Wayne Hazle's Cambodia Trip 2001
Day 7 Tuesday July 3rd
Phnom Penh, (Royal Palace, Toul Sleng, Killing Fields)
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I saw the movie "The Killing Fields" years ago and vaguely remember the Cambodian boat people. This day brought it all full circle. Though I read up on the Cambodian Genocide before my trip, nothing could prepare me for what I would see. The picture above is me behind bars at Toul Sleng.
Toul Sleng -
Formerly a high school. The Khmer Rouge turned it into Security Prison 21 (S-21). The center for interrogation and torture. It is heartbreaking to see the pictures on the wall and to know that each and every person was killed. Some of the images are VERY gruesome. Skip to the Royal Palace section if you are easily disturbed! There are several torture rooms. When the Khmer Rouge vacated the city, there was the decomposing body of someone tortured to death, left in each room. Each room has a picture of the body found there.
Like the Nazis, the Khmer Rouge were meticulous with records and photos. On of the rooms contains photos of prisoners. To know that every last one of them, even the little girls, were executed is heartbreaking.
The paintings were doing by (forgot name) but he was perhaps the only prisoner to go into Toul Sleng and lived. Everything he painted was what he witnessed.
| 479 The outside | 480 The graves of the people found inside | 481 | 482 One of the torture rooms | 483 The picture above. | 484 | 485 Another room another picture | 486 Close-up of picture |
| 487 The rules | 488 Another picture | 489 Moither and child | 490 Piles of clothes | 491 BROKEN | 492 I wish I knew the name of the girl on the left. | 493 Or the lower left corner one. | 494 |
| 495 | 496 | 497 Note the people behind him | 498 The paintings. | 499 Bust of Pol Pot | 500 Ankle braces | 501 Piles of bones | 502 More bones |
| 503 Victims | 504 and more | 505 Note barbed wire | 506 | 507 Sign outside building C | 508 A brick cell | 509 Room of brick cells | 510 |
| 511 Wooden cells | 512 Me in cell | 513 |
514 My guide Grant |
515 Open room on top floor | 516 | 517 Another painting | 518 and another |
| 519 and another | 520 | 521 UGH | 522 | 523 | 524 A water torture device | 525 Another device | 526 Painting of device in use |
| 527 Not wasting bullets to kill people. | 528 a map of skulls | 529 Another mass grave | 530 | 531 HORRIFIC | 532 EVEN WORSE | 533 |
Cheung Ek Genocidal Center "The Killing Fields" -
At first appearance, a peaceful park. Then you look closer and see large open pits where HUNDREDS of bodies were unearthed. In some ways I found this much creepier than being at Toul Sleng.
| 562 Sign at front | 563 This kid followed me everywhere | 564 | 565 | 566 A large supa |
| 567 The skulls inside the supa | 568 A full view of the pits | 569 Another view | 570 | 571 a cow across from the fields. |
The Royal Palace -
Very pretty. So glad the Khmer Rouge didn't destroy this. (Eventually I will probably need to rescan these pics, they came through a little blurry.) This complex house The Silver Pagoda. The pagoda is floored with over 5000 silver tiles each weighing 1 kilo. It is famous for its 90 kg solid gold Buddha made in 1907 and an emerald Buddha said to be made of baccarant crystal.
| 545 | 546 | 547 | 548 | 549 Me in front |
| 550 | 551 | 552 Me on stage | 553 | 554 |
| 555 | 556 A supa | 557 | 558 | 559 A model of Angkor Wat |
| 560 | 561 |
