Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre / The Killing Fields
Cambodia is famous for ancient Angkor temples, traditional cuisine and unique culture. If you are planning for Cambodian tours in order to learn about a part of Cambodia history, Choeung Ek Killing Fields should be on your list of destinations in Cambodia.
Situated 15 kilometers south-west of Phnom Penh, the “killing fields” of Choeung Ek have become a tourist attraction, horrifying and fascinating.
1. History of the Killing Fields and the Khmer Rouge
Choeung Ek (The Killing Fields) (Photo: Collected)
The Killing Fields are a number of sites in Cambodia where collectively more than a million people were killed and buried by the Communist Khmer Rouge regime, during its rule of the country from 1975 to 1979, immediately after the end of the Cambodian Civil War (1970–1975). The mass killings are widely regarded as part of a broad state sponsored genocide.
The Killing Fields is part of the legacy left by the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. When Pol Pot and his murderous organization took control of the country, he tried to enforce his communist dream through a nightmare of fear and violence.
The Khmer Rouge in Cambodia (Photo: Collected)
Anyone with the ability to think for themselves was seen as a threat and he set out to eliminate them. Simply having a career as something like a lawyer, doctor, linguist or teacher was enough to mark you for death. That Pol Pot himself was once a teacher and spoke multiple languages was irrelevant in this brazen genocide.
Cambodia became isolated and over the four years the Khmer Rouge ruled the country between 1975 – 1979, it is estimated about 3 million people died. That was almost half the population at the time. At least 20,000 Cambodians were executed here at the Killing Fields in Phnom Penh (the site is also known as Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre).
They were brought out in trucks, taken to pits that had been dug in the ground, and then bashed, hacked, mutilated before being thrown into the hole. Body upon body piled up on top of each other in the mess of massacre.
2. Choeung Ek Killing Field and Memorial Stupa
There are many things to see while visiting the Choeung Ek Killing Field in Phnom Penh. The place has been most aptly been named as the Killing Field in Phnom Penh. The place is actually a mass grave where almost 17,000 innocents were slaughtered mercilessly for no fault of theirs.
The place is really frightening and sends a shiver down the spine as one recalls how the place had been transformed into a grave. There is actually a stupa which stands in the middle of the area and it is this stupa which has become the place for housing the 8,000 skulls taken out from the mass graves.
3. Visiting Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre
The Choeung Ek Killing Fields Cambodia (Photo: Collected)
Choeung Ek Killing Field of Phnom Penh is open daily. All are welcome though it is advised by the authorities that children should be advised and properly guided before they come here.
The Choeung Ek Killing Field at Phnom Penh is one of the most prolific and historic place in Phnom Penh and stands a cruel reminder of the atrocities inflicted upon the masses of Cambodia. There were killing fields all over the country, but Choeung Ek was believed to be the largest.
Every year on the 20th of May, a ceremony is held around the stupa to bring peace to the spirits of the deceased. Sightseeing in Phnom Penh gives the tourists ample opportunity to visit the numerous places in and around the city. Choeung Ek Killing Field in Phnom Penh is a very important place in the city as it has a long history attached to it.
4. Historical Significance of Choeung Ek
The place is really fascinating for all those coming to visit the city. The place has a long history behind it and reminds one of the horrifying times that the people of Cambodia have gone through during the reign of Khmer and after.
If you want to learn about Cambodian history, you should spend time on visiting Choeung Ek Killing Fields in your Cambodian tours. Surely, you will have memorable experiences here.
5. What do you see at the Killing Fields?
5.1. Choeung Ek Killing Field
Skulls of victims of the Khmer Rouge genocide at Choeung Ek Killing Field (Photo: Collected)
The main Killing Fields site that you can visit these days is Choeung Ek, on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.
It’s estimated at least 20,000 Cambodians were executed here at Choeung Ek, their bodies left in the pits like at all the sites.
A reminder: Although it’s commonly referred to as ‘The Killing Fields’, the site you can visit in Phnom Penh is officially called ‘Choeung Ek’ and is just one of hundreds of Killing Fields locations across Cambodia.
From an infrastructure point of view, the Killing Fields site is crude. Nowadays, there are no original buildings left, but even back then, there were just a few small wooden structures.
Comparing it, for example, to the German concentration camp Auschwitz in Poland, you realise how primitively brutal the Khmer Rouge was.
There was no plan for the future, no nation-building grand design. They weren’t trying to create a society. They were trying to destroy one.
5.2. What You Can See at the Site
Pon Pot – The leader of the Khmer Rouge (Photo: Collected)
Most of what you see now is what you would’ve seen at the time – fields that had been dug up to create mass graves, rudimentary weapons or other instruments of death, reminders of the stolen lives scattered across the ground, The audioguide paints the picture well.
It describes in more detail how the site would have looked during the Khmer Rouge’s reign and includes first-person accounts of those who were there at the time. It puts into perspective what you can see today.
And much of that is confronting because it appears so simple yet represents so much more. Dug-out pits with rags of clothing still half-buried in the dirt; human bones protruding from the ground; even the tree the guards would smash babies against to kill them.
5.3. Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre and Memorial Stupa
The main new addition is the memorial building, officially known as the Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre. The modern stupa with traditional Cambodian architectural styles houses the skulls and other bones of thousands of victims.
6. Transportation options at the Killing Fields
Phnom Penh Tuk Tuk (Photo: Collected)
It’s possible to visit the Killing Fields independently, and really the biggest issue is getting there because it’s about 10 kilometres from the centre of the city.
There is no public transport to the Killing Fields from Phnom Penh, so unfortunately, you’ll need to get there another way. If you don’t want to take a tour, you’ll have to either rent a motorbike (or car), or use a taxi (or tuk tuk or rideshare).
Most taxis/tuk tuks/rideshares will drive you there, wait, and then drive you back. The price can range a little bit depending on the season and your bargaining skills, but expect it to be around US$15-20 for the return trip.
A really important thing to remember about visiting the Killing Fields is that this is not a tourist attraction. Choeung Ek is a memorial to the thousands of people who were killed here and, as such, there are some things to keep in mind.
- Official rules at the site mean you can’t wear clothing that exposes your back, shoulders, stomach, or knees. Normal shorts will be ok, but don’t wear short shorts. Singlets are also not appropriate.
- Although you’re allowed to talk, there are lots of signs asking that you keep your voice down and try not to be too loud. Basically, act as you should at a graveyard.
- If you go into the tower that holds the skulls of the victims, remember to take off your shoes before you enter.
Overall, I would recommend spending about 90 minutes at the Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre. It’s not a large site, but it’s not somewhere you’ll feel like rushing through.
Travel lovers.
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