Phnom Penh - Day 2 (Part 2)

2 May 2025

From the hustle and bustle of town, we then drove for about ½ an hour away, to one of many killing fields that existed during the Khmer Rouge regime from 1975-1979. There were many killing fields situated throughout Cambodia, but the one we visited was the biggest.

The Khmer Rouge killed nearly two million people between 1975 and 1979. The roots of the tragedy can be traced back to the 1960s when Cambodia was ruled by King Norodom Sihanouk. In an attempt to shield the country from the growing influence of Thailand and Vietnam, he invited the French to play a protective role. During the colonial period, many Cambodian students received scholarships to study in France. There, a number of them (including Saloth Sar, who would later become Pol Pot) were introduced to communist ideology and began secretly criticising the Cambodian monarchy and its alignment with Western powers.

As their writings caught the attention of foreign intelligence services, some of these students fled back to Southeast Asia, disappearing into the jungles and joining the Kampuchean Revolutionary Party, a local offshoot of the Indo-Chinese Communist Party with strong ties to Vietnam. Eventually, they evolved into the Kampuchea Workers’ Party, increasingly aligning with Chinese-style communism.

By this time, Cambodian political factions had fractured into three ideological camps:

• Red Khmer (communists, later known as the Khmer Rouge)
• White Khmer (Western-oriented, especially pro-American)
• Blue Khmer (monarchists loyal to the king)

Following the French withdrawal and during the height of the Cold War, Cambodia tried to maintain neutrality. But in 1965, the CIA discovered that King Sihanouk had been supporting North Vietnam against the American-backed South. In retaliation, the U.S. severed diplomatic ties and began bombing operations along Cambodia’s borders.

Discontent grew. In 1970, while Sihanouk was abroad, General Lon Nol staged a coup and established the Khmer Republic, turning Cambodia into a pro-Western, anti-communist state. In response, Sihanouk allied with China and joined forces with the Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot, to resist American influence.

When the U.S. pulled out of Vietnam in 1973 and Lon Nol’s regime became mired in corruption, the Khmer Rouge capitalized on the chaos. By 1975, they had seized Phnom Penh. King Sihanouk was allowed to return but was soon arrested as Pol Pot moved to consolidate absolute power.

What followed was one of the most brutal genocides of the 20^th century. The Khmer Rouge sought to eliminate all perceived enemies, including intellectuals, professionals, religious figures, and even those wearing glasses, under the belief that only a radical agrarian society could achieve true equality.

The most infamous execution site is the Choeung Ek Killing Fields (the one I visited), one of an estimated 1,000 mass graves scattered across the country. Here, thousands of men, women, and children were executed and buried in shallow pits. A haunting stupa filled with human skulls now stands as a memorial.

I did not feel good after leaving the Killing Fields; I just felt an overwhelming sense of sadness of what my fellow humans are capable of.

In this quiet reflection we headed back to town to have lunch and I had something called ‘Fish Amuk’ which is something like our otak-otak. The fish comes from the Mekong river. Cambodian food is pretty similar to Malaysian food, with different spices used so slightly different taste but the same rice, vegetable and a protein. Some can be quite spicy due to the use of cili padi. Not much different from home, really.