Phnom Penh is yet again a world of contradictions. We had a really sweet tuk tuk driver take us for the day to the prison museum and the killing fields. We'd met him the day before at the bus terminal - and he "gave us a good deal" on that ride so we could give him more work. We didn't know what time we would be ready to leave the next day, but he said he'd be there in the morning - so if we saw him, we could go with him. So, the next morning - there he was - looking as though he'd spent the night in his tuk-tuk to ensure he didn't miss us! His English wasn't great, but he was so eager and earnest I just really liked him! (of course we shouldn't have been dropped off at the bus terminal that we initially met him at....but it seems the bus drivers are in cahoots with the tuk tuk drivers to get more business/commission. ahh Cambodia!)
I knew what to expect, I'd heard that we would see pieces of clothing and bones poking through the ground, and a pile of skulls. It's a whole other thing when those skulls are looking back at you.
The Killing Fields was quite an experience. Physically there isn't much left intact, as the site was raided once Cambodia was freed and people needed building supplies again. The fields are full of craters, the remnants of the mass grave pits where hundreds of people were buried. Over 20,000 people in total were killed at this particular site, and there are hundreds more sites around the country. Up to 3 million people were killed during the Khmer Rouge reign (1975-1979), of a total population of 8 million.
The Khmer Rouge first targeted government employees and educated people, those that posed a threat to their plans. Essentially eliminating the top third of the country. What is left is the rest.... With no government in place, no education system, no educated people and most of the infrastructure destroyed, the people of Cambodia had to start all over from ground zero. Like reinventing the wheel in 1980! It helps to put things in perspective realizing what the people of Cambodia have been through...and so recently. How can we expect them to be trustworthy when they have no one to trust themselves. The government they trusted turned around and killed a third of the population, they encouraged family and friends to turn each other in, if they suspected they were opposed to the regime - and were probably rewarded for doing so, as a result, everyone became accustomed to living secretively, lying to protect themselves and their families and doing whatever it took to survive. This was their example. Even now, corruption is in every level of government, and it appears that each person is only looking out for themselves. Do they even know what trust is? With a better comprehension of their history, it's almost understandable. Still hard to comprehend how and why Pol Pot would want to do this...he was educated, a teacher in fact. Another thing is that these trials are only being carried out now! So, the leader, Pol Pot, died a grandfather, at 82 years old! Scary to think he reproduced....I wonder what his family is like. Also, the Khmer Rouge was still recognized as a political party by the rest of the world for years after - holding a seat in the UN as the representative of Cambodia?! What?! More world politics...the rest of the world needed to keep their allegiances secure with other communist countries, etc.
We went to a great little restaurant in Phnom Penh as well. Friends International - an organization aimed at helping former street children get training in the hospitality and tourism industry. Excellent service & food - and huge smiles from the students! We were really impressed with the whole experience & the entire program. While there we also saw a Unicef campaign about visiting orphanages - DON'T do it! Apparently orphanages have become enough of a business with tourists visiting and "donating" that children who still have at least one parent alive are ending up in orphanages. "Children are not tourist attractions". We weren't planning to visit any - but again, something I wouldn't have thought of as something to be exploited - but, of course, we are in Cambodia!
After visiting the memorial Stupa at the Killing Fields, and looking into the empty eyes of the skulls, I was overcome with emotion. It really is not their fault that this is the way their culture has evolved - there has been so much that they've been put through, and in reality, these people are extremely resilient and resourceful. High's and lows again...
All photographs by Tara
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