The 29th March 2013 shall be forever branded in my brain. That day, I witnessed with my own eyes the horrors that could befall mankind if they suffer the loss of their basic humanity in the interest of dogmatic political ideology, class struggle and/or personal ambition.
Stop 1 The Killing Fields at Choeung Ek in Phnom Penh
The entrance to the killing fields
The house of horrors there
These were some of the skulls and bones found there in 1980
A view of the excavation there in 1980
These are some of the Buddhist necklaces left by friends, relatives and strangers made for those who died there
Jaw bones, leg bones, headgear and items found with the skeletons unearthed there
Bones, bangles, handcuffs, headbands of the dead
Personal effects of the victims
Clothes worn by victims uncovered after the rains washed away the top soil after the exhumation of the bodies
The so-called "magic tree" to ease the ears of the executioners
This photo is self-explanatory
A box of teeth of various skeletons found there
Children's heads were smashed against this tree because the Khmer Rouge did not want to waste bullets on them
wrist bands left by visitors for the use of the children who ended their lives against this tree
A mass grave of more than a 100 children killed there
All these pits were at one time filled with corpses
A bone fragment in one of the pits
This place used to be a Chinese cemetery. The remains of one of the graves there
The killer palm
Our guide showing us how the saw-tooth edges of this killer palm was used to slash the throats of the victim
Some of the skulls are now housed in this memorial of the dead
A literal tower of death
Some of the skulls staring at us from the tower of death
The clothes of the victims found at the site
The graves of those who ran the death camp who later confessed to their crime.
urns filled with human excrement where the heads of those who refused to confess were ducked
Stop 1 The Killing Fields at Choeung Ek in Phnom Penh
The entrance to the killing fields
The house of horrors there
These were some of the skulls and bones found there in 1980
A view of the excavation there in 1980
These are some of the Buddhist necklaces left by friends, relatives and strangers made for those who died there
Jaw bones, leg bones, headgear and items found with the skeletons unearthed there
Bones, bangles, handcuffs, headbands of the dead
Personal effects of the victims
Clothes worn by victims uncovered after the rains washed away the top soil after the exhumation of the bodies
The so-called "magic tree" to ease the ears of the executioners
This photo is self-explanatory
A box of teeth of various skeletons found there
Children's heads were smashed against this tree because the Khmer Rouge did not want to waste bullets on them
wrist bands left by visitors for the use of the children who ended their lives against this tree
A mass grave of more than a 100 children killed there
All these pits were at one time filled with corpses
A bone fragment in one of the pits
This place used to be a Chinese cemetery. The remains of one of the graves there
The killer palm
Our guide showing us how the saw-tooth edges of this killer palm was used to slash the throats of the victim
Some of the skulls are now housed in this memorial of the dead
Some of the skulls staring at us from the tower of death
The clothes of the victims found at the site
Stop 2 S-21 Death Camp or Camp S-21
The graves of those who ran the death camp who later confessed to their crime.
urns filled with human excrement where the heads of those who refused to confess were ducked
A row of foot lock to which the prisoners feet were chained to their metal beds
Those who "confessed" might be sent to work as forced labor in the countryside
One of the rooms where the prisoners were kept and tortured. The dark spots to the left of the photo , under the bed and elsewhere on the files are blood stains
The interrogation room. Who knows what spine-chilling shrieks of pain resounded within these walls more than 3 decades ago
The standard excrement pot, one closed and the other slit open to show its interior
These are two of the beds and mats
A close up of an excrement box
A soup bowl?
A pillow & a food plate
A foot lock
This used to be a classroom
What kind of tortures were witnessed by such doors, window shades etc?
This is one of the isolation cells. The iron box is used for excretion, barely 3 feet by 6
Fingers would be passed through this box and fingers squeezed with pincers with vinegar poured on to them
How some of the victims were killed
Victims would be hung like this until they lost consciousness and then would be woken up by having filthy water poured on their head etc This would continue until they "confessed".
The "water" treatment bucket
blood stain on the floor everywhere
Various Instruments of torture used in the death camp
A maps of Cambodia under Khmer Rouge built with human skulls
One of the two survivors of the death camp. I bought his book.
To prevent victims jumping to their death rather than being tortured, the outside of the building was fully barbed-sired.
Key locations are additionally wired
This is the man responsible, Pol Pot
This was what he looked like when he was young
This was the President of the People's Representative Assembly and the Deputy Secretary of the Communist Party of Khmer responsible for internal security and for enforcing the policy of decided by the Central Committee of the CPK.
This is why people were sent to the Choeung Ek Killing Fields
The personal background Kaing Guek Eav, the head of the S-21 Prison for people considered "dissidents"
In fact, I have taken numerous photos of the black and white photos of some of victims on exhibit at two of the former classrooms there on the ground floor. According to our guide, Pol Pot ordered that a photo be taken of each prisoner immediately after he or she died as proof that they did, Out of respect for those who died such a horrible death at that death camp and for the sensibility of those who may read this blog, I shall not show their disfigured bodies, their faces and the look of despair, horror or indifference in their eyes. They are sufficient to make you lose your appetite for days and give you nightmares for years to come. I took those photos as a vivid reminder to myself of the full extent of human perversity and human evil, once people's minds are completely dominated by abstract theoretical political ideology, by ideas of instrumental reason divorced from basic humanity.
Stop 3 War Museum
Artillery
Various land mines
Various grenades and bombs
Artillery Shells
Tank
Another tank
Another tank
The same tank, another angle
A mine field
Land mine which will explode if the wire is kicked
More artillery
Anti aircraft gun
Long range artillery
Another one
A mine sweeper
Gas mask
Miscellaneous grenades
Mortar
Another Mortar
Mortar shells
shells
rockets
Land Mines
Big mine
grenade and mine
small plastic mines
more mines
A line up of various mines. According to our guide, Pol Pot planted more than 9 million mines all over Cambodia at a time when there was only 7 million Cambodia. 20% of such mines have still not yet been cleared. From time to time, death and injury still result from innocent people accidental tripping or stepping on to such mines.
Machine guns
More machine guns
Fighter
helicopter
Anti craft gun
When will mankind ever learn to stop torturing, maiming and killing one another? When?
