The other day we were mooching about Phnom Penh’s renowned Russian Market, which used to sell such delights as guns, ammunition, and drugs. Now it sells nothing quite so exciting, or useful – just scarves, table runners, and DVDs. Whilst looking through the DVDs at one stand we were demi-witnesses to a ruthless, and frankly disgusting crime where a young Aussie guy stole around 15 DVDs from under the vendor’s nose. They would have cost him about US $20, a fairly nominal amount to an Aussie who can afford to travel to Cambodia, but a significant amount to your average Cambodian who survives on US $350 income per year. The woman who owned the stall managed to track down the suspect, and Will and I had to confirm that it was the right guy. Slightly awkward as we had not actually seen him take the goods. However, we knew he was lying because he said he didn’t have a bag with him so protested his innocence on the grounds that he had nowhere to stash the items. But Will saw that he definitely did have a bag. Anyway, shortly after we had helped the local Cambodians pull his fingernails out with pliers, the guy gave the woman $10 as a token gesture and walked away. We saw him again the next day looking around S21, with his bag firmly back on his back.
Some Of The Victims Of S21
Formerly the Toul Svay Prey Secondary School, S21 (Security Prison 21 – the 1 referring to the one leader, Pol Pot) is the site of the mass imprisonment of around 20,000 victims of the Khmer Rouge reign of terror. It is a harrowing place. Left almost exactly as it was found, with blood stains still smearing the floors, chains still shackled to the sides of cells, and instruments of torture still lying around on the ground or on hard iron beds, you get the sense cruel death still lingers here. The fact that these terrible events happened in such recent history, between 1975 and 1979, compounds the horror and the reality.
The leader in charge of S21, Kang Keck Iev (known as Duch) is currently on trial. He has asked to be acquitted of all charges.
Choeung Ek, or The Killing Fields 15km outside Phnom Penh city are the site of mass execution of thousands of men, women and children. In 1980 86 mass graves were uncovered, and 8,985 bodies were exhumed. A further 43 graves have been left untouched. People were beaten to death, shot, beheaded or tied up and buried alive here. Babies were beaten to death against The Killing Tree. A memorial stupa has been built here which houses thousands of victims’ skulls and piles of clothing. Like S21, here death feels very close. If you wanted to you could reach out and touch a skull or feel the clothing (although of course you shouldn’t, and probably wouldn’t want to), as the items are not completely encased away from visitors.
Words cannot describe the horrors. And yet somehow the place retains a certain calmness and beauty. It is almost serene.
A really sobering day.
And then that night we went to the wonderful and delicious Romdeng restaurant which is a training restaurant for street kids a la Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen. For some reason, Will and I ended up ordering tarantula as a snack to start off. I’m not even sure why. We hadn’t even been drinking. I think we were thinking tarantula would be a bit like peanuts. Or cashews. Or pork scratchings. And that they’d turn up all prepared, cut into little non-tarantula looking pieces, fried in breadcrumbs and looking edible. But sadly that was not the case. We were confronted by what can only be described as three tarantulas. Three huge furry black huge furry black huge furry black tarantulas. Did I mention that they were huge and furry? Somehow, (where did I lose my mind?) we ate them. Half a leg here, half a leg there, and then whoops I’ve just eaten a tarantula’s bottom. At least it did taste better than goat’s brain. But only just.
Yes, this is a spider on a plate
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