Genocide Museum & The Killing Fields, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

In 1953, Cambodia gained independence after nearly 100 years under French rule. During the 1960's, Cambodia was predominantly a Buddhist country under the rule of a monarch, Prince Sihanouk. In 1970, Prince Sihanouk was deposed in a military coup and Cambodia fell under a new leader by the name of lieutenant-general Lon Nol. After he was deposed, Prince Sihanouk joined forces with a communist guerrilla organization that was founded in 1960, known as the Khmer Rogue. In 1970, The Khmer Rogue attacked Lon Nol's army and a civil war began in Cambodia.

In 1970 when the civil war broke out in Cambodia, the Khmer Rogue guerrilla movement, under the leadership of Pol Pot was small, but by 1975 it is estimated that it had a force of over 700,000 men. On 17th April 1975, the Khmer Rogue captured Phnom Penh and Lon Nol was defeated.
Under Pol Pot's rule and within days of overtaking the government, the Khmer Rogue embarked on a mission to impose their extremist reforms on the people. These reforms included isolating the country from the outside world, abolishing all political and civil rights, closing all schools and hospitals, abolishing all currencies and the banking system, outlawing religion and confiscating all privately property. It has been said that the goal was to create a society that knew nothing and understood nothing. The Khmer Rogue's social reform plan was to create a purely agrarian-based communist society, where the whole population had to work on collective farms and on forced labour projects. Millions of people were forced from the cities to the countryside to work on these farms and projects. Those that resisted were killed. No one was spared the exodus, not even the ill, young or elderly (young children were separated from their parents and sent to forced labour camps for children). All the people working on these farms and labour camps became unpaid labourers, working for meager rations and for many hours a day. The conditions were so bad that many perished from starvation, exhaustion and illness.
Professionals, educated people (ironically Pol Pot himself was an educated man) and intellectuals, were singled out as they were seen to be a threat, as were people suspected of opposing the movement and people deemed to be elitists. These people and their extended families were simply murdered. In addition to eliminating anyone seen as a threat, so too was any un-communist aspect of traditional Cambodian society eliminated.
It is estimated that over 1.5 million people died at the hands of the Khmer Rogue (1/5 of the country's then population) from hunger, torture, starvation, sickness and exhaustion.
The Khmer Rogue was finally overthrown in 1979 when the Vietnamese invaded Cambodia. Although the Khmer Rogue continued to maintain power in some areas, it was only in 1999 that its final stronghold fell.
Pol Pot died in 1998 and never faced trial for his crimes against humanity.

There are two places in Phnom Penh that serve as a reminder of the pure evil that was committed against Cambodians and minorities under the Khmer Rogue : The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and The Killing Fields. Visiting the genocide museum and The Killing Fields was definitely something that we wanted to do while in Phnom Penh. Our reason for wanting to visit both these places was not due to any morbid curiosity, but rather to better understand what took place during this dark era in Cambodia's history and also to pay tribute to all those who lost their lives under Pol Pot's regime.
Today, Cambodia is a peaceful nation where democracy has been reinstated and where the main religion, Buddhism has been revived, but there is still a lot that needs to be done. Bill Clinton's UN Ambassador Richard Holbrook once said, "It will be a hundred years before Cambodia emerges from the horror of the Pol Pot Regime". We certainly hope he is wrong and that it will be a lot sooner.

***Warning - some of the images posted here may be disturbing, discretion advised***

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21)
What was once a school filled with children, Tuol Sleng became one of the worst places to be in Phnom Penh from 1975 - 1979. In August 1975, on the orders of Pol Pot, Tuol Sleng was turned into a prison and was called S-21 (Security Office 21). The four buildings of the school were turned into torture chambers, large prison cells to house groups of detainees and tiny prison cells (measuring 0.8 x 2 metres each) for individual prisoners.
This prison was used for the detention, brutal interrogation, inhumane torture and sometimes the killing of detainees who were brought here (those who were not killed here were taken to The Killing Fields where they were executed). Most of the people (and their families) who were brought here, were people that the Khmer Rogue accused of opposing the Pol Pot regime.
In 1979 after the Pol Pot regime was overthrown, evidence from S-21 was collected and is now on display. Among the evidence collected are photographs of detainees, films, prisoner confessions, torture tools and shackles.
Based on records recovered, it is estimated that over 15,000 prisoners were brought to S-21 over the 4 year period that the Khmer Rogue was in power. The remains of 14 victim corpses (one of whom was female), were also uncovered and they have been laid to rest in front of one of the buildings of the prison. They are believed to have been the last people tortured and killed at S-21. Unfortunately they could not be identified due to bad decomposition.
Kang Keck lev (also known as "Duch"), was the Khmer Rogue leader that was in charge of running the S-21 prison. In 2007 Duch was formally charged with crimes against humanity and detained by Cambodia's United Nations-backed Cambodia Tribunal. He has since apologized and expressed remorse for his role in the torture and deaths of many people. He will be sentenced in July 2010.
Tuol Sleng is a sad and haunting place, especially seeing the photos of the thousands of men, women and children who were prisoners here, and who suffered unimaginable torture and ultimately death.

Choeung Ek (The Killing Fields)
There are many killing fields scattered all over Cambodia, but Choeung Ek is the most infamous of them all. Situated about 17 kms southwest of Phnom Penh, this was the execution site and dumping ground for thousands of men, women and children who perished under the Khmer Rogue in Phnom Penh. It is estimated that over 17,000 people were slaughtered and buried here in mass graves (8895 bodies have been discovered to date). Many were brought here after being interrogated and tortured at the S-21 Prison. One of the most disturbing facts is that many of the victims were women, children and even babies (there is a large tree on the grounds, that was used to kill babies by bashing their heads against the stump).
Today, Choeung Ek is a quiet and peaceful place, so it is hard to believe that this place was once a killing ground, but there are reminders everywhere of the atrocities that took place here. The most notable of these are the massive holes all over the grounds (mass graves) and the large white Buddhist stupa that stands in the middle of the grounds. This large monument was erected as a memorial to all those who perished and it holds thousands of skulls and bones that were uncovered in the mass graves. This is a sacred place, that hopefully will serve as a reminder that atrocities like this should never be allowed to happen again.

Mith Samlanh/Friends, Cambodia

One of the greatest gifts we have received from traveling, has been the exposure and in many cases the introduction to new people, places, things and experiences. Traveling has in so many ways been an education within itself and we are truly grateful for all the experiences we have had. That said, had we not taken this trip to Phnom Penh, we would not have discovered two very special places, nor learned about the amazing work that one remarkable NGO is doing with street children, their families and their communities.
We were and still are so inspired by what we saw, that we want to spread the word and do our part to help. From this experience, we also want to pay tribute to all the amazing people who are changing the world one day at a time and making a difference in other people's lives. While these people may never receive the accolades that are given to famous philanthropists like Bill and Melinda Gates, or Warren Buffet, they nevertheless should be recognized for the life-changing work they are doing.

Friends International
In 1994, Mith Samlanh or "Friends" in English, was born from the vision of three ordinary, yet amazing people - Sebastien Marot, Barbara Adams and Mark Turgesen.
It all started when Sebastien Marot and Barbara Adams arrived in Cambodia from Paris. Their plan was to stay a few weeks in Cambodia, before going to Japan to live and work. At that time, Cambodia was just emerging from many years of unrest and from being isolated from the rest of the world. The country was in shambles and was not a great place to be - electricity blackouts were common, water was regularly cut off, gunshots could often be heard in the streets, violent crimes were common, infrastructure was almost non-existent and landmines were everywhere. Most of all, there was extreme poverty for the overwhelming majority, and wealth and power for a few.

One night after having dinner at a restaurant in Phnom Penh, Sabastien and Barbara came across a row of more than 20 children sleeping on cardboard boxes on the sidewalk. They were so moved by what they saw, that they started taking food and clean water to these children. It was through this action that they met Mark, who like them, was so upset by what he had seen, that he had started cooking rice in his hotel room and distributing it to the children.
This carried on for a few weeks, until finally they were faced with the hard decision of whether to leave for Japan and forget it all, or stay and help. The three of them decided they wanted to try and make a difference and as a result, Mith Samlanh/Friends was born.
Barbara and Mark both had job commitments, so they asked Sebastien if he would be in charge of running the organization. The three of them pooled their resources, and rented and furnished a small house with a large common room, two dormitories, showers, a kitchen and a small classroom. With the help from some Cambodians they had befriended, they started meeting with street children to identify what they wanted and needed.
On August 1, 1994 the Mith Samlanh/Friends centre was opened and 17 children arrived on the first day. This was just the beginning and as they would soon discover, it would not be all smooth sailing from here. For the first two years they encountered numerous challenges along the way, including threats and attacks from gangs who wanted the children back on the streets, and death threats from a French paedophile because Mith Samlanh/Friends managed to prove that he was sexually abusing children . In addition to the violence, one of the biggest challenges was coming up with enough money to fund and operate the centre (Sebastien and the others had tapped into their savings and Sebastien even took odd jobs and worked at night to earn money to keep the centre going). Literally on the eve of deciding to close the centre, Sebastien received a call from Save the Children Australia that would change everything : Ausaid, the Australian government's aid agency was offering to fund Mith Samlanh/Friends for three years ! And as the saying goes, the rest is history !
Since that time, Friends has been able to build and fund 12 vocational training courses, including a training centre. The aim at Friends is to provide a wide range of vocational training courses that teach former street youth, skills that lead to rewarding employment and a better future. Cooking was one of the first skills among 11 others that were taught. Enter Gustav Auer, chef extraordinaire, who volunteered to teach cooking on a regular basis at the training centre. With additional funding from the European Commission and DOH-International, Friends was able to put together a plan for a business and this is how Friends The Restaurant was born.

Friends - The Restaurant
Friends The Restaurant opened its doors in February 2001 and as mentioned above, was part of the training initiative of the Friends organization. This initiative was designed to train former street youth in the skills of hospitality. In the beginning, students followed a basic curriculum, applied their knowledge and gained valuable experience by serving lunch each day to over 1000 students at the Friends training and education centre in Phnom Penh. As time went by, it became apparent that students needed real restaurant experience and that was when the first training restaurant, Friends The Restaurant was launched and opened to the public. Today, trained students with the help from their teachers, are actively involved in all areas of the restaurant, from preparing food, to serving patrons, to the creation of new dishes and the design of the menu.

We can't say enough about this restaurant, except that it was one of the best dining experiences we have ever had. We had no expectations going in, so we were literally blown away, firstly by the decor and secondly by the warm welcome and the attentive service. The restaurant's signature colourful walls, are covered with paintings created by the children and students at Friends, and it is just beautiful (there is so much love in this place!). With the decor and atmosphere a clear winner, we weren't sure what to expect from the food, but when the food arrived, it was all beautifully presented and tasted absolutely delicious.
The menu at Friends consists mostly of Tapas, with East meets West flavours (the focus is on simple, yet tasty food that can easily be prepared by the students). All the ingredients are of the highest quality and they even use filtered water to prepare and cook the food.
We ordered a Greek salad, their famous smoky eggplant dip, vegetable wraps and sun-dried tomato hummus on crispy wonton wrappers. It was all so good that we finished everything ! Friends The Restaurant also makes the best freezes (green apple and lime, and citrus and mint). We were so impressed that we went to this restaurant twice, once for lunch (the restaurant was packed) and then again for drinks when the restaurant was quieter. This is one restaurant we would definitely recommend to anyone visiting Phnom Penh !
Since it opened its doors in 2001, Friends The Restaurant has become very popular. More and more patrons have visited the restaurant over the years and the organization has trained more and more young people, many of whom now work in restaurants around Phnom Penh and other cities in Cambodia. It is really wonderful to see these young people learning skills, that will help improve their lives and in turn, that of their families and communities.

Romdeng Restaurant
With the success of Friends The Restaurant and with the desire to improve the skills of their hospitality students, Sebastien and Gustav felt a need to open a second intermediate level restaurant where students could further develop their skills before finishing their studies. Sebastien and Gustav started discussing Cambodian food more and more, especially after learning that Cambodian food was virtually annihilated during the Khmer Rogue era, along with much of the country's culture.
In 2005 after lots of research, it was decided that a second training restaurant serving only Cambodian food would be opened. This was logical in terms of giving students the skills needed to work in local businesses. It was also a way for students to rediscover an important part of their culture: food and a wonderful way to make them proud of their heritage.
Romdeng Restaurant opened its doors in December 2005 and like Friends The Restaurant, was and still is a huge success. Set in a beautiful house, it has followed in the footsteps of Friends The Restaurants, with beautiful locally made furniture and amazing paintings on the walls created by some of the children and students at Friends. The service and food at this restaurant was equally as impressive and we had another wonderful dining experience. We ordered the famous Fish Amok (fish marinated in coconut cream with chili paste, lemongrass and seasoning, steamed in a banana leaf) and a chili tofu stirfry with vegetables. Both dishes were delicious and then we topped off our meal with sticky rice and mangoes for dessert (divine). Like Friends The Restaurant, Romdeng also makes the best fruit freezes ! Because Romdeng serves Cambodian food, we weren't surprised to find some strange items on the menu, like crispy Tarantulas, spicy stir-fried frogs legs and a curry with red ants ! Unfortunately we were not brave enough to try any of this.

Since the opening of Romdeng Restaurant, Friends International has expanded and developed its work with street children beyond Phnom Penh to Siem Reap and other countries including Laos, Thailand and Indonesia. In 2006, Friends International opened its first restaurant outside of Cambodia in Vientiane, Laos called Makphet (meaning "chili") and it is based on the same philosophy as Romdeng Restaurant. Makphet has proved to be another success story.

It is wonderful to see an organization like Friends International grow and expand its influence. This organization is a true testament to what a few people can do and how their actions can snowball into something truly amazing ! Long live Friends International !