What do you think of when you hear the word genocide? The Holocaust? Evil? Rwanda? Mass Killing? Cambodia?
I just left The Choeung Ek Genocidal Center here in Cambodia also know as the Killing Fields, and my heart is heavy. I’m going to do my best to tell the story that shaped a country’s identity.
In 1975, a communist political party, Khmer Rogue, led by Pol Pot marched into Phnom Penh and destroyed Cambodia as the people knew it. His hope was to “restore” Cambodia back to “old way” of life. Peasants would rise, and the educated would be depleted.
It only took Pol Pot three days to clear out the city. Houses, hospitals, and schools were emptied out forcing people to only two destinations. The ones that were not a threat, went to the countryside to start the farming utopia. Everyone else like teachers, doctors, artists, and even people with glasses or soft hands went straight to the killing fields.
Choeung Ek, is just one of over 300 killing fields found throughout Cambodia. It is the largest memorial, with nearly 20,000 lives lost on the property.
Thousands of skulls from the victims, greet you as you walk in. They are carefully arranged in 17 levels, towering over the property. Each level telling it’s own story of how the men and women died.
Mass graves scatter throughout the open land. Some of which contain up to a 1,000 bodies. Clothes, bones, and teeth make their way to the surface throughout the year, so you have to be careful where you walk. But every where you turn you are met with a sign telling you of the horror that happened at the spot in which you are standing.
One particular area of the property will forever be engraved in my head. (This next part might be really hard to read, it definitely was hard to write… but it’s apart of this country’s story so therefore it has to be shared).
This tree doesn’t stand out amongst the others because of it’s big beautiful leaves. Or because of it’s unique bark design. No, this tree stands out because it is the Killing Tree. Right beside this tree, lay the bodies of 100 women and babies. The babies would be grabbed by their tiny little ankles and smashed up against the tree. Helpless mothers stand by as they watch their babies die right in front of their eyes… only to await their death a few minutes later.
Another daunting area was the Magic Tree. Here, a loudspeaker playing revolutionary music was hung to drown out the cries and screams of the victims as they were being killed.
The Vietnamese came in and restored the government but this new system was not recognized by most countries, including the US. The Khmer Rogue even had a seat at the UN, still making them a heard voice in world government. Pol Pot never had justice served to him for his crimes against humanity. He still led the Khmer Rogue, 20 years after the Genocide happened in the depths of the jungle. He was put on house arrest in 1997, but died a year later in the comfort of his home at the age of 73.
This country has been destroyed by their own people. As I walk down the streets, I hardly see anyone over the age of 50. That’s a whole generation lost. Let that reality sink in for a second. Grandparents, mothers and fathers, aunts and uncles… gone.
What would your Thanksgiving dinner look like if everyone over the age of 50 was gone? Depressing, right? That is the reality these people are living in.
So I want to encourage you… as you gear up for Thanksgiving in the days ahead, truly think about what you are thankful for. As you sit around the dinner table eating your pumpkin pie while laughing with your family, say a quick thank you to God. Friends, hug your family a little tighter today, love a little harder because we are blessed.
