Comments on: Phnom Penh; the legacy of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge https://www.501places.com/2010/01/phnom-penh-the-legacy-of-pol-pot-and-the-khmer-rouge/ Sharing the world with you Sun, 08 Aug 2010 18:03:51 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Andy Jarosz https://www.501places.com/2010/01/phnom-penh-the-legacy-of-pol-pot-and-the-khmer-rouge/#comment-6741 Andy Jarosz Fri, 28 May 2010 16:18:42 +0000 https://www.501places.com/?p=1329#comment-6741 Thanks Adam for your valuable thoughts. Like you say, it defied belief. It wasn't racism - they were his own people. It wasn't on grounds of religion, or sexuality. Instead, people killed for crimes such as wearing glasses! As you rightly say, one of the most humbling memories of Cambodia is the warmth and beauty of the people, and when you set it against the context of their recent past, it's hard to fathom where their joy comes from. Thanks again for sharing your experiences. Thanks Adam for your valuable thoughts. Like you say, it defied belief. It wasn’t racism – they were his own people. It wasn’t on grounds of religion, or sexuality. Instead, people killed for crimes such as wearing glasses! As you rightly say, one of the most humbling memories of Cambodia is the warmth and beauty of the people, and when you set it against the context of their recent past, it’s hard to fathom where their joy comes from. Thanks again for sharing your experiences.

]]> By: Adam https://www.501places.com/2010/01/phnom-penh-the-legacy-of-pol-pot-and-the-khmer-rouge/#comment-6597 Adam Tue, 25 May 2010 22:08:24 +0000 https://www.501places.com/?p=1329#comment-6597 Really good post. The S-21 Museum was one of the most interesting and toughest places I've ever visited. I just can't fathom what would make humans do that to one another. The thing that made me most angry though was the fact that the whole thing was just ridiculous. Pol Pot and his supporters had quite possibly the worst plan for their country, and their implementation of this plan resulted in so many deaths. Not that any genocide can be understood, but the fact that what he was wanting out of his takeover of Cambodia was so ludicrous and clearly wouldn't work, it just made me that much angrier. Cambodia was definitely one of the places that opened my eyes and made me realize how lucky I am to be where I'm from. Then seeing and interacting with the Cambodian people made me feel even more blessed, as these people, who practically lost a generation of people, always seemed so happy. It really made me reflect, and it has since made me be more rational about the trivial things I get upset about. Well written. Really good post. The S-21 Museum was one of the most interesting and toughest places I’ve ever visited. I just can’t fathom what would make humans do that to one another. The thing that made me most angry though was the fact that the whole thing was just ridiculous. Pol Pot and his supporters had quite possibly the worst plan for their country, and their implementation of this plan resulted in so many deaths. Not that any genocide can be understood, but the fact that what he was wanting out of his takeover of Cambodia was so ludicrous and clearly wouldn’t work, it just made me that much angrier. Cambodia was definitely one of the places that opened my eyes and made me realize how lucky I am to be where I’m from. Then seeing and interacting with the Cambodian people made me feel even more blessed, as these people, who practically lost a generation of people, always seemed so happy. It really made me reflect, and it has since made me be more rational about the trivial things I get upset about. Well written.

]]> By: Andy Jarosz https://www.501places.com/2010/01/phnom-penh-the-legacy-of-pol-pot-and-the-khmer-rouge/#comment-988 Andy Jarosz Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:55:41 +0000 https://www.501places.com/?p=1329#comment-988 Thanks for all the great comments. I was also drawn into making parallels with the Nazi death camps, and suppose only that because it was not in Europe that the history of the Khmer Rouge's genocide did not received the same notoriety in the West. The exhibition in S-21 is very thoughtfully laid out; full credit to the curators for creating a sensitive yet powerful display to teach those who previously knew little about the tragedy. Thanks also for the book suggestion Josh - I'll have a look at that. Thanks for all the great comments. I was also drawn into making parallels with the Nazi death camps, and suppose only that because it was not in Europe that the history of the Khmer Rouge’s genocide did not received the same notoriety in the West. The exhibition in S-21 is very thoughtfully laid out; full credit to the curators for creating a sensitive yet powerful display to teach those who previously knew little about the tragedy.
Thanks also for the book suggestion Josh – I’ll have a look at that.

]]> By: Abi from Inside the Travel Lab https://www.501places.com/2010/01/phnom-penh-the-legacy-of-pol-pot-and-the-khmer-rouge/#comment-985 Abi from Inside the Travel Lab Thu, 07 Jan 2010 13:53:10 +0000 https://www.501places.com/?p=1329#comment-985 S-21 was one of the most chilling and moving places I've ever seen. At the time, I was amazed, like you, by how people end up in a situation where they believe that crushing children to death is a commendable, normal activity. I also wondered why the history of the Killing Fields isn't as well known as that of the Nazi concentration camps, particularly when the Khmer Rouge atrocity took place relatively recently and well within the reign of TV and radio. S-21 was one of the most chilling and moving places I’ve ever seen. At the time, I was amazed, like you, by how people end up in a situation where they believe that crushing children to death is a commendable, normal activity. I also wondered why the history of the Killing Fields isn’t as well known as that of the Nazi concentration camps, particularly when the Khmer Rouge atrocity took place relatively recently and well within the reign of TV and radio.

]]> By: Josh https://www.501places.com/2010/01/phnom-penh-the-legacy-of-pol-pot-and-the-khmer-rouge/#comment-981 Josh Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:37:17 +0000 https://www.501places.com/?p=1329#comment-981 First They Killed My Father is a fantastically written, first hand account of the autrocities committed under the Pol Pot regime. A worthwhile read for anyone interested in Cambodia during this period of time. First They Killed My Father is a fantastically written, first hand account of the autrocities committed under the Pol Pot regime. A worthwhile read for anyone interested in Cambodia during this period of time.

]]> By: Katy https://www.501places.com/2010/01/phnom-penh-the-legacy-of-pol-pot-and-the-khmer-rouge/#comment-973 Katy Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:36:57 +0000 https://www.501places.com/?p=1329#comment-973 Thank you for this post. I will be going out to volunteer in Cambodia from February, hopefully for a year and aim to learn a lot about Cambodia's history. The charity I am volunteering at helps girls and children who have been trafficked and sold into prostitution, it's a large problem out there. The charity was started up by a Cambodian woman called Somaly Mam who was herself trafficked, first at the age of 8. She now heads up the charity AFESIP which helps todays young victims of Cambodia's complex past. The girls AFESIP looks after have not just suffered repeated rape, electrocution is frequently used to terrify them, whippings, placing chillies inside them, locking them in cages, broken bones...the majority of girls report these same stories. AFESIP has photographic evidence of girls with nails pressed in their skulls. It's so hard to accept this is happening today but once I started to research more, these same stories keep coming up. I just wanted to make this comment because reading this post and also the comment above I believe that when we look at history such as this, it is so important to open our eyes and realise that this is still happening today so we can try to do something about it while we can. To Anil's comment, I can only think that the effects and scale of Pol Pots reign are a significant part of the reason this level of this violence can still be channelled at young girls and children today. For anyone interested, I highly recommend the book Somaly Mam has written to raise awareness - The Road of Lost Innocence. I'm running a blog, twitter and facebook through out my time in Cambodia volunteering at the charity, www.katylostincambodia.com Thanks, Katy Thank you for this post. I will be going out to volunteer in Cambodia from February, hopefully for a year and aim to learn a lot about Cambodia’s history.
The charity I am volunteering at helps girls and children who have been trafficked and sold into prostitution, it’s a large problem out there. The charity was started up by a Cambodian woman called Somaly Mam who was herself trafficked, first at the age of 8. She now heads up the charity AFESIP which helps todays young victims of Cambodia’s complex past.

The girls AFESIP looks after have not just suffered repeated rape, electrocution is frequently used to terrify them, whippings, placing chillies inside them, locking them in cages, broken bones…the majority of girls report these same stories. AFESIP has photographic evidence of girls with nails pressed in their skulls. It’s so hard to accept this is happening today but once I started to research more, these same stories keep coming up.

I just wanted to make this comment because reading this post and also the comment above I believe that when we look at history such as this, it is so important to open our eyes and realise that this is still happening today so we can try to do something about it while we can. To Anil’s comment, I can only think that the effects and scale of Pol Pots reign are a significant part of the reason this level of this violence can still be channelled at young girls and children today.

For anyone interested, I highly recommend the book Somaly Mam has written to raise awareness – The Road of Lost Innocence. I’m running a blog, twitter and facebook through out my time in Cambodia volunteering at the charity, http://www.katylostincambodia.com

Thanks,
Katy

]]> By: Anil https://www.501places.com/2010/01/phnom-penh-the-legacy-of-pol-pot-and-the-khmer-rouge/#comment-972 Anil Wed, 06 Jan 2010 13:59:38 +0000 https://www.501places.com/?p=1329#comment-972 Power can dehumanize the powerless for those in power. I too wonder what the psychological impact afterward must be for those who were part of the killing. Power can dehumanize the powerless for those in power. I too wonder what the psychological impact afterward must be for those who were part of the killing.

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