The Killing Fields

You will want to make a decision before you get to Cambodia if you want to see the Killing Fields. You should probably read a little about it, or watch a movie. It’s not for everyone, and even once we decided to go and see it, it wasn’t easy to be there. We started at the Genocide Museum, in the heart of Phnom Penh. Also known as S21, it was a high school until April of 1975 when the Khmer Rouge rolled into the city and began with their atrocities. The Cambodian people are honoured when foreigners come to visit the site. They want the world to remember what happened and they take great care to host celebrations here and at the Killing Fields to keep it on peoples minds. The place is silent when you walk through in spite of the hundreds of people touring through. You can visit one of the survivors, of which there were only a few out of millions, when you leave the site. We didn’t.
The people that were housed at S21, were brought to the Killing Fields, 15km away, in Cheoug Ek. This area is particularly difficult to see, its very real, and right in front of you.Read more