Report day 3 --by Gina

Etched in the walls of the Kigali Memorial Center in Rwanda, it reads: “If you must remember, remember this: The Nazis did not kill six million Jews nor the Interhamwe kill a million Tutsis, they killed one, then another, then another… Genocide is not a single act of murder; it is millions of acts of murder.” Like Rwanda, the legacy of genocide remains prominent in the political, economic, and social structures of Cambodia. Today, our site visit to the infamous Tuol Sleng Prison was a powerful reminder of this impact and a harrowing illustration of the way in which thousands of lives were extinguished in distinct, individual acts of brutality. The former school – which was converted in 1975 into a compound designed for systematic torture prior to executions – housed approximately 20,000 inmates in three years; in this short time, only seven detainees survived. The reality and enormous scale of the crimes directed by the Khmer Rouge leadership and executed by otherwise ordinary Cambodians is staggering.

While Tuol Sleng told a story of horrendous brutality and inhuman actions, our meeting with Theary Seng, a survivor of the Khmer Rouge Regime, reminded us that positive change is possible and provided a basis for optimism. Theary – a vibrant and charismatic native of the Svay Rieng province – began her story by telling us that her narrative is tragic only because it is one shared by so many Cambodians. Despite the enormous obstacles created by this trauma – and perhaps because of them – Theary remains committed to finding solutions for “the sea of urgent challenges facing Cambodia.” Although Cambodia’s emergence from genocide has been marred by an ineffective justice system and widespread corruption, Theary articulates hope that Cambodians will find truth, justice, and forgiveness. This reconciliation with the past – with horrors such as those documented at Tuol Sleng and countless other prisons and on numerous killing fields – is not a simple task, but a necessary one. With people like Theary on the front lines, Cambodia may see a brighter future.