During Pol Pot's time , nobody is allowed to practice any sort
of religion.
but nowadays in modern Cambodia , monks can walk freely
on the road without being killed by the communists.
40 minutes Tuk Tuk ride from Phnom Penh to
Choueng Ek Killing Fields.
This is the place where almost 1/3 of the country’s men,
women, children were killed. Many were
tortured for
long periods of time, sometimes for more than 3 years.
For
years there was mass-murder in progress and the
world didn’t even know
about it until it was almost too late.
Pol Pot ( brother no.1 ) and his army, called the Khmer Rouge,
came to power in Cambodia
(Kampuchea) in 1975.
He was named prime minister of the new communist
government
in 1976 and began a program of violent reform.
The Khmer
Rouge abolished currency, religion and private property
and evacuated
cities in the hopes of creating a Maoist agrarian society
free of Western influence.
Under his regime, forced labor, executions and famine
killed between 1.5 and 2 million Cambodians.
DDT used to cover the dead body
Pokok Kabong.
Pol Pot don't want to waste bullets , so he used various other methods
to kill , including sword , axe , hammer , and even
the jaggered edge of this palm tree.
Audio tour , also available in Malay Language.
listen to the real story of the evil Khmer Rouge Regime while
passing through the various checkpoints in the Killing Fields area.
Human bones scattered everywhere
during the killing process , speakers are mounted to this tree ,
and sounds of meetings and traditional music were played to
mask the sound of the tortured victims and to avoid suspicion
by the villagers.
Pol Pot declared 'Year Zero' when
Khmer Rouge captured Phnom Penh on April 17, 1975.
He immediately directed a ruthless program to "purify"
Cambodian society of capitalism,
Western culture,
religion and all foreign influences.
He wanted to
create Cambodia into an isolated and
totally self-sufficient Maoist
agrarian state.
Anyone who opposed were killed.
Foreigners were expelled, embassies closed,
and the currency abolished.
Markets, schools, newspapers,
religious practices and private property
were forbidden.
Pol Pot died in 1998.
with the fact that the mass genocide happened just recently ,
and most of the Khmer Rouge armies are recruited from the teenagers
of that time , these killers are actually still alive today
and live among the people of modern Cambodia.
the tree was used to kill babies.
babies were slammed onto the tree bark to kill them.
when they first found out about this tree , bloodstains and
brain fragments were found scattered around the tree.
a memorial stupa.
inside the Stupa is more than 8000 skulls arranged into
a 17 storeys tower.
17 is a significant number for Cambodian , as the Khmer Rouge
started their reign on 17th April 1975.
to put thing into perspective on the time period ,
during that time Malaysia is lead by the
third prime minister Tun Hussein Onn .
Malaysia was at peace while communist regime in
Cambodia has just started.
a must visit place in Cambodia.
entrance to the Killing Fields is USD $6 per head including
the audio tour.
Tuk Tuk ride from Phnom Penh costs approximately USD $15
Cambodian Silk at Russian Market
Royal Palace
internet connection in Cambodia is very good.
even laundry place offers free WiFi connection.
Lunch at Petra before heading back to Malaysia
Al-Afrah premium lebanese sweets as a token of appreciation
on our works done in Koh Kong (
click here )
thank you very much!
work done in Cambodia.
finally a return flight heading home.
Cambodia
10-14th June 2015
