The information conveyed in this installment is not appropriate for young readers.On April 17, 1975, 35 years ago to the day, on orders of the infamous Pol Pot, Security Office 21 was created. Once the grounds of Toul Svay Prey High School, today it stands as the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum. Today I visited this notorious killing site, a place where thousands of otherwise innocent Cambodian citizens were incarcerated, interrogated, tortured, and killed.
I know it was largely due to the heat, which is more arresting today than any other in my short visit, and I suspect it was partly due to the graphic display of the genocide which took place on these grounds; this was literally a nauseating experience. Seeing in the multiple torture cells the actual bed frames, leg irons and blood stains of the victims along side wall-sized photos of the last 14 corpses (as found in 1978 by liberators of the prison) made each room more difficult to experience than the previous.
The flowering trees on the grounds of S-21stand in stark contrast to its history.
I am told that 75% of Cambodia's current population is younger than 26 years old. If this is accurate (simple observation seems to confirm it), it speaks volumes regarding the mass genocide attributed to the Khmer Rouge. This legacy is not a proud one, but one placard I found read: Keeping the memory of the atrocities committed on Cambodia soil alive is the key to build a new, strong and just state. Furthermore, the crimes of the inhuman regime of Khmer Rough public plays crucial role in preventing new Pol Pot from emerging in the lands of Angkor or anywhere on Earth.
I'm teaching U.S. History at OHS and KEHS. Would you recommend a viewing of "The Killing Fields," or another video to tell the story?
ReplyDeleteRay, I don't recall how much Hollywood tempered the story of what happened here. Tell your students to imagine the worst because that's the reality. --Jay
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