We started the day having breakfast in the hotel for US$2: a little expensive for what is was worth, soup or toast and a hot liquid they called coffee. It was at this time that we found out that Aki's father had died during the night. We later found out that he had been poorly the last few days but that Aki wanted to finish the tour before going home... unfortunatly his father took a turn for the worst. We were told that another guide would be meeting us at lunchtime to take over for the last few days of the tour.
The history of Cambodia is not very well known by most and during the country's darkest decades, the country seemed forgotten.
Saloth Sar (1928-1998), widely known as Pol Pot (POLitical POTential), was the leader of the Cambodian communist movement known as the Khmer Rouge and was Prime Minister of Democratic Kampuchea from 1976–1979. During his time in power, Pol Pot imposed a version of extreme agrarian communism, forcing city dwellers to relocate to the countryside to work in collective farms and forced labour projects, towards the goal of "restarting civilization" in was labelled to be "Year Zero". The combined effects of slave labour, malnutrition, poor medical care, and executions resulted in the deaths of an estimated 2 million people, at a time when the Cambodian population was approximately 8 million. The more you think abou it, and do the maths, the more terrible those numbers feel.
Whereas the Vietnam war (with the French and the USA) was highly publicised and is known by all, most do not know that in November 1978, Vietnam invaded Cambodia to stop Khmer Rouge incursions across the border and the genocide in Cambodia. Violent occupation and warfare between the Vietnamese and Khmer Rouge holdouts continued throughout the 1980s. Peace efforts began in 1989, culminating in 1991 in a comprehensive peace settlement. This highlights how recently Cambodia has been living in relative peace.
We headed out towards our first stop of the day which was the Genocide Museum. The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum is on the site of a former high school which was used as the notorious Security Prison 21 (S-21) by the Khmer Rouge regime. From 1975 to 1979, an estimated 17,000 people were imprisoned at Tuol Sleng (some estimates suggest a number as high as 20,000, though the real number is unknown). At any one time, the prison held between 1,000-1,500 prisoners. They were repeatedly tortured and coerced into naming family members and close associates, who were in turn arrested, tortured and killed.
It is really hard to understand what happened during this time and to think that a building dedicated to teaching and learning would become the prison of those same teachers and intellectuals. We all left the visit in silence and on to our next visit which follows on from the prison, the Killing Fields.
Choeung Ek (The Killing Fields), 15 km away, where the Khmer Rouge marched prisoners from Tuol Sleng to be murdered and buried in shallow pits, is also now a memorial to those who were killed by the regime. Pablo took the opportunity to ask the guide how did the Cambodian people accept Pol Pot to come into power, and the answer was quite simple, almost a universal constant: hatred against the existing corrupt goverment, a goverment serving foreign interests (mostly French), huge differences between the rich people of the city and the poor people of the country, exhaltation of the national identity and exploitation of the recent bombings by the Nixon goverment. They needed a true leader, and they got a mass murderer. Walking around, it is still possible to see pieces of clothing and bones in the ground. AS we left, we read memorial words about the Cambodian people and the Khmer Rouge movement, it was truly touching.
We headed back to Phnom Penh to meet up for lunch withour new guide, Jane, from England. Lunch was at 'Friends' restaurant run by the ChildSafe network. The dishes were small, tapas-style with asian and european influences, very nice food. We then crossed the street and visitied the ChildSafe center to find out a little more. ChildSafe is a proactive child-protection network involving key members of society, protecting children from all forms of abuse and preventing child exploitation and trafficking: http://www.childsafe-international.org
We had the afternoon to ourselves so we decided to visit the National Museum and the Royal Palace. The National Museum is the country's leading historical and archaeological museum and houses the world's largest collection of Khmer art. The museum was built in 1917–20 by the French colonial authorities, in a traditional Khmer style, with French influence. It was full of representations of various Hindu and Buddist deities and we did get very confused as they did look, to us, very similar.
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The Royal Palace is the royal abode of the Kingdom of Cambodia. The palace was started after King Norodom relocated the royal capital from Oudong to Phnom Penh after the mid-1800s. Its full name in the Khmer language is Preah Barom Reachea Vaeng Chaktomuk and the Kings of Cambodia have occupied it since 1866, with a period of absence when the country came into turmoil during and after the reign of the Khmer Rouge. At first we were not sure that Tania would be able to entr as the dress rules are very strict and that day she was wearing a short sleeved t-shirt. Luckily the t-shirt covered just enough shoulder and we were let in. The richness and opulence of the palace contrasts greatly against the poverty found in the rest of the country and is a visit not to be missed. Amoung all the more traditional buildings is a French colonial one, which has been let to run down... a political statement?
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Later that afternoon, we met back with our group for a cyclo tour of the city. What an experience, it's very intimidating being in a little seat with all the traffic around you, especially since the Lexus 4WD is one of the most popular cars in Phnom Penh (Mercedes Benz is not anymore). More than once, we thought we would be run over. We saw the sights of the city including the Royal Palace, the Mekong riverbank, the Independance Monument and Wat Phnom. W were also surprised to see an elephant walking through the streets.
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Dinner was in a local restaurant where we watched a film about the early times of Khmer Rouge regime and the involvement of the USA during the Nixon presidency. Needless to say, it was a real eye opener.
After a day like today, anybody could feel sorry for the Cambodians... On the other hand, although their suffering has been unimaginable, the people of Cambodia are the friendliest people we've probably ever met, and they also smile a lot more that people in the west... what does that say?
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