Short of writing a history lesson here, or giving blame, the killing caves is one of many places where mass execution and genocide was committed by the Khmer Rouge, under Pol Pot’s (Saloth Sar) control when he was in power of Cambodia (April 17, 1975 to late 1978 ( In jan 1979 Vietnam installed a new government))
Although estimates vary from just over 1 million to as high as 4 million deaths at the hands of the Khmer Rouge, the true number will never be known, as also the after effects of this devastation.
The killing caves is an area where over 10K where killed. People where interrogated, then if they where lucky bludgeoned to death before thrown down the cave, where if they where not already dead, hopefully the fall would kill them. As the caves filled up, people began to fall on bodies below, causing them to survive the fall. These people then slowly died from starvation, bleeding, and internal injuries.
Children and babies where thrown into a separate cave system nearby.
A memorial is set up, with some of the remains of the bones found at the bottom of the cave, to pay respect to those that lost their lives here. Following are some pictures of the Killing caves.
Stairs build to allow access to the memorial at the bottom of the cave
Memorial at the bottom of the cave
The cave still goes deeper down
People would be walked along this path, and stand waiting to be executed. Imagine being in this line, and hearing the screams of those going before you, knowing you are about to die
View from the rim where people were thrown down
Cave nearby where children were killed
Two artillery pieces still stand on the hill nearby
A Wat, or place of worship sits on the ground near the caves.
Horrible, it reminds me of the churches in South America with torture chambers in the basement. As one method of torture, there was a man made pit in which they threw the victims.
History shows us that there is blood on the hands of many leaders, and churches of different faiths. Killing in the name of any god, is still murder.