A Real Horror Story...
I can't help but return to the story of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge ( Red Khmer)on a day like today. A night like tonight.For if spirits roam the earth on all Hallow's Eve, then surely the killing fields are active right now...
- - -
Look closely at this pic. It should reveal more details... :(
Bits of lace, buttons, various clothing.
On April 17th, 1975, Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge army rolled into Phnom Penh and began what became a death toll of three million people.A complete and utter bloodbath. He'd begun by declaring, "This is Year Zero," announcing that society was about to be "purified". Men, women, children, elderly were all awakened and pulled from their beds.
A forced march followed...
- - -
This tower is obscene in it's height, the quantity of skulls that it contains...
- - -
Pol Pot and his right hand man Chit Cheun "The Butcher" never paid for this. They died of natural causes.:(
The one good thing that came out of this that I could see was a zest for life, a love of life and a
joy of life that I'd never seen on such a mass level before. The Cambodian people seem to be the happiest people I've ever seen. And Cambodia is on the mend, and is
in fact on the verge of 1st world status. It's getting there. :)
- - -
Look closely at this pic. It should reveal more details... :(
Bits of lace, buttons, various clothing.
On April 17th, 1975, Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge army rolled into Phnom Penh and began what became a death toll of three million people.A complete and utter bloodbath. He'd begun by declaring, "This is Year Zero," announcing that society was about to be "purified". Men, women, children, elderly were all awakened and pulled from their beds.
A forced march followed...
- - -
This tower is obscene in it's height, the quantity of skulls that it contains...
- - -
Pol Pot and his right hand man Chit Cheun "The Butcher" never paid for this. They died of natural causes.:(
The one good thing that came out of this that I could see was a zest for life, a love of life and a
joy of life that I'd never seen on such a mass level before. The Cambodian people seem to be the happiest people I've ever seen. And Cambodia is on the mend, and is
in fact on the verge of 1st world status. It's getting there. :)
posted by Nabonidus at 12:44 PM
17 Comments:
Hello Lisa-
I can't imagine the horror this man caused.
I have very dear Cambodian friends...I wrote about them on my Yosemite post.
I only know of a fraction of the horror they witnessed.
All of the (older) male members of their family were murdered.
They escaped by walking to Thailand...stepping over dead bodies along the way.
My dear friend Sokoun, at age 5, was left ALONE in the middle of the jungle for about 5 hours while her mother ran ahead to seek medical attention for her other daughter who was very ill at the time.
Sokoun is one of my heroes, really. She is so strong, positive, fun, and eternally grateful to be a US citizen.
Thank you So much for your sweet comments/compliments Lisa!
I hope to see you up in LA for all the Rachel/Who shows!!
Can't wait!
Take care,
Love,
Suexx
Thanks, Sue,but I admit this post was unfinished because I got too sad to go on.
I have to finish it, though.
But you basically did. You noticed that the Cambodian people as a whole are so strong and positive, uncomplaining, when all suffered the horrors in some way. They learned to appreciate life in a way we haven't.
I have to remember that part of it.
Feeling kinda blue tonight.
Thanks for your sweet words,they helped! I hope to see you, I'm sure I will! xoxoLisa
Horrors like this can be explained endlessly, I mean the DETAILS how they happened can be explained endlessly. But it is not possible to understand HOW a human being can do this to his/her fellow. One would like to believe that humans have a basic sense of conscience that prevents this. Another thing is that massacres of this scale always require "willing executioners". How are the people who envisage horrors like this ALWAYS manage to persuade many others that they are justified? :-(
Maria
Exactly Maria.
In fact,that was why I quit this post - it came time to explain what happened to Pol Pot and his right hand man.Chit Cheun? Neither one of them
paid for what they did. And I couldn't write how the US inadvertantly brought this about by withdrawing from Cambodia when it withdrew from Vietnam. Pol Pot used the US' abandonment of Camboadia to his advantage. And THEN the US didn't give a shit when all of this happened, and even condoned Pol Pot!
Ooooh! It makes me mad and here I wrote about it anyway!
I did read that most of the Khmer Rouge "army" consisted of kids. Scared teenagers. I guess that explains some of it. But monsters like Chit Cheun, aka The Butcher? Doesn't explain evil.
Yeah, like the children's armies that are used in Africa and other places in civil wars. Children are malleable :-(
Seems that it would make it that much harder to hold people accountable when it's all said and done, too.
If you're dealing with what were terrified kids killing other terrified kids.Although I suppose it could also be used as an excuse, too:(
I have such a vivid memory of this place and time from the evening news. The Killing Fields movie cemented it for me years later.
I often think that my childhood was one in which the ills of the world used to be played out by the children who showed up at school- we were one of the few French language schools in Toronto, and immigrants and refugees used to put their kids there upon arrival in Canada because they wanted them to learn both official languages. I got a real education as a child from these children about what was happening in the world. 1968, Czeckoslovakia, 1973, Chile, 1975, Cambodia, 1979, Vietnamese boat people, 1980, Iran, Lebanon, etc... It was something I actively recognised as an adult, these young people who became friends and whose families endured the most harrowing of escapes.
And now, as a teacher, I see a similar pattern in new students we receive. It is hard to think about sometimes, when you realise how devastating these experiences must be, especially to children.
I hear you, Anne Marie. You brought up a good point, as well. How devastating, but also how life-altering, mind-altering it must be. Surely it would have a permanent
impact in some way. But not necessarily a good one.:(
I'm so sorry you could not make it up to the B&N event, but we have The Who tonight ay! Pete was so so nice to everyone. He was beseached by dozens of fans who rushed in with album cover after album cover, but then they started to get the line going through to meet Rachel, which we did, and before her performance we were hanging out on the balcony with Suesjoy, Mikey, Rachel and everyone, lots of bloggers. Got in the line to meet Pete and he recognized me, it was earth stopping for me, but hopefully I kept my cool. I gave him a very special gift, one of only 3 copies of TBWHM that I had professionally bound, he signed mine and it was just amazing meeting him. I have to pinch myself. I really feel bad for you that you were not able to make it. We were up at The Grove around 4pm and waited around having drinks, it was a long day, but man, I still can't believe it happened, and we have photo's to prove it (although, I really wish I weighed 50 pounds less. My Mum's prediction came true, I did meet him in my lifetime.
I am so happy for you, Gary! I know how much this meant to you, so it is like seeing a dream come true for someone. :)
But I better get on the road, i don't want a repeat of yesterday! Wish me luck! :)
Gary's Earth shattering event is of the kind we should all like to have. Beats the crap outa being run down by an army of murdering lunatics!
Wow, that is quite the story for Halloween....quite a nightmare. I can't believe the skulls in that case! All those people who had families they loved, and lives... so sad....
Heheh, Ticharu, you're right! :)
And hi MB!You can see why that was on my mind at that time, eh?
Now to concentrate on lighter subjects...
:-)
It's a great time to be a music fan yes?
Did you see them at The Bowl? Holy Mackrel, I've never heard a band sound so fantastic, they STILL kick ass, their from the 60's, their in their 60's and they KICK ASS!!
Going up to Hotel Cafe tonight. I'm in a real good mood, got to vote this morning. Life is good.
geez...I meant to say something from my home computer days ago, but my home computer wouldn't let me view the images and I didn't want to sound in the dark, like I'm faking something because I don't and I won't.
By now music has lifted everyone, was my impression of the joy you witnessed in the Cambodian people.
-ginab
Hi Lisa...I am glad to hear that you made it to The Bowl.....Did you get to the LA CAFE show?
xo
Sue
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