Cambodia: Wrath of Pol Pot in the Killing Fields

The most saddening yet meaningful part of our trip to Cambodia was our visit to the Killing Fields and S-21 Prison.

To give a brief historical background (geek mode!) - during 1975-1979, Pol Pol whose real name is Saloth Sar (notice how sinister his name sounds), rose to power as Prime Minister of Cambodia. This was the beginning of his implementation of his Year Zero concept wherein all culture and traditions within a society must be completely destroyed and a new revolutionary culture must replace it, starting from scratch. All history of a nation before Year Zero is irrelevant, as it will (as an ideal) be purged and replaced from the ground up. The merciless killing and harsh methods of torture led to the deaths of nearly 2 million people.

The mass graves and fields where thousands of men, women and children were brutally killed are now called the Killing Fields.


Skulls found in the commemorative stupa in the Killing Fields

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