Choeng Ek Memorial (Killing Fields)

Heydecke
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4 out of 5
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Never Let this History Repeat Itself

  • February 18, 2009
  • Rated 5 of 5 by christoms79 from Columbus, Ohio
Genocide is one of the most horrible things a group of people can do to each other. The Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng speak again to this nightmare. I had the opportunity to visit Dachau in Austria, the WWII concentration camp, and Choeng Ek was far worse, believe it or not.
When my group went, it had rained the night before, and there were fresh bones and clothing that was coming up out of the ground. They have large plastic containers around the area so if you find a bone, you can place it in the collection bins. I remember looking down at the ground and seeing a jawbone, and upon closer inspection, the pebbles there turned out to be teeth.
It was something that haunts me even today, and will for the rest of my life. I have never seen a tower of skulls, but it's exactly what you would think you would feel when confronted with this reality; Shock, awe, fear, guilt, anger, grief, resentment towards the criminals who committed these crimes against real people. All of them were crying out from the ground to make sure this never is allowed to happen again, but it still does. What will it take?

Choeung Ek Memorial (Killing Fields)

  • December 28, 2006
  • Rated 3 of 5 by Kez from Broadbeach Waters, Australia
Choeung Ek Memorial (Killing Fields)

Choeung Ek or the Killing Fields as they are also known are actually about 15kms out of town over partly gravel roads. The site contains a central memorial Buddhist Stupa divided into levels and holding hundreds and hundreds of skulls many still displaying the hole in the skull where they were clubbed to death in order to save bullets.

The Stupa has glass window panes but each of the shelves holding the skulls is left open so that the spirits can easily come and go according to local belief. There are then many large excavated holes where the mass graves were found. There are still pieces of bones and clothing half buried in the dirt.

Also erected are some palm thatched open sided huts where there are signs with the count of the number of victims that were found in each. In one alone there were 450 victims, it defies belief. The site now has a peaceful feeling however you can almost feel the souls of all the poor victims when you are visiting. Like the Tuol Sleng Museum the setting is all the more shocking in that it is so ordinary.

The only solace that I found in amongst all the horror was the local kids hanging around at the boundaries as they are not allowed to enter. Their happy smiles and pure delight when I pulled out a bag of gummy bears was pure joy.
In another spot a pair of young boys were waving shyly and it was only when I returned home and saw the picture enlarged I realized he was giving us a peace sign – makes you feel hopeful?

When you hire a car make sure that it has air-conditioning not the fan cooling our little number turned out to have. It is so hot that you will really appreciate it.

From journal Phnom Penh - Cambodia's frenetic Capital City

Choeung Ek - The Killing Fields

  • August 18, 2003
  • Rated 3 of 5 by Heydecke from Stutton, United Kingdom
Choeung Ek - The Killing Fields

When we visited Phnom Penh, the road to the Killing Fields was washed out, so the only was to approach the site was on a moto (motorbike taxi). The ride was hair-razing, weaving first through the chaotic Phnom Penh traffic, and then around puddles and potholes along dirt roads. The final part of the ride was the road that was washed out, which had a series of channels where the floods had completely cut through the road. We navigated these on makeshift bridges, just wide enough for the bike.

The Killing Fields consist of a monument, erected to those who lost their lives at the Killing Fields and an area of holes where the bodies were exhumed in 1980. Ober 9000 people were killed here, but the site does little to bring home the fact the way Tuol Sleng does, especially with the constant begging of scores of small children from the local area. Entry $2.

From journal A few days in Phnom Penh

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