S21 and the Killing Fields

Our morning started with a quick bus trip to Tabitha, where we were greated by a friendly Canadian named Jan (ey). She gave us an understanding of Cambodian history and how the country came to be as it is today. Jan correlated what happened in Cambodia under Pol Pots rule into terms we could understand, with the use of Malcolm Turnbull and a threat of Isis, placing us in the Cambodians people situation. She gave a chilling recount of her own encounters with the Khmer Rouge, stating that in her first night in Cambodia she awoke with two bullet holes inches away from her head. After this, she decided to sleep in the bathtub for the remainder of her stay. She also let us into the personal details of some of her staff, which shocked us all on a personal level. The things that all of the Khmer people over the age of 45 lived through is truly horrendous, and makes you not only extremely remorseful, but also gives a huge sense of disgust at the way that humans can treat one another. Jan's talk put a whole new perspective on the way we view the life of the Cambodian people, which gave us a new sense of respect for the people we were building houses for. Tabitha is the organisation for which we would build 10 houses for the following day, and Jan's talk allowed us to understand the true assistance we are giving these people.
The rest of the day was a continuation of an emotional shock to the senses, firstly visiting the S21 Genocide Museum. This museum was where the Khmer Rouge detained many prisoners, each arrested for their so called 'spying' for either the CIA or the KGB. Throughout its operation, S21 detained more than 20,000 prisoners for torture, with only 7 able to survive. The living conditions in this prison were sub human, with a cell a metre wide by two long, with the prisoners chained to a wall unable to do so much as move without permission from the Khmer Rouge soldiers. The tour of the museum included reading some of the stories of the people that survived, each as shocking as the next. The emotional guilt felt by the survivors was evident through their writing, with many making the rushed decision to leave behind family and loved ones to save themselves. This decision has clearly stayed with the people, causing huge mental issues. However, despite the atrocities of S21, our next stop was far worse.
The killing fields are where prisoners from S21 and people from around Cambodia were brought to be executed. In the dark of the night, trucks would enter with hundreds of people, each to be executed under the lights of the killing fields. Music played through speakers speaking of the great Cambodian republic to drown out the screams of those being brutally murdered. Throughout the killing fields of Cambodia, over three million people died within three years. To put that into perspective, that was one in four people of the Cambodian population being murdered for crimes against the state. Unfortunately, crimes against the state in these times included having over year 6 education, speaking a foreign language, or even having soft hands or glasses. All of these 'crimes' were punishable by death. The tour of the killing fields truly showed the atrocities of what not only people can do to other people, but what fellow countrymen can do to others. And the worst of it was shown here. The baby tree was one of the most shocking sites imaginable, where innocent babies were dashed against the trunk of a tree until dead. The children were ripped from their mothers arms, and bashed time after time all whilst their mothers looked on, unable to so much as raise a finger in objection. Today, blood and hair can still be seen wedged within the bark of the tree, creating a monstrous sight. The reason behind this was quoted by Pol Pot as 'removing the roots' as the corruption was supposedly already seeded into the children.
the actions of the Khmer Rouge did not end here, with another of their infamous quotes stating that 'it is better to kill one innocent person than to miss killing one enemy' which was clearly taken into mind during Pol Pots regime. With over 3 million Cambodian people dead, the country is still clearly recovering. This regime brought Cambodia back years in development, with this country once being the Jewel of the South East brought down to dust and despair.
The tour of S21 and the killing fields put everything into perspective for us, with us left viewing just how lucky we are to be unaffected by atrocities such as this.
Hope that everybody at home is safe and well, we will see you all soon.
Love James and Gab