Mon 19Noc 9.15pn Phnom Penh
Bus was late this morning so listened to local guide Bon Loo who is a very confidant young man (25) who we later learned is the son of a local district leader. He is working hard for a degree in Media Studies and has exams on Thursday this week. His passions are football (he knows a lot about all the major teams and leagues in Asia and Europe) and Dragon Boat Racing. Interestingly, Annie rows for a team in Canada but their number per boat is 20, here it ranges from 68 tp 92 per boat! The big annual 'regatta/festival' here is next week, each village or district enters its own boat, they race over 3 days, up to 2km per race, and the King presents medals to the winning team. But Bon Loo will miss most of it because he is on a tourist bike ride from Vietnam to Cambodia. With fairground type games, concerts and plays, it sounds a great place to be.
The bus took us to the King's Palace. we walked around the outside but couldn't go in because government officials were receiving an important delagation from Iran today. Got photos of some very impressive buildings.
Next to lunch at the Kymer Surin Restaurant, very smart, excellent Khymer food.
Then to The city's main musem which contained a host of exibits carved out of sandstone mainly 9thC onwards but some BC. Also later wood and brass fiogures. Mostly Bhuddas and other religious figures.
Then we were taken to a set of four 3-storey buildings which were originally a High School called Ponhea Yat, named after a royal ancestor of King Norodom Sihanouk. The rooms were classroom size with two 'quads'. From 1975 to 1979, the school was converted into a prison for people accused of minor crimes by Pol Pot's Khymer Rouge regime. It was one of many established as training centres throughout the country, set up as re-education camps. All of the classrooms were converted into prison cells, some by erecting internal brick walls to create small 2m x 1m cells. Prisoners came from all parts of the country and all walks of life. However a dominant theme of Pol Pot's policy was to remove any threat that may arise from the country's educated classes. The whole population of Phnom Penh was ordered to leave the city and work in the countryside and anybody identified as educated because of the way they spoke or ability to speak foreign languages etc were sent to re-education centres like Ponhea Yat which was renamed S21 (S stands for security office). Every prisoner was photographed and these pictures of the inmates were on display. Over the 3 years and 8 months of this school being used as a prison, the records show it had 10,499 adult inmates plus about 2,000 children pass through. The duration of imprisonment ranged from 2 to 4 months at the end of which they were killed. 7 survived. Throughout Cambodia during Pol Pot's reign of terror, 1.7 to 2.2 million people, nearly all Cambodians, were killed in all sorts of horrible ways and buried in mass graves. For petty crimes, including not having a job, or for being educated. I was working in West Wales for F J Reeves at the time. The United Nations was prevented from intervening during these years by China and Vietnam. Eventually Vietnam deposed Pol Pot in 1979, not long after we celebrated Jo's first birthday. He died a natural death not long ago.
After the Nazis killed 4m (or was it 5m?) jews thay said it would never be allowed to happen agian. The UN was formed. But Cambodia, Bosnia, Ruanda, Dofur? Where next I wonder. Nowhere I hope.
In vain?
John
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