Empty eyes stare back at me through the glass.
Hundreds and hundreds of these eyes. And the truth is that these are only a few of the empty eyes. In fact there mouths speak no words, but the echo they leave behind is loud and unending.
I am talking about the thousands of people brutally murdered in a huge genocide. Beaten and clubbed to death, by whatever was accessible because the bullets the men had were to valuable to waste on them. At first the Pol Pot Regime and Khmer Rule sought to wipe out all who possessed intelligence of any kind, doctors, lawyers, teachers, government officials. They moved on to anyone they thought possessed the capability of raising up to oppose them. From there they destroyed all religious workers and places of worship. Nothing was exempt not even Angkor Wat. After that they murdered the families of those who they murdered so no one would be left to take out revenge. Even the infants were swung by the foot and repeatedly slammed into a tree. They showed no mercy to no one. This was a time when Satan had a hold and a means to carry out his destruction.
Those who lived in the countryside their whole life we thought to be a good example of what the new Cambodia would look like. Life was difficult. People were forced to work 12-15 hours a day to grow food, but they saw very little of what they grew and were left to starve to death. People took their own lives. If you became sick you had to obtain permission to go to the “doctor” who was just an ordinary person that gave you a sugar cube for medicine. The nation was dying.
fragments of bone uncovered or washed up after flooding
I can’t imagine how people found the determination to survive. I can’t imagine the pain, the shame., the worry people had even after relief came. It’s been many years since this all happened and the nation is still struggling to find a way to make a comeback. All they know is corruption. Take a look now and Cambodia has one of the highest child prostitution rates, and the police force has those who provide protection to those brothels for a bribe. Phenom Penh before the Pol Pot Regime was used as a model for Singapore, but now it has been trying to go back to it’s former glory. The Riel (Cambodian money) doesn’t hold much weight in other countries. Basically if you want to change from Riel to USD or vice versa you can really only do it in Cambodia.
I’ve met people who lived through the terror that lasted so many years. Many suffer from Post Traumatic Stress disorder, but due to very few psychologist and the prices they are left to just deal with it. Some have overcome it and are living life. However the stories of those who did not survive are left to forever be endless echoes. Please pray for the Kingdom to come into this nation more to bring hope and life to the generations to come.
