This post is a bit morbid because it's on a serious topic, so take note and take care!
I also visited the Tuol Sleng genocide museum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to learn about the destruction caused by Pol Pot's regime when they ruled Cambodia with an iron fist. Tuol Sleng was also known as S21 prison, and was a concentration camp in which Pol Pot, the communist dictator of Cambodia, interrogated his political opponents and bludgeoned many of them to death in the killing fields near the concentration camp. It is a tourist attraction today, with various exhibits on the instruments of torture and interrogation. Yes, I told you it would be a morbid topic - but one that is integral to Cambodia's history.
In many ways, it could be said that Cambodia with its natural resources and rich lands, teeming with people and bounty, is backward today partly because of the destruction caused by Pol Pot's despotic leadership. However, I think that it's important to learn the history of a country and musuems are a great way of doing so. Take note that Tuol Sleng, the S21 concentration camp, is not for the faint of heart - as it is a really gruesome and horrific place to visit, but very, very educational. Many Western visitors (I counted many French people there! After all, formerly the French controlled Indochina (Indochine)) visit Tuol Sleng to learn about this part of Cambodia's past.
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| Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, Cambodia |
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| Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, Cambodia |
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| The Stupa, a Buddhist structure, at the Killing Fields in Phnom Penh, Cambodia |
I learnt how to use captions, so there they are - hope these captions work! Anyways, I also visited the Killing Fields, located near Tuol Sleng genocide museum, and it was a very interesting journey. The stupa you see in the picture contains skulls that are piled high up to the ceiling. There were many victims and ... it was quite scary to visit. The tour guide mentioned that Pol Pot killed 3 million people during his reign of terror, and these are the remains that the Cambodians and the international community could find. There were many others, whose skulls weren't found, and whose remains are lost forever. A very sobering and morbid place to visit indeed - but definitely worth a visit to learn about Cambodia's dark past. I must say that I did a lot of reflecting during the visit!
There will be happier and more positive posts to come on nicer, happier, and livelier places to visit - coming soon! Thanks for reading and learning about Cambodia's past here on my travel blog.
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