We got to Takeo - 75 km south of Phnom Penh.
Finally, we slowed down the pace.
We are going to stay here for four nights!
We started the day with breakfast in a small bistro run by a Frenchman. Of course, married to a Khmer woman.
Then, we honoured the murdered by the Khmer Rouge. We chose the place as one of thousands of the killing fields, which was located in the middle of a large village.
Tourists do not come here. This place is away from busy routes.
After the liberation from the rule of the murderers, the state left its inhabitants alone.
How could they return to their homes when the vast area of their fields lay in the places of execution, the dead bodies and all human remains.
How to bring this place back to life where there was a cruel death for many years. How to deal with this huge trauma?
A non-governmental Italian organization brought invaluable help:
In the area of the former execution, the Italians organized a small mausoleum to make life easier among the ghosts of the past; they built a small temple that now unites the people; and the most importantly, they opened an educational centre, not only for the issues of the past.
A workshop classroom was set up for local children, where they can learn, for example, work on a computer, free of charge.
The greatest value is the continuous functioning of the place a dozen or so years after the Italian volunteers left it.
The local community manager to cope with this unimaginable tragedy.
The place has been restored without forgetting the history.
No martyrdom is important, but the lives of future generations ...
After the experience we needed a couple of hours to realx in a unique environment not infested by foreign tourists.
See the photos.
