When it was a prison, nobody learned,
When it was a school, nobody died...
- Anonymous, Right staircase of Block C, Tool Slang Genocide
Museum
Among
the empty cells of Tool Sleng, I attempted to find out the
reasons on why Khmer Rouge had to resort to such actions
of mass terror. Was it because they wanted to realise their
ultimate dream of creating a utopian society? Was it because
they wanted to unleash a series of punishment to people
who supported to Lon Nol regime? Was it because they had
a drop too much? Was it because they simply wanted to amuse
themselves? Or was it simply due to fear?
None
of these answers (to the questions) can ever justify the
atrocities committed from 1975-1979. Gone were the ideas
for a glorified Maoist revolution, capitalism is in town
now. As the years gone by, the "blood" brothers
had slowly faded into the history books (some are dead).
My heart goes out with the "blood" brothers. Afterall,
no one was born to kill. But note the difference between
"live" and "evil". It is a just a matter
on how one arranges the alphabets: isn't it really that
simple to decide if one wants to be a god or devil?
Sometimes,
I wondered if the ghosts of Tuol Sleng could ever be put
to rest?
I
recalled the fun when I went up to the Olympic Stadium in
Phnom Penh and danced along with the locals to the tunes
of Khmer pop hits. The sunset was beautiful that day. As
we slowly leave the stadium, it's glad to know that sunrise
is just a couple of hours away and a new ray of hope will
emerge. Yes, the history was dark (just). But then again,
can we stop Cambodians from dreaming of a better future? |