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1. Do not try to hide facts
by making excuses. You are strictly prohibited from
contesting
me.
2. While being lashed or electrocuted, you must not cry
at all.
3. Disobey any rule and you will get 5 lashes with an
electric wire.
Much like the Nazi concentration camps,
the Khmer Rouge
documented ever prisoner and atrocity. Upon arrival,
each prisoner's picture was taken and a detailed
biography was documented. Prisoners were then confined
to cells approximately the size of a closet by chaining
them to iron posts. Daily torture was undertaken through
beatings, electric shock and other atrocities. At the
end of their imprisonment, prisoners were marched about
two miles to the killing fields. To save bullets, they
were beaten to death.
The atrocious numbers for
Tuol Sleng:
From 10,500 to 14,500 adult
prisoners.
Another 2,000 children prisoners.
7 survived. Yes, just 7.
Only 2 Khmer have ever been prosecuted for the atrocity.
Today, Tuol Sleng is a genocide museum. The walls are
full of pictures of the prisoners. Men and women. Boys
and girls as young as 5-years old. There are still
bloodstains on the floors of the interrogation rooms.
Why visit or write an article about Tuol Sleng?
Traveling is about discovery, even if the subject is
something horrible. Failing to recognize the dark side
of humanity dooms us to repeat those failings. The Nazi
concentration camps existed in the 40s, Tuol Sleng in
the 70s, and today similar atrocities are occurring in
North Vietnam and Darfur. Will we ever learn?
About the Author
Rick Chapo is with http://www.nomadjournals.com - makers
of travel journals. Writing journals are the perfect
travel accessories. Visit http://www.nomadjournaltrips.com
to read more travel articles and travelogues.
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