The Killing Fields & Genocide Museum

I have decided to go ahead and share this gallery, but only out of the upmost respect to those who suffered, lost their lives and to the families that morn their losses as a result of the Khmer Rouge (in power from 1975 and 1979, but maintained control in some regions until 1998). Both the Choeung Ek-Killing Fields and the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum serve as memorials and reminders of the darkest parts of our humanity so as not to repeat these horrific parts of our history. Pol Pot, leader of the Khmer Rouge and it's party were responsible for one of the most lethal regimes of the 20th century. The combined efforts of slave labor, malnutrition, poor medical care, and executions resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1.4 to 2.2 million Cambodians (over 1/5 of it's population). The Choeung Ek Killing Fields is one of the locations where the Khmer Rouge executed about 17,000 people. They were forced to dig their own graves before they were killed (mainly by pickaxes to save bullets) and then buried in these shallow, mass graves. A memorial now stands on this site where 5,000 skulls are arranged by age along with a stack of clothing once worn and are viewed through an acrylic display inside the stupa. The Toul Sleng Genocide Museum (also known as the S-21 interrogation facility) is the name of a high school that was turned into a prison by the same regime. It was here that the Khmer Rouge interrogated, tortured and murdered over 20,000 people. The victims were mostly from the previous Lon Nol regime, academics, intellectuals, minorities, professionals (doctors, teachers, students, factory workers, monks, engineers and artists etc.) and also captured non-Cambodians from other countries. These victims were repeatedly tortured for many months and coerced into naming family members and close associates, who in turn were arrested, tortured and killed; including women and children. Of these thousands of prisoners only seven were known to have survived. The memorial and museum are both located in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Although everyone's experience from visiting these sites may vary from person to person, it is powerful none the less. I also want to thank the Cambodian people I've met who were generous to share their personal stories, experiences and losses from this horrific event. It is though these memorial sites and story telling that we help to heal and to also attempt to prevent such atrocities from ever occurring again.