Cambodia has a troubled past. The years of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge (1975-1979) were particularly bad. I won't pretend to understand all that happened but we saw some grim reminders.
After 'liberating' Cambodia in 1975, the Khmer Rouge began a campaign of returning the country to a rural, agrarian society. They marched the entire population of the cities, regardless of age, into the countryside. Many thousands died on the march.
Everyone who wasn't a peasant: teachers, intellectuals, government workers or anyone who had any education was eliminated. Eventually, Pot Pol turned on his own advisors and party members. It is estimated that at least 1.7 to over 2 million Cambodians were killed.
S17 (Security Prison # 17) was a former school in Phnom Penh. It was one of many such security prisons. Thousands of people arrived at S17, seven survived. One of the survivors was at the prison today.
Its class rooms were converted to cells and torture chambers.
The 'VIP' section housed high ranking officials. Here they could be tortured without leaving their cell.
On display inside, are thousands of photographs of the people as they arrived at S17: men, women and children. Entire families were routinely eliminated. I think these photographs of ordinary people were the most disturbing.
After several months of torture they would be killed and the bodies buried on the grounds.
Eventually, the number of victims outgrew the capacity of S17. The victims were then transported, blindfolded, in the back of trucks to the 'Killing Fields'. Hundreds of mass graves dot the land here, some remain unearthed.
The remains of many thousands are held in this stupa
Inside are 14 levels of the skulls of the deceased
There are stories from here that are too upsetting to repeat.
But today, it's a grassy meadow full of butterflies.
How terrible. You'll never forget after seeing this.
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