S21
Well if you have read Joe’s blog, there is little else for us to add. The killing fields were horrific and very real, this despite the fact that many of the original buildings had been levelled. They are trying to recreate the area as it was. The experience had been offered in very sensitive terms. The authorities urging visitors to treat the area with respect, both in terms of preserving the horrors for future generations as reminders of the atrocities but mainly in respect of ‘the souls that died’ there. It was a traumatic visit, the worst of it being the fact that many thousands of unknown people remained buried under the ground on which we were walking. Evidence of this was apparent as clothing was rising and becoming visible as the soil was eroded by our footsteps. The authorities were keen that we took photographs to share the experience and ensure that as many people as possible recognised the atrocities in an effort to help prevent them occurring elsewhere.
S21, the interrogation centre was still pretty much as it was, though somewhat cleansed. Some floors were not accessible as they were still being prepared as part of the museum. This is a stark reminder of the fact that this happened not much more than 20 years ago. The shackles, beds, and cells were well maintained, leaving little to the imagination . The first floor revealed photographs taken by the Ultra Communist Khmer Rouge Regime (UCKRR), of the victims before they were massacred, as some sort of perverse records. Ultimately, these were put to positive use in trying to identify victims following the overthrowing of the UCKRR. The whole experience was, as Joe described, sickening. It was also enlightening and left us all deep in reflection about human nature.
Phnom Penh has recovered well. It is now a bustling town, full of life and smiles. Poverty is abundant, as are the sad and worn looks on many of the older generations faces. However there is a positive vibrancy around and it is worth a visit.
We are having fun…honest!
Simon had a shave today at a local barbers, just to make a comparison to his India experience!
Simon and Emma
S21, the interrogation centre was still pretty much as it was, though somewhat cleansed. Some floors were not accessible as they were still being prepared as part of the museum. This is a stark reminder of the fact that this happened not much more than 20 years ago. The shackles, beds, and cells were well maintained, leaving little to the imagination . The first floor revealed photographs taken by the Ultra Communist Khmer Rouge Regime (UCKRR), of the victims before they were massacred, as some sort of perverse records. Ultimately, these were put to positive use in trying to identify victims following the overthrowing of the UCKRR. The whole experience was, as Joe described, sickening. It was also enlightening and left us all deep in reflection about human nature.
Phnom Penh has recovered well. It is now a bustling town, full of life and smiles. Poverty is abundant, as are the sad and worn looks on many of the older generations faces. However there is a positive vibrancy around and it is worth a visit.
We are having fun…honest!
Simon had a shave today at a local barbers, just to make a comparison to his India experience!
Simon and Emma
posted by Lowes abroad at 12:47 pm
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