|
Choeung Ek Memorial (The Killing Fields) |
|
Just a little out of town lie the "killing fields"of the former Khmer Rouge regime. A Formerly a peaceful orchard and Chinese cemetery, the Khmer Rouge used the area to summarily execute and dump the bodies of an estimated 17,000 men, women and children.
Used primarily as a place of execution for former inmates of the notorious S-21, or Tuol Sleng prison in Phnom Penh, the killing fields and the Choeung Ek Memorial - a rather gruesome stuipa containing thousands of human skulls - are a popular if somewhat eerie attraction for tourists visiting the capital. The mass graves cover an area of approximately one sqare kilometre and contain the remians of countless Cambodians, Vietnamese and other nationalities. The graves were discovered by the invading Vietnamese forces in 1979 and the memorial was built shortly afterwards to comemorate the dead. Choeung Ek lies about 15 km west of Phnom Penh and a moto driver will charge around US$8 to take you there and back (get him to throw in a trip to S-21 on the way.
 |
Show/Hide comments
Show/Hide comment form
