After the Cambodian Circus, we took a night bus from Siem Reap to the capital city, Phnom Penh. All I can remember from that (due to long overdue deep sleep) is that it was really crowded full of backpacker hippies heading towards Ho Chi Minh City. My classmates griped about it but it was honestly the best sleep I got on the entire trip aside from the first night in Beetel Garten.
Phnom Penh was really sad. I don't want to lie to anyone or myself and say that it wasn't. While Siem Reap had all of the charm in the world, beautiful architecture, friendly people, and so much growth potential, Phnom Penh was the opposite of charming, potential, or architecture (I hated the building designs). Phnom Penh was a smear of a few pretentious corporate skyscrapers and government institutions casted over a shadow of poverty and depression. The city of Phnom Penh really looked as though it was trying to be Ho Chi Minh City but ended up looking like an apocalyptic Pittsburgh if it were closer to the tropics. The sad thing about Phnom Penh is that unlike Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An, Da Nang, or even Siem Reap, I didn't see one glimmer of hope for the city that would be an easy solution that didn't involve completely ousting the current regime. It is clear that a culture of wasteful spending and corruption (I'll never complain about Barack Obama again) has created a mass of poverty with little to nothing to bring in the tax revenue necessary to support and change it. In Economics, we talk a lot about incentive. We also talk a lot about how big government crushes incentive. After all, where is the incentive for entrepreneurs or foreign investors to involve themselves in an economy where there is a culture of corruption and hostility towards capitalism. On top of that, you can find all over the internet places where the government is killing people that disagree with them harkening on the old Poll Pott.
One of our spots we went to in Phnom Penh was the Genocide Museum. The museum was located in an old High School which became a genocide camp for Cambodian prisoners, almost all of them sealing their fate there. Women, children, fathers, sisters, sons, all mercilessly slaughtered for simple disagreements while working in the crop fields or refusing to be a part of the savage Khmer Rouge army. It became clear to me exactly what the Cambodian people are up against. They not only lost so many people, reducing their population, they lost their spirit. They were purged of all intellectuals, business owners, people who could speak Western languages, etc. All the ideals we were representing and promoting (capitalism, entrepreneurship, world engagement) were the very reasons people died. No wonder Cambodia can't pull itself out. Meeting the only two survivors, who looked as sad that day as they did the day they were detained, made me sad then angry.
We then attended a luncheon with Kone Kmeng, a very important face in the changing landscape of the Cambodian Water situation. In Phnom Penh, more than 60% lack access to clean water supply, evidenced by the trash and feces all over the river. Savuth, the founder had a vision. He is what you could call a social entrepreneur, or someone who starts a business that is aimed at solving societal problem. He explained the organization's purpose and what they do. It is a Christian-based organization that is implementing clean water systems throughout Cambodia. Sounds simple but it is actually far more complicated than that. I did not really understand it that well at this time. I also got to try the most delicious food that Cambodia has to offer, amok. Its sweet sauce balances herbs and spices, flavoring a stew of fish and vegetables over rice.
The day concluded with a final activity. We went to the killing fields. Again we witnessed the horrors of the Poll Pot regime and its effect on the people of Cambodia. People from all over Asia, and all over the world came to pay their respects to, learn about, and honor those that were killed in such a savage, heartless manner. I saw trees where babies were chucked at. I saw skulls protruding from the ground. I saw graves of unknown bones.
The swamps in Phnom Penh remind me so much of North Carolina, it is unreal. Hot, mosquito-ridden, and beautiful.
Chum Muy is one of the two survivors of the particular execution camp we saw. It was incredible to read his story and to meet him and have him sign his book. There is still so much sadness in Phnom Penh, even fin the eyes of their strongest.
Bou Meng is another survivor. He was very cheerful to see us, Americans, coming to see what a tragedy had happened here. Much of the world is still so unaware of the genocide.
Our tour guide was also a survivor of the genocide, not from this particular camp, but of Poll Potts labor camps. She is such a sweet heart, and also she speaks great English, which allowed for so much more of a meaningful experience, as she communicated such a vivid story.
Here, she is explaining the process of internment and torture that took place here. Men, women, and children all were killed here for lack of cooperation, refusing to kill others, and sometimes just because.
These young girls at the killing fields are standing right beside the same spot where many children were tortured and killed. Babies were thrown against trees; children were tied to the ground and killed in multiple ways. It was quite savage, and many of the bones poke up from the ground.
Commemorating these deaths are so important, because many of these people were killed with their entire families. This means that these people had no one to mourn for them. So many nameless bodies were left lying around. There aren't even records for many of the people.
Savuth Lo is a social entrepreneur who founded Kone Kmeng, a partner of Wine To Water. He is so passionate about this venture and is very forward-thinking and progressive when it comes to sustainable development.
These are some of the skulls that have actually been recovered. So many are still laying in the swamp, the field, the forest.
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