The Killing Fields

A mass grave in the Killing Fields

Dear reader, I don’t know how to start! Firstly, let me say that you will not read any detail in this brief report on the horrific and barbaric activities at the Killing Fields. What I will say is that I am glad I have visited the Killing Fields and the associated ‘S-21’ prison, but I never ever want to go again. To visit is humbling and makes one realise the value that we should place on life and the lack of value that some, frankly, inhuman beings have historically placed on it. I saw things, and heard things, that are so horrific, so barbaric, so utterly inhuman, as to be almost unbelievable without seeing and hearing with your own eyes and ears.

Our first visit of the day was to the Killing Fields themselves. I have to admit, that I had this completely wrong. I had believed that the Killing Fields were something completely different from what they are. I won’t try here to explain the complex events that led up to the whole episode, except to say that the western world really doesn’t have the whole story I think.

The ‘Magic’ Banyan Tree

Basically, the Vietnam War had been taking place, (known here and in Lao as the ‘Secret War’ because very few people realise that the US was bombing Lao and Cambodia too), and there was a strong anti-American feeling amongst the people. When the Khmer Rouge walked into the capital, they were welcomed with open arms and cheers from the people because they represented an anti-American party that would fight against the Americans. Within a few hours the leaders of the Khmer Rouge had put out a rumour that the Americans would bomb Phnom Penh within hours and everyone began to flee for the country.

The real purpose of the Khmer Rouge was to create a state where everyone was equal and an agricultural world where everyone farmed the land. The city dwellers were educated and represented a threat to this concept and so they needed to get rid of them as quickly as they could. Everyone was sent to work in the fields. There was no such thing as not knowing about agriculture or farming, you just got on with it. Anyone who disobeyed or was unable to do what they were told would be sent to prison. As our guide said, there were only two words that anyone needed to know, “Yes” and “Ok” – no other words were needed.

A typical cell in the prison – 2m x 1m

If someone was identified as educated, they would be sent to prison anyway. If you wore glasses, this was an indication you were educated and could read, so you would automatically be sent to prison!

If you were sent to prison, it was pretty much a one way street. In the prison, then known as Tuol Sleng Prison and now known simply as ‘S-21’, prisoners were tortured in the most barbaric way with methods of torture frankly worse than some medevial tortures. Some images will stay with me forever! The Khmer Rouge regime were interested only in one thing – who you knew in the CIA and what you knew about them. Not having an answer was not an option. To give you a flavour of what the prison rules were, these are the actual rules as posted in the prison, I kid you not …

1. You must answer accordingly to my questions – Don’t turn them away.
2. Don’t try to hide the facts by making pretexts this and that. You are strictly prohibited to contest me.
3. Don’t be a fool for you are a chap who dare to thwart the revolution.
4. You must immediately answer the question without wasting time to reflect.
5. Don’t tell me either about your immoralities or the essence of 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. Don’t make pretext about Kampuchea Krom in order to hide your secret or traitor.
9. If you don’t follow all of 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.

The rules of the S-21 Prison

The point of posting these rules here is not to demonstrate them particularly, but to demonstrate the absolute primitive way in which prisoners were treated. The poor English translation is, apparently, due to their inability to translate from Khmer to English at the time, (remember, if you were educated you were executed!). Over 300 people died in prison, but the rest were sent by truck to the Killing Fields. When they arrived at the Killing Fields they would hear music coming from the ‘Magic’ Banyan Tree that played happy music to cover the groans and screams of those being killed. They were told when they left the prison that they were about to be released or sent somewhere better so that they didn’t cause any disturbance. Then they would be led off, one by one, and killed in the most horrific ways imaginable and thrown into mass graves. Of the 20,000 people sent to S-21, only 7 survived. And, of the seven that originally survived, only two are still alive today.

Chum Mey, what a courageous man!

One of the survivors who is still alive today was, Chum Mey. He is now 83 years old. His wife and children were all killed by the Khmer Rouge and, since Cambodia has no state system for caring for the elderly, he makes money by selling a book that he wrote about his experiences in the prison and sells it to tourists at the S-21 museum. I have no particular desire to read this gruesome account of his personal torture, (and it is very detailed), but I wanted to buy the book because he would directly benefit from it. He wanted to have his photograph taken with me, so I did. I am proud to have met such a courageous man. In his own introduction to the book he addresses the question of blame. He says he can’t condemn those who tortured him because they weren’t the leaders and, ‘Would I have had the courage to refuse to kill, when the penalty would have been my own death?’  What incredibly humbling words!

Clothes and bones continue to appear from the ground

I want to finish this section of our trip with one final description. There were apparently over 388 Killing Field sites and 196 Security Offices, (Prisons), and over 3 million innocent people died. This wasn’t a war or a conflict, these people weren’t protesting or fighting against some oppressive regime, they were just trying to survive under the most unimaginable conditions. The site we visited at Choeung Ek is an official site that has been designed to give tourists some insight into what went on during that period. Even here, when it rains, (as it had done earlier this week), clothes and bones continue to rise to the surface. If you look carefully in the photo on the left, you can see some clothes and bones that had risen to the surface this week and that were right in our path.

When we finished our trip to the Killing Fields and the museum, I suggested to our guide that it must be dreadful having to visit these sites regularly to take tourists around. She told me, “I have to, it’s my job.” She went on to tell me, without making a fuss of it, but clearly visibly and emotionally shaken, “I lost 10 members of my family here and it is difficult to be reminded so regularly of how they suffered before they were killed”. Put it any way you like, she earns her money!!!

The busy Central Market

On a much lighter note, during our first afternoon off, (if you see what I mean), Captain Clarke and I walked into the centre of Phnom Penh to see the ‘Central Market’. This market is huge! I don’t think I have ever visited one so big. If you can imagine it, you can almost certainly buy it at the market. They sell everything from clothes to jewellery, to shoes to fabrics, from raw food to complete meals cooked in-situ, from watches to sunglasses and from Dr Dre Headphones, (obviously genuine!), to household goods. It is an amazing place! There are thousands of stalls spread around tiny walkways each with a seller purveying their goods. Captain Clarke and I happened upon about 100 stalls selling shirts and, for less than the price of getting one shirt laundered at the hotel, bought three each! If we threw them away at the end of the holiday it would still be good value, (which we won’t!).

Dancing at the hotel Buffet

Finally, our day ended with another ‘happy hour’ cocktail in the Elephant Bar; ‘Long Island Iced Tea’ for me, a ‘Horses Neck’ for Captain Clarke, Great Uncle Bulgaria had a Caipirinha and Madame Cholet had a tonic water as she was having a few problems in the tummy department. The cocktails were, as the previous night, so good we had to order a second round, although, talking of coming round, Madame Cholet just managed to force down a ‘Horses Neck’! The buffet once again beckoned with its offer of whatever you want to eat and as much wine as you want to drink for $40 US. This evening they had some entertainment on offer too – traditional Cambodian song and dance. It was all jolly entertaining.

Captain Clarke kept his end up and sloshed down a considerable quantity of the white, I too had my fair share! Great Uncle Bulgaria commented that he didn’t think the food was quite as good as the previous evening, although Madame Cholet with her problems in the tummy area did just about manage to force down a starter or salad followed by two main course dishes of noodles with scallops and she just managed to force down some white wine to wash it down with!

All in all and interesting day. It is difficult to be upbeat about such a depressing subject as the Killing Fields. I refuse to write in this brief report, any detail of the actual torture or how people were killed as I don’t believe it serves any purpose. Our afternoon was considerably more upbeat than our morning! In the market, had I succumbed, I could have bought about 100 pairs of Calvin Kleun underpants, or any number of Chelsee shirts, not to mention Manchestre Unyted. Almost every stall holder was determined to sell me a pair of underpants and a football shirt. Do I look like a football fan who goes around with my underpants hanging out?! Now, if they were trying to sell my one of their Rollex watches or a Guchy briefcase, it would be a completely different matter! It’s RudyMenTerry!

View the photo gallery of The Killing Fields, (and more), here