The Khmer Rouge

This is the second time that I have attempted to complete this blog entry- damn Asian internet connection.....!

I wanted to make sure that I remembered as many details as possible regarding the Khmer Rouge as they are such an important part of Cambodian history. So here are all that I can freely recall...

The Khmer Rouge first started to become a problem in Cambodia around the late 60's/ early 70's, although local knowledge suggests that they were around for a lot longer than that. They were led by the dictator Pol Pot, who can only be likened to Hitler in his mad quest for power and world domination. Pol Pot believed that all those who consisted of the old regime in Cambodia- that is, those who were in charge before his demented takeover- should be removed and gotten rid of. He apparently believed that they were responsible for the difficulties in Cambodia, although in all honesty he was not interested in making life better for those poorer members of the public.

Pol Pot created 2 particular areas where he was able to rid Cambodia of the "filth" that consituted the old regime. One was Choeung Ek, more commonly known as the killing fields and the other was Tuol Sleng.

Choeung Ek was in the countryside and this was where most of the killings took place, so that members of the public would not be aware of what was going on. People would be arrested- sometimes for crimes such as wearing glasses- and taken to Choeng Ek. Here they were made to carry out very intense manual labour, working in the fields nearby, in order to provide good food for the guards. (Said guards were often their former friends and neighbours). The prisoners were often beaten, they got little or nothing in the way of food and they were often tortured. Men, women and children. The Rouge had many different ways of carrying out torture on their victims, but one of the favourites was to hold the head of the prisoner in a barrel of water until they became unconscious. They would then be revived by a flame being held to their face or feet, and the torture would begin again. The Rouge were not really looking for any information or anything that the prisoner could give them. They simply delighted in causing pain and distress to others. According to survivor accounts. the worst times would be in the middle of the night. Sometimes they would hear new trucks arriving, loaded with new prisoners. If the new people did not do as they were told they were simply shot on the spot. At other times the prisoners would be sleeping and the guards would enter the room, seizing anyone that took their fancy and dragging them out. The remaining prisoners would then hold their breath waiting for the terrible sound of the gunshots that would tell them that their fellow was dead. 17,000 corpses have been found thus far in the killing fields and the excavation is not yet complete. Many of the corpses found were those of children. No one seems able to say what crimes these kids had committed that led to their death in such terrible ways. The skulls and clothing of many of the victims are on display at Choeung Ek.

Tuol Sleng was a school until the Rouge took it over during their reign. It was then used as a holding prison for those who were not taken in to the country for whatever reason. The prisoners there were also starved beaten and tortured in many ways. When left in the cells they were chained constantly to the wall. The cells were made from brick and were tiny. They had to be used by the prisoners as a sleeping place- they are not big enough to lie down in-, as an eating place and as a toilet. The conditions were horrific. Tuol Sleng became particularly famous as it was where the Rouge held their final 14 prisoners, just beofre the Vietnamese broke into Cambodia and liberated it. The final 14 were found dead, having died in the most terrible of fashions. They were clearly starved and their bodies were found on the floors of their cells, having been eviscerated while they were still alive. The bodies included 4 women and 2 children under 5 years. Tuol Sleng is now a museum open to the public as is Choeung Ek and the final 14 have been laid to rest there.

Perhaps the most distressing element about this episode in Cambodia's past is that no one has been held to account for it. A war criminal trial is about to begin but in many cases it it too late. Pol Pot himself died in the late 90's- one can only hope that his death was neither peaceful or painless- and so have many of the other large names in this dreadful part of very recent history. They will never be held to account for the deaths that they caused (some estimate as many as 3 million). And the families of those who died will never have the satisfaction or closure of knowing that murderers have been brought to justice.

Beatocello

While I was in Siem Reap I noticed that the local childrens hospital, Jayavarman VII (named after one of the great Angkorian kings!) was advertising that they desperately needed blood. I can do that, I thought, and off I trundled. Turns out that Cambodia and particularly SR are having an enormous crisis of dengue fever. This is always present in SE Asia and other parts of the world but has risen its ugly head extensively once more. The kids need blood transfusions to assist in their recovery and without they would die, hence the need for donations. The staff at the hospital were delightful and wanted to chat after they got over their shyness at the "farang"or foreigner coming into their hospital. They talked a great deal about Dr Beat Richter who is the founder of the hospital. It has branches in Phnom Penh and other parts of Cambodia. Anyway they told me that he perfoms Bach on his cello every Saturday night as a way of raising funds and awareness for the hospital, and I promised to attend the one in 2 days time. By the way they look after their givers very well- I was given tea, water, crackers, a T shirt and some iron tablets to ensure that I didn't suffer as a result of giving blood.

So I attended the concert and was immediately captivated by Dr Beatocello (Dr Beat playing the cello!) This man has fundraised and worked for the hospital since before the Khmer Rouge days. Even now he tirelessly works to raise funds for the children that he treats every day. The government give 3% of the funds and the rest has to come from private donations, like the tourists that come to his concerts. By the way his cello playing wasn't bad either. This man has a spirit and a humour and a sense of compassion like no other that I have ever come across. With his work, children in Cambodia can be treated for free. Without it 5 million children in Cambodia would die every year- their parents cannot afford to pay for expensive hospital treatment.

There is no way that I can describe the emotions that raged through me while listening to this man as he humbly explained why the hospital need money. If he was to go back to Switzerland where he comes from, he would be able to make a fortune, yet he stays in Cambodia being paid a fragment of what he is worth and working long days, 7 days a week. He does not complain- he just asks that we are aware of what is going on in poorer countries and if we can help, then please do. I felt admiration and awe at his guts and his determination, not to mention his selflessness. I felt the survivor guilt that people of richer countries often feel when faced witht he reality of life in a poorer country. And I felt guilt that I was not doing more to assist, when I am more than able to.

So I dontated blood. And I donated $20. And I felt bad that it wasn't more. The only other thing I can do is pass this info on to you, dear Constant Reader. And hope that you too will be inspired to help. In any small way that you can.

www.beatocello.com

Comment on Cambodia

I'm slightly frustrated by my inability to get my photos to download in SE Asia- the sytems just don't like my USB cable. The poor thing will be starting to take it personally.

Anyway all it means is that I can't give you lot photos to look at on this next blog- unless I can add them later? Anyone...?

So. Cambodia. I was slightly on edge when I got there, due to reading way too much Lonely Planet info. Tip: Read all that stuff and take it as good advice but don't read it as a bible for Gods sake! My worries included getting scammed into staying at the wrong guesthouse, getting ripped off for a taxi fare, getting lost- you name it. And I've been travelling on my own for a while now! Anyway I arrived at Phnom Penh and was graciously greeted by a tuk tuk driver who didn't rip me off and didn't take me to the wrong place. All was well. The guesthouse was lovely and very clean, and PP welcomed me with open arms. I didn't really get to know PP intimately, maybe because I was only there for 3 days and one was wasted as I was unwell (again!) with the very persistent lurgy! But what I did see was stunning. The Royal Palace was just amazing and beats the British stuff into the ground, the Silver Pagoda (which is what I really wanted to see!) was breathtaking and I would highly recommend both. I also went to the Genocide Museum of Choeung Kek- otherwise known as the Killing Fields. Very sad, very horrific and I won't pretend to be able to put it into words. Go and see for yourselves. Another separate blog on the Khmer Rouge coming soon.

Then it was onto Siem Reap, which I preferred to be honest. My room at the guesthouse smelled slightly damp and it had bedbugs, but hey- what can you expect for $8 a day. That also included breakfast, bicycles, laundry and lots more. A great deal. SR has the famous Angkorian temples of Angkor Wat, the Bayon and many others. I spent 3 days climbing around them in the fierce heat but enjoyed every minute of it and it gave me an excellent excuse to have a few beers at the end of the day! Other attractions in SR included the wonderful Angkor museum ( a very happy 3 hours spent there!) the minature Angkor Wat and the Water Festival that was going on at the time. Add that to the tour of the floating villages and some traditional dancing not to mention a Cambodian cooking course and it all adds up to a very happy 7 days.

Just a brief comment and comparison between Vietnam and Cambodia. I am always interested in how different cultures etc are despite being so close together (although why I don't know- its not like the Scots and the English are identical and we are far closer together!) The Cambodians are poorer, there can be no doubt about that. However they are now starting to get back on their feet after years of war, poverty and absolute starvation and the tourist industry is assisting greatly with that. The 2 races look very different with Cambodians being darker in the skin and having rounder eyes. Cambodians are also somewhat quieter than Vietnamese and at first I thought that this was them being stand offish and unwelcoming. After a few days I realised that this is just as a result of them being shyer and quieter, and also not so used to having visitors in their country. But they are a proud and dignified people who are delighted to show their beautiful country off.

And so they should be. Its worth showing.

Ky Quang and pagodas

So in the last entry I meant to do a comment on the orphanage Ky Quang. Its one of the favourite places for volunteers here to work at and I spent a day working there last week. Its for kids with special needs who are not all necessarily orphans- often the parents just cant cope with a kid with those kind of needs and work and everything else. In this society there is no Social Security!

I was impressed by the first sight of the orphanage- the gates are huge and sweeping and very beautiful. The pagoda (or Buddhist temple) welcomes you as you enter and its enormous with many lovely statues and religious artifacts that cost a fortune. Surely I thought, the kids must love living here. How wrong I was.

The orphanage itself is disgusting. It smells. There are hundreds of kids living there and in the main they are very much left to there own devices. Lots of them need special therapy to assist them to thrive and they don't get it. Some kids sleep on the bare metal of a bed frame because they dont have a mattress. Some of the kids have behavioural problems that the nurses deal with by tying them or chaining them to a post. No one entertains the children or makes any effort with them. The food is like swill and I would find it inedible.

I later found out that any money donated to the orphanage will be used by the monks for the pagoda and not for the benefit of the children. Thats why the pagoda is so beautiful and ornate- it has been built with the generosity of Western and Vietnamese donors, using money that was supposed to be used for the benefit of the children.

The most sickening thing I saw at Ky Quang was the 32 year old woman. She has lived there for 20 years and is considered completely "crazy". She is kept tied or chained up 24 hours a day and all the helpers and other kids will come up to her and poke her or spit on her to make her scream. They know that she cannot fight back against them. The nurses partake and encourage this behaviour. No wonder the poor girl is "crazy".

Unfortunately there is nothing to be done in this type of situation. Culturally this is how countries deal with their unwanted children. Its just heartbreaking, not to mention depressing, for people like us to walk in and have to see it, when we know that so much more could be done, and should be done. It would be very easy to adjust to this environment and not see the hearbreak in it when working there every day. I'm so glad that I chose another project and not this one. I would definitely be arrested for shooting my mouth off about it!!

The photos are just a few of the kids. They are mostly left to lie in bed all day- no one makes any effort to stimulate or occupy them. Therefore all the behavioural stuff just gets worse and that is used as an excuse to keep them there.

Think of that next time you are complaining that the bus is late.

Till next time.

Ending time in Vietnam

Well, its almost time to be leaving Vietnam, with a certain sadness in my heart. I love this place and if I had time I would be staying for longer. Events of the last few days have soured the experience here for me (having money stolen from me by a travel agent does not rate as one of my all time favourite things, it has to be said!) but I still am able to recognise that the people of Vietnam are warm lovely and friendly and are anxious for people to return.

I finished working in the cooking house 2 days ago, with great sadness. The work has been hard and hot and sometimes the pernickitiness of the people has driven me insane. They slap you really hard if they don't approve of the way that you are chopping and that makes me crazy! But in the main they love having international volunteers and are always eager to welcome new people.

We visited the Mekong Delta for a day last weekend. Its well known for its part in the Vietnam war, as its all on waterways (the Vietnamese version of Venice I guess!) and the Viet Cong used them to great effect for silent attacks. Its beautiful and peaceful, and we travelled on the waterways for most of the day. We went to a coconut candy factory (yum! And photo included) and visited a beekeeping place for honey tea. It was a fun day enjoyed by all. The photo included here is of one of the women who paddled our boat- these guys are hard core! They look tiny but they are strong!!

What else..oh yeah we went out for numerous nights out as everyones time here is coming to an end and must be celebrated. So cocktails and visits to our favourite veggie restuarant in De Tham, Zen. It looks like a cafe but the food is lovable!

Oh and we did a Vietnamese cookery course. It was a laugh although I have to say it was overpriced. But the food was delicious and it was fun doing the cooking in a tiny cramped space the size of a shoebox! I cooked tofu with mushrooms and onions and it was delicious!

So its time to make up my mind about where to go next. I am becoming ever more conscious of time ticking on. I am also becoming aware that the more travelling you do, the more you become aware of how big the world is- and how long you would have to travel to see it all. Maybe I'll have to be away longer than I first thought.....who knows. Right now I'm enjoying being a gypsy, unsure of where to lay my head from one night to the next, not knowing where I'll be in 2 weeks time. The sense of freedom is intoxicating- and addictive.

Till next time.