The Killing Fields Pnomh Penh

Between  the years of 1975 to 1979 Cambodia was under the rule of the Khmer Rouge , whose leader was Saloth Sar, more commonly known as Pol Pot. Under his rule about a quarter of the population were tortured and executed, or died due to living conditions. During this time whole cities including Pnomh Penh were evacuated, education and religion were banned and many intellectuals were killed just because they were educated.  Which is ironic really because the top circle of power at this time were mainly university graduates, and a lot were teachers including Pol Pot. After the Khmer Rouge were removed from power and people started to return to their homes, areas were found full of dead bodies, these were known as the Killing Fields and are dotted around the whole of Cambodia. Just outside Pnomh Penh one of these fields was  found and is now open to the public. 

When we visited the place was calm and strangely serene, probably due to the fact that visitors were respectful and mindful of what had happened there. Visitors walk around the area with an audio guide which explains what happens at different points around the area. Before 1975 the area was a Chinese cemetery and some remnants of their burial ground can also be seen but it  was greatly damaged. Buildings that had been there such as offices and storage areas used by the Khmer Rouge were pulled down just after the place was discovered but markers showed their spots. 

Several of the mass grave pits were excavated but some have been left and they have decided to leave the bodies in their last resting place.  The stone below shows one of the graves where 450 bodies were found. 

In the photo below, there are bits of cloth in the box and bones lying on the top. Cloth and bones are still being found especially after the rainy season where the soil is washed away exposing more. On the audio guide we were told that if we saw any bones, teeth or material to leave it as it would be gathered by caretakers there. As we walked around we did see a bone with black cloth sticking out of the ground, strangely it wasn't gruesome, but brought home to us how sad, real and recent the events were. 

This tree was used by the Khmer Rouge to kill small children, they would swing them by their feet and hit their heads of the tree. Just beside this tree is another mass grave which was full of women and children. There is also a spirit house by the tree, which is supposed to help the spirits of the people who died there, who were mainly Buddhists. 

The pits that you see in the ground are dips where mass graves have been. In another one of the graves 166 headless corpses were found, all of which were dressed in uniform. Under Pol Pot nobody was safe and 

people were often accused wrongly, tortured and executed.  It is thought that these were soldiers and their heads cut off maybe linking to one of Pol Pot's sayings, "bodies of Khmers but minds of the Vietnamese"

At the side of the area and the end of the tour is this Wat, a Buddhist Temple which has been constructed as a memorial to all that died under the Pol Pot regime. Inside there are around 9000 skulls, other bones, clothes of the victims and weapons used to murder the people. As bullets were 

too expensive, hoes, sticks, clubs, wheel axles , basically anything heavy was used. Even  the sharp edges on the trunks of banana trees were used to cut people's throats. Although photos were allowed in the Wat, I preferred to do a long shot, as it just seemed wrong in there to take photos.

It was a very interesting, moving experience and makes you wonder how these sort of things are allowed to happen. I have started reading more about the history of Cambodia, in particular this time period and it is interesting how the outside influences and actions of other countries enabled Pol Pot  to do what he did.