The Killing Fields (Boeung Choeung Ek), Phnom Penh
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| | The Killing Fields or Boeung Choeung Ek were the execution grounds for the Khmer Rouge, who are believed to have brought the prisoners out from S-21 in Phnom Penh. Total numbers killed here vary between 17,000- 20,000 of men, women and children, many of them found bludgeoned to death to save the cost of a bullet. | |
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| Memorial In 1980, the remains of 8985 people, many blindfolded and hands tied, were found in mass graves. More than 8000 of these skulls, sorted by age and sex, are arranged in tiers and visible behind the glass sides of the memorial stupa. The white-marbled monument is a towering 17 stories high, as a reminder that the Khmer Rouge took over on April 17 1975. The skulls can be seen up close at eye level and sometimes the lower glass panels are drawn open, while other bones are arranged at higher levels. Visitors are asked to take shoes off before climbing the steps to view the bones as a sign of respect. | | | Senseless murders
Some 43 of the 129 mass graves remain untouched. The grounds of the Killing Fields are pockmarked by empty excavation pits and bits of bones, teeth and clothing can be found in some of them. The chankiri tree, against which children and babies were bashed to their death, is identified and graves are tagged by the number of victims found. This was once a fruit orchard and a Chinese cemetery and fragments of headstones are still seen today. | | | Memorial Service for Genocide Day
The Killing Fields ( Boeung Choeung Ek ) are located 15km from Phnom Penh city; there are others in various provinces. A memorial service is held every May 9th to commemorate Genocide Day. The site was recently sold to a Japanese company which charges a US$3 fee for entry in return for paving the road. The sale remains a contentious issue. | |
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Last Updated on Monday, 14 September 2009 23:05 |
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