alas, here we are in phnom penh. we arrived last night and have spent the day checking out a few of the historical sites.. pretty heavy morning. i decided that what i'm about to write just doesn't look proper next to talk of friends and beaches, so i put this in a seperate post.
this morning we went to the S-21 museum which was originally a high school, but after being taken over by the khmer rouge, it became a prison. there were thousands of pictures, mug shots (of innocent people) torture instruments, blood stains still somewhat visible on the cell floors.. of the thousands captured, i think there were 7 survivors from that prison. during the 'pol pot regime' they estimated anywhere from 500,000 - 3 million deaths.
this was displayed on the prison wall, regulations for prisoners to abide by:
1. you must answer according to my questions. do not turn them away.
2. do not try to hide the facts by making pretexts of this and that. you are strictly prohibited to contest me.
3. do not be a fool for you are a chap who dares to thwart the revolution.
4. you must immediately answer my questions without wasting time to reflect.
5. do not tell me either about your immoralities or the revolution.
6. while getting lashes or electrification you must not cry at all.
7. do nothing. sit still and wait for my orders. if there is no order, keep quiet. when i ask you to do something, you must do it right away without protesting.
8. do not make pretexts about kampuchea krom in order to hide your jaw of traitor.
9. if you do not follow all the above rules, you shall get many lashes of electric wire.
10. if you disobey any point of my regulations you shall get either ten lashes or five shocks of electric discharge.
imagine? it's pretty hard to. even seeing it 'firsthand' is surreal.. they had barbwired all the balconies off so those desperate couldn't even commit suicide. and this happened in the 70's!
from there we went to see the killing fields, where everyone was blindfolded and trucked out silently to die in a mass grave. they used chemicals to hide the smell of the bodies to avoid suspicion from people living nearby, and to kill those buried alive. there is now a huge monument paying respect to those who lost their lives, lots of skulls and bones.
so yes. heavy morning. extremely eye-opening. i realise just how unlearned i am when it comes to history, and recent history at that. and how grateful i am to be a canadian woman with all the opportunities i have. there are few doors closed for me, when many of these people never had one to begin with.
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My dear Mel, I am still in tears after reading your letter, and doing some reading on the net re history of the Khmur Rouge. It is unfathomable that a country has gone through such horrors and lived. That people can build up their lives and their families again after such atrosities, shows the depth and the strenght of the human spirit. I remember watching the movie "The Killing Fields", but without very much knowledge of the history behind it. It makes me wonder how people view all you young travellers, and how educated and open they are to what goes on in the rest of the world. What a first hand education you are all receiving. I look so forward to meeting up with you in China. Keep us informed, and thanks so much for your eye-opening letters. This travelling is worth years of university education. My love and prayers are with you and your three girls! I love you! xox Mom
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