The first destination on Day 2 - Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, Phnom PenhThe building is a former high school which was used by the Khmer Rouge regime as a prison and interrogation centre with classrooms converted into torture chambers. When I stepped into the vicinity, it was so eerie and cold to the extent I could not explain in words. The silence was almost deafening and the chilly wind certainly aggravates the whole situation - that's also the reason I didn't snap many photos here.
Please read the board for details of the Museum
*click on the photo for larger view*
The Graves - these victims were the last ones who had been killed here
Building covered with barbed wires to prevent the prisoners from jumping down (commit suicide)
The Gallows - please read the board below to see how they were used to torture the prisoners
*click on the photo for larger view*
The Security of Regulation - all prisoners must adhered to these instructions
I survived on bread like this for the first half of Day 2
The entrance
The Tower
The inside of the tower - filled with skulls of those killed in here
The story so far...
*click on the photo for larger view*
*click on the photo for larger view*
The killing tree against which executioners beat children
The Mass Graves
The Magic Tree - used as a tool to hang a loudspeaker which make sound (the sound from radio I assume) louder to avoid the moan of victims while they were being executed
Sightings of people sleeping in hammock everywhere are very common in Cambodia
We had dinner in Siem Reap town - that's fried rice :)
Angkor beer :)
A mongrel in the streets of Siem Reap
Birdy Massage - any takers? :P
Please read the board for details of the Museum*click on the photo for larger view*
The Graves - these victims were the last ones who had been killed here
Building covered with barbed wires to prevent the prisoners from jumping down (commit suicide)
The Gallows - please read the board below to see how they were used to torture the prisoners
*click on the photo for larger view*
The Security of Regulation - all prisoners must adhered to these instructionsThe first building consists of tiny classrooms with one metal bed in each of the rooms. The translator narrated to us how the torture was done using the old photos on the wall for illustrations – and the next thing we know she mentioned that the stains on the floor and ceiling were blood of the victims – I didn’t expect this at all.
The second building stores classrooms that were divided into smaller cells that served as torture cells. The next room is filled with hundreds of mug shots of the victims; they were staring at me with their eyes wide open – men, women and children alike. Their numbering tags was pinned by safety pins through their neck and not on the shirt! There are some equipments and tools used for the torture and extermination together with skulls of victims. The skulls have cavities of bullet shots and fractures all over. It was suffocating to be in there.
I couldn't remember much about building three but it was somewhat identical to the first two buildings. When the translator asked if we would like to go upstairs, most of us already wanted to leave the place.
The second building stores classrooms that were divided into smaller cells that served as torture cells. The next room is filled with hundreds of mug shots of the victims; they were staring at me with their eyes wide open – men, women and children alike. Their numbering tags was pinned by safety pins through their neck and not on the shirt! There are some equipments and tools used for the torture and extermination together with skulls of victims. The skulls have cavities of bullet shots and fractures all over. It was suffocating to be in there.
I couldn't remember much about building three but it was somewhat identical to the first two buildings. When the translator asked if we would like to go upstairs, most of us already wanted to leave the place.
I survived on bread like this for the first half of Day 2After the Genocide Museum, we went to Choeung Ek Genocidal Center (better known as The Killing Field) Many of the dead were former inmates in the Tuol Sleng prison.
The entrance
The Tower
The inside of the tower - filled with skulls of those killed in here
The story so far...*click on the photo for larger view*
*click on the photo for larger view*
The killing tree against which executioners beat children
The Mass Graves
The Magic Tree - used as a tool to hang a loudspeaker which make sound (the sound from radio I assume) louder to avoid the moan of victims while they were being executed
Sightings of people sleeping in hammock everywhere are very common in CambodiaRight after The Killing Field, we took a 6 hours bus ride from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. The whole journey was truly an eye opener - I'll go into that later.
We had dinner in Siem Reap town - that's fried rice :)
Angkor beer :)
A mongrel in the streets of Siem Reap
Birdy Massage - any takers? :P
No comments:
Post a Comment