One of the very first things we went to see in Cambodia were the killing fields. I have been shocked to discover that many people don't know what this refers to, but just to be on the safe side let me explain: the killing fields is another name for the hundreds of mass graves still existing in Cambodia as remnants of the brutal Khmer Rouge regime from 1975-1979.
The Khmer Rouge was a "communist" government led by dictator Pol Pot. In an attempt to convert Cambodia into an egalitarian, poor farming society, the regime essentially killed between one and two million people either through disease and starvation or through torture and execution. That number is close to one fourth of the population.
The majority of executions took place in open fields outside the major city centers, hence the term "killing fields." Today you can visit and tour some of these sites, even as bodies and evidence are continuously being excavated.
We only visited one major killing fields site, just outside of Phnom Penh. There is an audio tour available and a large monument housing hundreds of human remains from bodies discovered in that area. None of this is for the faint of heart, as the stories are graphic, horrifying, and frightening. You can still see clothing and bone fragments along the designated tour pathway and the locations of the burial pits are clearly identifiable.
The fields are now very lush green, but one can only imagine how they must have looked in their heyday.
We only visited one major killing fields site, just outside of Phnom Penh. There is an audio tour available and a large monument housing hundreds of human remains from bodies discovered in that area. None of this is for the faint of heart, as the stories are graphic, horrifying, and frightening. You can still see clothing and bone fragments along the designated tour pathway and the locations of the burial pits are clearly identifiable.
The fields are now very lush green, but one can only imagine how they must have looked in their heyday.
All the scenes I visited in Cambodia touched me in a very particular way, and the killing fields happen to be one of them. They are exceptional to other remains of the Khmer Rouge regime, i.e. the brutal prison Tuol Sleng, because of the beauty, grace, and life they seem to exude in the wake of such a gruesome past. Yes, I thought the killing fields were beautiful. Both beautiful and nightmare-inducing at the same time.
The paradox of such beautiful scenery harboring such an evil and ugly history was an overwhelming thought. I will never forget the spiritual and mental impact this particular place had on me. Enough said.
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