After our 5 hour express boat transfer from Chau Doc to Phnom Penh (including crossing the border to Cambodia and immigration), we were greeted by our tour guide, Sam. Very nice young man, and we spent these 2 days with him touring the few spots we wanted to see in Phnom Penh.


On New Year's Day we visited the Royal Palace of Cambodia, and the King was there at the palace (evidenced by the raised flag). Very similar structure as England, where the King/Queen is more of a symbolic figurehead and not the movers & shakers in politics or legislature. Sam shared a lot of information about the coronation ceremonies and traditions within Cambodia's Royal Palace.


We also visited the Buddhist temple Wat Phnom which was pretty impressive. And lastly for that day, we walked around the National Museum of Arts where we saw an extensive collection of Sandstone & wood sculptures & statues dating to 6th century in Cambodian/Angkor history. I had a hard time following the Art museum guide's English, but Bobby seemed to do well and asked a lot of good questions. The city of Phnom Penh has a history of French influence, and was just declared independent from France in 1953.


Our primary interest in visiting Phnom Penh was the Killing Fields, where the genocide of the Cambodian people by the Khmer Rouge regime took place between 1975-1979. Of course the academy award winning movie "The Killing Fields" documents an American reporter's attempt to gain access to the events taking place during that period. It was an eductational day for both Bobby & I -- no exciting adventures or entertainment on this day. We learned a lot about history and gained insight from Sam.


Sam was personally touched by the genocide, as he lost several members of his family including his grandparents and others. He was born in 1982, and not alive during this period. During the period of 1970-1975, there was civil war taking place within Cambodia, with the King being overthrown and placed in jail, and different regimes attempting to take power and a great deal of unrest and economic problems within the country. On April 17, 1975, Pol Pot's regime took control over Cambodia and made Phnom Penh their headquarters. The people in general applauded them for taking control -- they thought this was the change they needed and they welcomed the new regime. Little did they know what was about to take place in the coming weeks & months. Immediately buildings were taken over and converted into prisons throughout the city & country.


In total, I believe he said there were 167 prisons converted, and Tuol Sleng S-21 (where we visited) would be the largest of the prisons with an estimated 20,000 prisoners that went through there during the next 4 years. This prison was the site of Tuol Svay Prey High School before it was taken over and converted. We viewed the jail cells & torture devices used, and the many pictures of all documented prisoners/victims. They were beaten, fed virtually nothing each day, and then eventually, each would be brought by truck to the Killing Fields where the mass graves were, to be brutally executed. Very similar to the actions taken place under Hitler's SS, the people were deceived, tortured and killed in a mass format.


They hung a speaker playing loud music from the tree at Cheoung Ek that we stood under, so the last screams and cries during their last moments could not be heard by others, as they were then thrown into the pits of bodies. We saw the rows of skulls & bones on display, as they have excavated 8,900 of the bodies to date, but they know there are many more at this location. The skulls on display all had similar cracks on top, as they estimate only 20% were killed with guns. Most were bludgeoned over the head in a gruesome fashion.


The population of Cambodia in 1975 was 7 million people, and by 1979 it was down to 2 million. There were many that escaped to refugee camps in Laos and Thailand, but the exact number is unable to be determined. The rest were all killed, and it is estimated to be between 2 to 3 million Cambodian people slaughtered during these 4 years (1975-79). Amazing and sickening
to think that so many of the military soldiers that participated in these killings would not see the truth. But just another case of brainwashing and careful training of young soldiers
and propaganda I suppose.


It was the Vietnamese Army that took the Khmer Regime down in 1979, and Pol Pot escaped to Thailand and is in exile. Some of the other main leaders of the prisons and regime are still in trial, despite it being 38 years later. One has died of natural causes before the trial ever completed. Apparently no rush to come to a judgment considering how many people were murdered, and I guess not enough evidence or witnesses ? ? ? There were only 7 prisoners that survived from this prison at Tuol Sleng S-21. 5 of them died since then of natural causes. 2 remain alive, and are in their 70s & 80s, and we met both of them at the prison. They each wrote books about their experience, and now sign the books and collect money that goes to a foundation.




As stated in the Genocide Museum brochure: "Keeping the memory of the atrocities committed on Cambodia soil alive is the key to build a new strong and just state. Furthermore, making the crimes of the inhuman regime of Khmer Rouge public plays a crucial role in preventing a new Pol Pot from emerging in the lands of Angkor or anywhere on Earth."



Sorry for the depressing type of report, but it was a sad thing to see -- but an informative one and a critical piece of very recent world history for us to learn more about.



We have arrived in Phuket, Thailand tonight. We'll be here for a couple days, and then boarding our liveaboard Scuba diving trip to the Similan islands. Tomorrow, we're going to take a day trip and visit the small floating village of Koh Panyee.


Cheers !