Cambodia's Problem From Hell

"To keep you is no benefit. To destroy you is no loss."

-Pol Pot

The Khmer Rouge controlled Cambodia from 1975-1979. The regime murdered 2 million of its own citizens (out of a population of 8 million) for being dissidents or failing to demonstrate sufficient loyalty in a campaign of extreme social engineering.

One of the reasons they killed people was for wearing glasses.

This is S-21, the central interrogation prison and torture chambers.

We watched "The Killing Fields," the 1984 Oscar-winning film which portrays a friendship during the Khmer Rouge's reign of terror. It's one of the best human rights films we've seen, right up there with "Hotel Rwanda" and "Schindler's List."

It's a little morbid that the Genocide Museum is the top tourist attraction in Phnom Penh, but on reflection I'm happy that it is because there is something deeply human in contemplating such atrocities. It's been easier for us to care strongly about the current situation in Burma and tune out the superficial news since we returned, and I think Cambodia's past tells a story that helps align our hearts with larger truths.

If you are interested in this issue, we recommend "A Problem From Hell: America in the Age of Genocide" by Samantha Power.