S-21

S-21 was a school in Cambodia's capital that the Khmer Rouge converted into a detention and interrogation centre during their rule. Entire families were brought here, photographed, tortured then killed. Of the 20,000 men, women and children who passed through, only 7 survived.

It is mostly as it was, bare beds in the interrogation rooms with bolts and chains, the tiny wood and brick cells, the barbed wire coils. Some of the classrooms now contain hundreds and hundreds of black and white photos of the dead.

The place left me with many twisting thoughts but little understanding. Ultimately it was the thoughts of others, overheard or graffiti'd or in the comments book, that helped me to start.

This is a quote from a letter a woman inmate wrote to her husband before she died.

"Its like living among the wolves, who do not know the language of man."

This is the language of man.

"Lucky guys you weren't born in this period."

"Give peace a chance."

"The justice and love of God will be with them."

"Pol Pop, fuckin asshole."

"Where was the world?"

"No oil, no USA."

"Its so unbelievable."

"Left always worse than the right. England forever."

"Sorry."

"The Jews do what they have to do."

"Replace hate with love."

"Puta sucia."

"May you rest in peace."

"We must never forget."

"Hopefully time will help you to forget."

"If this wasn't a concentration camp it would be a pretty nice school."

"Phil loves Lou."

Fuck you Phil.