The Killing Fields

The Killing Fields do bring home the true horror of the Khmer Rouge regime.

It's hard to conceive of the strength of an ideology which requires the practical enslavement of your entire nation - punishing the slightest hint of dissent (or suspicion of a hint of dissent) with either immediate execution or torture then execution.  Within a day or so of taking power the Khmer Rouge appear to have embarked on one of the most comprehesive societal restructurings the world has seen.  The cities were emptied and the people were sent en masse to the countryside to work in agriculture (for 12-15 hours a day).  The educated (apart from those who had the good fortune to be in the new ruling elite) were disposed of pretty sharpish.  Concerned that their family (including very small children) may seek revenge at some point, they decided they should be got rid of too.  Bullets were a bit precious, so bludgeoning was deemed the way forward.

They have exhumed most of the mass graves, but it wasn't entirely comprehensive.  Because we are coming to the end of the rainy season, some of the remains hidden underground have come to the surface recently - you could see the odd tooth in the soil.

After thinking my our S-21 visit that no-one had taken responsiblity, we discovered at the Killing Fields that there is one exception.  The guy who ran S-21 (called "Duch") converted to Christianity and has since taken full responsibility for everything done by the people he was in charge of.  Sadly, he seems to be the only one who has done so.