Reaching the pier on the islet.

August 30, 2019

“During Khmer Rouge regime, the island was the place where the Khmer Rouge kept the wives of the murdered male victims,”

According the 51 year-old boatmaker, Koh Ksach Tonlea has another name: Koh Memay (translates to Widow Island). The name has a tragic story behind it.“During Khmer Rouge regime, the island was the place where the Khmer Rouge kept the wives of the murdered male victims,” he revealed. “Not many people know about this. One of those women was my late mother.”

Many of the widows are still alive and willing to tell you their stories. The stories are always sad, full of abuse and great losses. No one knows how many widows were kept here. Some say a few hundred while others say it runs into the thousands. The rest is up to your imahination.

Their life has seen almost no change in the last few decades. Nothing has changed. You will also see the island children, unlike the city youngsters who are going crazy with heads bowed to their smartphone, playing old-fashion games like tag and hide-and-seek.

Full https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50638653/w ... -stranded/