dirt.

One hundred sixty-six bodies were counted at this site, and there were many other sites on this property.  They know that not all have been found as they ran out of room to store the skulls. They are also doing research to determine the method that was used for execution of all of these people.

The keepers of this museum continue research about the victims and the violence that happened in this place. 
Loud Music was played during the executions so that neighbors would not hear the screams but would think that training was occurring at the location. 

These are but a few of the skulls that are on display in this memorial.  The skulls are marked to indicate the form of death.  Some were hit with garden tools, some were shot, some were smashed. 

This building has 16 levels of skulls and other bones as well as clothing, etc. that was taken from the mass graves.  This was a silent place, a sobering place, a place that caused us to respect what Cambodia has risen from.  We have visited with some of our students about their families and the turmoil.  One indicated that his mother had 20 children and only 5 survived and he was one.  The younger ones lost grandparents or have grandparents who have shared their ordeal. 
Our students tell us that we look so much younger than their parents or grandparents.  And I think....they went through so much, it is not wonder.
We have read several survivor books while here, and they all paint the same picture of the Khmer Rouge Regime.