Sometimes reality hits hard. A few days ago Loes and me were discussing whether or not we were going to take the Dive master course in Thailand, as it turned out to be more expensive than we first thought. We worried about the money because after the diving we’d have to go to Australia right away to find a job and earn some money. But after a few days we realized our ‘problems’ are those of a luxury kind.
First we ran into two guys in our guesthouse. They were asylum seekers who fled their countries and won’t be able to return. One guy’s brother was killed and the other one’s father was assaulted not too long ago. Also one of the refugees was held in prison for a year for sending an e-mail to an American radio station, explaining his situation. He was beaten everyday, the guy said, and because of that his memory didn’t always work the way it should.
After that we went to Choeung Ek – or Killing Field – just outside of Phnom Penh. I knew a little about Cambodian history from reading but actually seeing the spots where it al happened made it more real. Between 1975 and 1979 the communist Khmer Rouge – led by Pol Pot – ruled in Cambodia. During their regime almost 2 million people died – from killing, torture, disease and starvation. Choeung Ek was one of the places where people were brought to dead. Most of them stayed in a prison called S-21. During the Khmer Rouge period only few people knew about the existence of this prison – a former school. It was later discovered by two Vietnamese photographers. About 15,000 people were held in the prison. Most of them were tortured until they confessed crimes – which they obviously hadn’t committed – against the Khmer Rouge. We went there and saw pictures of prisoners taken during those four years. I was moved very much by one particular photo. It was an old man with a sad expression on his face. It was as if he knew his fate and was ashamed by it. He didn’t look into the camera.
Still people here are so friendly. Everytime I see a Cambodian I wonder how many people he or she has lost because of the Khmer Rouge regime.
We also visited a slum and took some pictures. The little kids followed us everywhere, smiling and posing. Their lives must not be easy, so who are we to complain about ours?
In the end we decided to take the diving course.
First we ran into two guys in our guesthouse. They were asylum seekers who fled their countries and won’t be able to return. One guy’s brother was killed and the other one’s father was assaulted not too long ago. Also one of the refugees was held in prison for a year for sending an e-mail to an American radio station, explaining his situation. He was beaten everyday, the guy said, and because of that his memory didn’t always work the way it should.
After that we went to Choeung Ek – or Killing Field – just outside of Phnom Penh. I knew a little about Cambodian history from reading but actually seeing the spots where it al happened made it more real. Between 1975 and 1979 the communist Khmer Rouge – led by Pol Pot – ruled in Cambodia. During their regime almost 2 million people died – from killing, torture, disease and starvation. Choeung Ek was one of the places where people were brought to dead. Most of them stayed in a prison called S-21. During the Khmer Rouge period only few people knew about the existence of this prison – a former school. It was later discovered by two Vietnamese photographers. About 15,000 people were held in the prison. Most of them were tortured until they confessed crimes – which they obviously hadn’t committed – against the Khmer Rouge. We went there and saw pictures of prisoners taken during those four years. I was moved very much by one particular photo. It was an old man with a sad expression on his face. It was as if he knew his fate and was ashamed by it. He didn’t look into the camera.
Still people here are so friendly. Everytime I see a Cambodian I wonder how many people he or she has lost because of the Khmer Rouge regime.
We also visited a slum and took some pictures. The little kids followed us everywhere, smiling and posing. Their lives must not be easy, so who are we to complain about ours?
In the end we decided to take the diving course.
Pfoe, heftig zeg... Dan besef je inderdaad maar weer even hoe goed we het hebben en dat wel of niet gaan duiken misschien een klein luxe probleempje is. Die Killing Fields lijken me trouwens ook erg indrukwekkend. Komt ook weer op het lijstje van dingen die ik nog graag zou willen zien.
ReplyDeleteGeniet van het duiken!
xx Lieke
Hoi Sjan,
ReplyDeleteHoe een armoedige "huisjes". Ik vraag me af of ze er wel voldoende voedsel hebben, want het is een van de armste landen van de wereld. De man op de fiets ziet er ook erg mager uit. Toch erg indrukwekkend allemaal!
Liefs van mama