Tourism in Cambodia is not only limited to Angkor Wat, a magnificent Buddhist temple, but also a tourist attraction with a dark history that lies to the east of the country.
Cruelty group leader Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge in the 1970s left a deep wound for Cambodians today. But the legacy became a tourist attraction, especially for those who like history.
A tourist goes to see the photos of detainees who had entered the S-21 prison in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Photo Credit: AP / Heng Sinith
I started my journey with a visit to this museum, which is approximately a one hour drive from Phnom Penh International Airport. I arrived at their destination about three o'clock, so it still has about two hours to explore the place.
At first I thought Tuol Seng is just an ordinary museum, which is also found in many other countries, but apparently not. This place presents something very different.
Tuol Sleng was once a high school in 1975 converted into a prison called Security-21 or S-21. Reportedly there were about 17 to 20 thousands of innocent Cambodians and some foreigners who had been imprisoned here. And of all people arrested, only seven people who survived until the Khmer Rouge regime was overthrown.
Entering the complex Tuol Sleng, still not seeing anything different until I approached one of the buildings. On the walls seen a sign that prohibits visitors laughing and joking. I went inside. It's hard to express what I feel inside the building. The school has been converted into a torture camp.
Classrooms filled by various means of torture, iron chains, while from the window I could see the high fence of iron wire. Other spaces that have been transformed into cells measuring 1x1 meters. Blood spots are still visible everywhere.
For me, and I'm sure for other visitors, a sign of forbidden laughter is of no use. See what is inside, it's impossible for us to laugh and joke. The place was like happiness absorb anyone who visited. If I may borrow JK Rowling's imagination, was at Tuol Sleng like to be near the dementors!
In another room we saw a variety of facial images. The officers photographed every S-21 prisoners who go to prison. All with a blank expression. Look as if they imply that they know life will not be long anymore. And before death must have been tortured beyond the limits of humanity.
I rent a tour guide who explains the country's dark history. He tells his own experience, how his father and older brother was captured by the Khmer Rouge and never returned. He also tells about the crying babies being thrown away by the guards S-21 to the barbed wire.
One of the most prominent in this place is a Map of the Skull, which is a map of Cambodia made of 300 human skulls. Elsewhere castoffs prisoners stacked into one. Photographs and paintings depicting the torture of innocent people on the wall. Somehow, even after decades of metallic smell of blood still smelled.
The sun began to sink, any visitor to stay a bit. I completed the tour as soon as possible to get down to the page. At the very least, open-air atmosphere less dire than in the living-room that smelled blood. Outside, there are still many torture device used by the guards S-21. One is a large barrel-lined barrel.
In the past, students use the vat of water to wash the face. However, when the place was converted into a prison, officials built on top of the pole-barrel keg is. Prisoners will be hung upside down, with head immersed in water.
My tour ended that day. My journey peek dark history of Cambodia will continue in the 'killing fields' Choeung Ek, in the next article.
source : www.yahoo.com
Cruelty group leader Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge in the 1970s left a deep wound for Cambodians today. But the legacy became a tourist attraction, especially for those who like history.
A tourist goes to see the photos of detainees who had entered the S-21 prison in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Photo Credit: AP / Heng Sinith
I started my journey with a visit to this museum, which is approximately a one hour drive from Phnom Penh International Airport. I arrived at their destination about three o'clock, so it still has about two hours to explore the place.
At first I thought Tuol Seng is just an ordinary museum, which is also found in many other countries, but apparently not. This place presents something very different.
Tuol Sleng was once a high school in 1975 converted into a prison called Security-21 or S-21. Reportedly there were about 17 to 20 thousands of innocent Cambodians and some foreigners who had been imprisoned here. And of all people arrested, only seven people who survived until the Khmer Rouge regime was overthrown.
Entering the complex Tuol Sleng, still not seeing anything different until I approached one of the buildings. On the walls seen a sign that prohibits visitors laughing and joking. I went inside. It's hard to express what I feel inside the building. The school has been converted into a torture camp.
Classrooms filled by various means of torture, iron chains, while from the window I could see the high fence of iron wire. Other spaces that have been transformed into cells measuring 1x1 meters. Blood spots are still visible everywhere.
For me, and I'm sure for other visitors, a sign of forbidden laughter is of no use. See what is inside, it's impossible for us to laugh and joke. The place was like happiness absorb anyone who visited. If I may borrow JK Rowling's imagination, was at Tuol Sleng like to be near the dementors!
In another room we saw a variety of facial images. The officers photographed every S-21 prisoners who go to prison. All with a blank expression. Look as if they imply that they know life will not be long anymore. And before death must have been tortured beyond the limits of humanity.
I rent a tour guide who explains the country's dark history. He tells his own experience, how his father and older brother was captured by the Khmer Rouge and never returned. He also tells about the crying babies being thrown away by the guards S-21 to the barbed wire.
One of the most prominent in this place is a Map of the Skull, which is a map of Cambodia made of 300 human skulls. Elsewhere castoffs prisoners stacked into one. Photographs and paintings depicting the torture of innocent people on the wall. Somehow, even after decades of metallic smell of blood still smelled.
The sun began to sink, any visitor to stay a bit. I completed the tour as soon as possible to get down to the page. At the very least, open-air atmosphere less dire than in the living-room that smelled blood. Outside, there are still many torture device used by the guards S-21. One is a large barrel-lined barrel.
In the past, students use the vat of water to wash the face. However, when the place was converted into a prison, officials built on top of the pole-barrel keg is. Prisoners will be hung upside down, with head immersed in water.
My tour ended that day. My journey peek dark history of Cambodia will continue in the 'killing fields' Choeung Ek, in the next article.
source : www.yahoo.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment