This kind of happened a bit by accident a few years ago on my first visit to pp.
My last few days in town and id arranged a tuktuk for next day to vist killing fields and s21.
Had a rental who id been seeing a few days so on the morning told her my plan and said see ya later on. Didnt even think she would want to come along.
Anyway. Shes saying been in town 4 years now and shes never been and wants to go. Her English is good enough that i get that shes serious so off we go.

KF first. All very interesting, got the double sided boards up at each location. She reads her side i read mine. Its not as depressing as i imagined it would be and although it was a quiet time it was educational for me certainly and my friend seemed to get something from it. The area in genral is quite nice with the walk around the lake ect.

S21 was awfull for her. The rooms with all the pictures of the inmates.. well she couldn't stop looking at them all. Turns out she had never known her father and given her age it was possible he was in one of the photographs.

We didnt stay that long, she was quiet as a mouse on the ride back to town, Didnt want food when we got there. Both most unlike her.

Probably should have said no that morning
, but then again.. would you have?

Probably good for her to have gone and be educated more about what her relatives went through.

We went together to both. She didn't shy away from any of it, except she got tired walking around S21, and seemed a bit bored so just sat where convenient. lol.

A few weeks ago, we went to a pagoda in SR on her suggestion, and there is also a monument that is full of human skulls. She led the way and didn't shy from it. She even comments on the teeth on the skulls.

Come to think of it, when we were in Battambong a few years ago, there's also some kind of monument to that KR era. Its at the top of a mountain and in a bit of a cave. They apparently pushed the people over to their death below in the cave. There's a monument full of human skulls there too. I was with GF and her family, who all respectfully observed it all, and it was them who took me.

Its definitely important for them to learn and know their history. She seems a bit non nonchalant to it all and doesn't necessarily understand how recent and unique it was, and is otherwise quiet. I don't know if her quietness about it is a reflection of lack of depth or just not wanting to talk about it.

What bothers me is that even though S21 admission is free to school groups, many young adults have little knowledge of the genocide and are more inclined to believe what their leaders state on Facebook.

Media is controlled by iron man. How can an average Khmer adult form an opinion of anything else if everything he sees, reads, or hears all say the same thing?

newkidontheblock wrote: ↑Thu Feb 07, 2019 2:25 pm Media is controlled by iron man. How can an average Khmer adult form an opinion of anything else if everything he sees, reads, or hears all say the same thing?

Mm. Especially if Iron Man was part of the 'hood back in the day.

I recently read on cambodia news online if i remember correct is that a majority of khmer dont visit s21 as 80% of its inmates where khmer rouge.dunno how true.but was an interesting read. Regards ops post. I took my missus.she to didnt like it and wanted out of there as quick as possible

steve.sheps wrote: ↑Thu Feb 07, 2019 4:16 pm I recently read on cambodia news online if i remember correct is that a majority of khmer dont visit s21 as 80% of its inmates where khmer rouge.dunno how true.

I think you'll find that's not at all true.