Phnom Penh - Genocide to modern city

In 1975, the Khmer Rouge emptied Phnom Penh in 3 days, sending all city dwellers to work in the countryside. Those who didn't go were killed or arrested. Then, for the next 3 years and 10 months, the killing never stopped. Across the country, 190 schools and temples were converted to prisons, and nearly 300 killing fields were set up. Their only purpose was to kill and bury out of sight. The victims were anyone with an education, anyone they perceived as a threat, and anyone who stepped out of line. Crazily, if one person fell into one of those categories, they would often kill the whole family.

Today, we visited one prison and one killing field. The kids didn't get to see the most graphic photos of torture and killings, but they did hear the history of the prison from a guide whose mother was a survivor. We all met a man, now 52, who survived the prison.

It was almost unbearable to listen to the 52 year old. The story of him as a 9 year old who lost his mother in the last months of the regime is totally heartbreaking. All genocide is mad, but what happened here was so extreme. 3 million out of 8 million dead in less than 4 years.

Horrible, but I hope the children will learn from this tragedy.

The city is now a bustling one of 3 million people. The barman tells me that Chinese like to buy apartments in the many high-rise condominiums that are springing up. We had fun yesterday touring the city in a touk touk, but our plans to dine on street food were washed away by a storm.Baca lagi