We realized after we’d arrived how little we knew about Cambodian history, and during our visit attempted to soak up whatever knowledge we could. This five-part article called The Banyan Tree gives a thorough, objective account of recent events (last 30 yrs). It’s well worth reading the whole thing.

Tuol Slang Genocide Museum is set in the prison (formerly a primary school and a high school) where the Khmer Rouge kept people for detention, interrogation and torture before eventually sending them to the killing fields. It was created after Phnom Penh was taken over by Khmer Rouge forces in April of 1975. At that time, all residents were forced to leave their homes behind and go to relocation areas in the countryside where most would work the fields under slavery-like conditions. The prison turned classrooms into small cells, with the front of the buildings covered in sheets of barbed wire to prevent desperate prisoners from jumping from the upper floors to commit suicide. The torture endured by prisoners here was extreme and beyond inhumane. One of its top officers was the infamous “Duch,” who is the only Khmer Rouge leader to be tried and convinced so far, a controversial process that most thinks much too little, too late. Read a recent article on this HERE.

According to the pamphlet distributed with admission, “Keeping the memory of the atrocities committed on Cambodian soil alive is the key to build a strong and just state.” One program brings Cambodian people to the site to help explain some of what went on in those years, as even many who lived through it do not understand. Some relatives have been able to identify family members from the displayed photos of prisoners. The story of one family is told in a documentary film shown in one of the classrooms.

Records were detailed. An estimated 20000 people (including women and children) were killed after being held at Tuol Sleng. The 14 bodies found on the premises in 1979 when the United Front for the National Salvation of Kampuchea are buried outside the courtyard of one of the buildings. Only seven people survived Tuol Sleng.

Choeung Ek, located 15km outside Phnom Penh, is the most well-known of the over 300 killing fields in Cambodia. Part of the visit is a very well-done audio tour including stories from survivors, reflective music and detailed information on what happened at this site as well as more generally what was happening in Cambodia during Pol Pot’s reign of terror. Along the walk you pass the spot where trucks dropped victims off, a former chemical substance storage room (soldiers spread chemicals on pits of recently killed victims both to minimize the stench of rotting bodies and to make sure anyone who may not have been dead yet would be soon), several mass graves, a killing tree next to a grave full of women and children, a grave of headless victims (Khmer Rouge soldiers thought to be traitors or perhaps just used as a fear tactic for others), a tree where they set up loudspeakers and played music during the killings to drown out the sounds and hide what was going on from people working the fields in the area. Rather than waste expensive bullets, people were killed with farming tools, beatings and even having their throats cut with the sharp edge of a certain palm leaf. Every year the rainy season reveals more evidence as bits of clothing, bones, and teeth are pushed to the surface. These items are collected by the site staff periodically, but it’s always possible to see such things right on the paths through the site or edges of unexcavated areas. The Genocide Center Museum has additional displays as well as a short historical film.The Memorial Stupa contains the remains of victims.

The other side of Phnom Penh is the big, busy city of today. There are some good restaurants, monuments, pagodas and temples, and a surprisingly orderly market. Set in a huge, domed building in the middle of town, Psar Thmei market has every sort of clothing item, jewelry, handbag, accessory, food or souvenir you can imagine. I had a pair of pants fixed for under a dollar while I sat by the sewing machine in a borrowed sarong ansia waited. Sales seemed lower pressure than most other Southeast Asian markets we’ve visited, which was a treat, and actually meant we made a couple of purchases! The National Museum houses an impressive collection of Khmer art and artifacts, including some pieces saved from ruin at Angkor-era sites. Another must-see in the city is the Foreign Correspondents’ Club which, while a bit pricey, is set in a cool colonial-style building overlooking the Tonle SAP and is a Phnom Penh institution.

Our last day, we decided to try and make a little difference with a delicious lunch at Friends the Restaurant, part of the Mith Samlanh program of Friends International. The project aims to “help street children and youth reintegrate into their families, public school, vocational training and then employment, as well as into their rich Cambodian culture.” The day was capped off by a Seeing Hands Massage by a blind masseuse. This program has branches in Siem Reap as well, and employs blind therapists exclusively, greatly enhancing the quality of life and opening up new opportunities for both the individual and his/her family. Added bonus: they give an awesome massage!

For photos of Phnom Penh, click HERE.