A genocide……, but a different one, the one that caused by a nation killing its own kind for power. It is unprecedented until 17th April 1975 – the day of the eclipse.
Feeling & Expectation
Everything was hazy. When I first stepped into Choeung Ek (the Killing Fields), I felt differently. Every time I walked, I felt like there’s something that keeps pulling me down at my feet and in my soul. It’s heavy. And deep breathe had always been made by me. Thinking of Choeung Ek, the first thing that I can be visualized in my mind was the stupa (the Killing Fields Memorial) that contains all the bones and skulls, standing humbly with the spire pointing toward heaven. Nothing else. Not at all. Not even the gate. In fact, there are so much more interesting and creepy scenes that been waiting for me behind the stupa. Mass graves. Victim’s’ clothes. Killing tools. It was way different from what I thought it would be. Apparently, from the look of those kinds of stuff, they are just ordinary materials, but the stories behind them are unacceptable to all the Cambodian citizens. My whole body froze. I was numb. I couldn’t describe my own feeling at all when I actually heard those stories. What I can say was that I felt like someone was stabbing people whom I care and love with a knife – I can’t help, but seeing them die right in front of me. Very very, very painfully. I didn’t expect that I would ever felt this way. Picturing those scenes from the audio made me realized: how can they do that? Those actions are worst than animals. Cruel. I could never imagine myself being in those situations. Never.
Interesting Info
Somehow, I really impressed with the audio tour. It an awesome idea for people to gain clear information and they can actually picture what was happening in their head. Nevertheless, I had received so much more information about the Khmer Rouge regime from the audio tour. There are several main points that I absorbed:
- Escorting victims to Choeung Ek
- Execution equipments/techniques
- DDT chemical
First of all, I wanted to say that the Khmer Rouges are all GENIUSES (but EVILS). In order, to transport people from S-21 and other places to the Killing Fields, soldiers had to lie to the victims that they will take them to a “new home; a better one”. Moreover, all of them were blindfolded and didn’t know where they were going. If the soldiers were to tell them the truth, there might be a chaos; people will fight back to get away. In addition, the killing types of equipment are generally the tools that we can easily find such as, ax, hoe, big knife, and rarely bullet since it’s expensive. They usually executing people at night with the loud music and the sound of the noisy generator to cover up the sorrow. In some other way, they would just let people excavate a pit to bury themselves. Another interesting point is about the D.D.T chemical, which is such a new information to me. After the execution, the soldiers used the D.D.T chemical to spray on the body in order to make sure all the people are dead and they won’t smell. Clearly, people who survived from the KR regime were usually had stolen food, since the main cause of death during that time was starvation.
Quotes
- If you dig the grass; dig till the roots – បើជីកស្មៅ ត្រូវជីកទាំងឬស
- If keep no benefit; take out no loss either – ដាក់ក៏មិនចំណេញ ដកចេញក៏មិនខាត
Questions
- What made people became killers? Is it because of pressure? Or is it their own choice?
- What’s the reason(s) that made Pol Pot chose the wrong path? Or led him to the wrong way?
- Is there any country in the world know about the situation in our country during the KR regime?
Being a Cambodian
Khmer Rouge had destroyed our people hope at first and even though we conjure, we still have the hope of looking forward to the future. I have no regret in being born as Cambodian. Even though we have such a terrible past and we can not change it. I still believe that we can work it out the best for our future. As one of the promising child in creating positive change in our country, I promise to bring the hope back for our people and make us become one bunch of chopsticks again; not a single chopstick. We can easily break one single chopstick, but not a bunch of it though. We will keep fighting for the great future in front of us. I will always keep fighting for our future!
