3 days ago, on our first full day in Phnom Penh, we hired a tuk-tuk driver to take us to the important sights around the city. First we started at Tuol Sleng, also known as S-21, which was a school that was turned into a prison during the Khmer Rouge regime, where thousands of prisoners were executed and killed. Not being familiar with exactly what had occurred during this time period, I tried to understand what really had happened, ignoring the bias of the museum and self-serving testimonies of former guards of the prison that claimed to just be following orders.
From there, we continued to the Choeung Ek Killing Fields, where the majority of S-21 prisoners were executed and buried in mass graves. After the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime, these graves were discovered. A Buddhist stupa now stands near the entrance, commemorating those killed at the sites, and housing over 5,000 skulls found in the graves.
With a genocide that occurred less than 30 years ago, and affected the civilians all over the country, I'm looking forward to understanding the perspectives and feelings of those who lived during this time, and their children who grew up in the shadow of it.
Now I'm in Seam Reap, getting over my cold before visiting Angkor Wat. I may join my friend Hannah volunteering at an orphanage before I have to head back to Bangkok to catch my flight to India. But of course, nothing is being planned. Just taking it day-by-day...
No comments:
Post a Comment