The Killing Fields.

28^th November 2012

Yesterday was a pretty full on day so we decided to take it easy and after lounging around and watching The Help, we got a $10 taxi to the Choeung Ek Genocidal Center which is the most well known of the Cambodian Killing Fields. Upon entering we were given an audio guide which was I was really impressed with. In total there were nineteen points of interest, each corresponding to the audio guide which you could listen to at your own leisure. Of the nineteen points of interest, a few stood out.

The memorial Stupa where the remains are housed.

These razor sharp branches/leaves were used to execute prisoners.

One of the many mass graves.

A bone fragment which surfaced after heavy rain.

Some of the clothes that have been found, including a pair of childrens shorts.

More graves.

The Killing Tree.

So many bone fragments, bit of clothing and personal items wash up that they only clear the area every few months; these were just sitting on top of display case as they'd only been found!

The sheer volume was overwhelming and unlike anything I have seen before. The Memorial Stupa houses the preserved remains of the victims of Choeung Ek and standing, looking at the rows and rows of bones was extremely surreal. There are just so many. Too many to comprehend really, not until you stop and think. But when you do stop and think, it all becomes real. This isn't the plastic skeleton from my biology classroom. This is a room full of mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters. Each person has a story and not one of these people deserves to be here. That I suppose is the hard part, when you realise that these are real people and they're not from a thousand years ago. This was happening thirty years ago and in some parts of the world, it still is happening.

The past few days have been fairly surreal. It really is hard to comprehend the reality and finality of what happened at Choeung Ek. Perhaps I struggle not so much with death but rather the sheer insanity of it. Like so many other places, what happened in Cambodia was completely unnecessary and driven by a select few. I don't think I'll ever understand what drives a person to harm another, especially on such a staggering scale and with such brutality. I don't know if anyone ever will. Nothing I write will ever do these places or these people justice but I am so glad I got out of my bed this morning and learnt something. Maybe if a few more people did that the world wouldn't be in such a mess.