柬埔寨种族灭绝屠杀场游客翻番

 

The number of tourists visiting Cambodia's genocide sites has more than tripled over the last 10 years. They are visiting memorials for the nearly 2 million people killed under Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge¹.

But the sharp increase in tourism is creating problems. Visitors are disturbing some sites, and making preserving the memories difficult.

Genocide tourism

Choeung Ek is the best known of the genocide sites. It is also known as the Killing² Fields. The site is located 17 kilometers south of Cambodia’s capital city, Phnom Penh.

Each day, tourists arrive by tuk-tuk (a three-wheeled taxi), motorbike and air-conditioned buses.

Chhour Sokty is director at Choeung Ek. He said that in the 11 years he has been working there, the number of visitors has increased from 100 to 800 a day. He believes media promotions³, road improvements, and additions such as public toilets are helping⁴ bring more people to the site.

The place is not a happy one. Human skulls⁵ are stacked neatly⁶ in a stupa, a round-shaped monument. They are surrounded by mass graves. Here, thousands of people were beat to death and buried. They were all victims of the 1975-1979 mass killings⁷ by Pol Pot's men.

Kob Kalyaney works for a private tour agency that brings people to the Killing Fields. She said, "Tourists want to learn if the history is real and they want to witness it."

There are hundreds of sites across Cambodia like Choeung Ek. The difference is that here, and at the S-21 extermination⁸ camp in Phnom Penh, people pay to enter.

The cost helps bring income for people such as book sellers, street vendors⁹, tuk-tuk drivers, tour companies and even beggars.

Leaving a mark

Unfortunately, too many tourists have left their mark.

Some tourists write graffiti on prison walls at S-21 in Phnom Penh. This is the site of the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, where Pol Pot's victims were processed before being sent to the Killing Fields.

At S-21 visitors can see buildings, prison cells and graphic¹⁰ displays of paintings and photographs, along with tools of torture.

At Choeung Ek, some people innocently tie ribbons and notes to the mass graves. But others collect pieces of bones, smoke cigarettes, or eat on the steps of the bone-filled stupa. Many ignore rules restricting cameras and asking for silence.

Youk Chhang is the executive director of the Documentation Centre of Cambodia (DC-Cam). He said one reason people behave inappropriately at the sites is because they do not know the rules. But he added that photos of Khmer Rouge leaders often had to be replaced because visitors would write graffiti on them.

"People get so upset when they see the photographs of the Khmer Rouge leaders so they write on it... I think that it can be bad, it can be good," he said. "You cannot stop people from being, or feeling upset."

He added that neither Choeung Ek nor S-21 were designed to be businesses run for profit.

"We should preserve for our children, not for the tourists. But tourists are welcome if they want to visit, if they want to see it, (if) they want to understand it, they're welcome. That's the whole purpose of the preservation¹¹ of the site," he said.

Evidence and a sanctuary¹²

The genocide sites are not only important for students and visitors, however. The Khmer Rouge Tribunal is using the bones and human remains¹³ as evidence.

The Tribunal has spent the last decade prosecuting¹⁴ Pol Pot's surviving lieutenants¹⁵. It has secured three convictions so far for crimes against humanity.

Currently, two former leaders, Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan, are on trial for genocide. More cases involving lower ranking members are still waiting.

One remaining question is what to do with the human remains after the tribunal is finished. Many people believe the bones should be cremated¹⁶ according to Buddhist¹⁷ tradition. But others say the sites should be kept as they are.

"It's our memory, it should be preserved the way it is, historically, and with respect to our culture, rather than try to create something to attract tourists that's leading to commercializing the memory, which is something that you do not want to do," Youk Chhang of DC-Cam said.

Youk Chang said the prison originally had a large wall map of Cambodia made of human skulls. He said it was far more intense than the current experience.

"And that itself also creates a feeling … it forces people to show some respect, because it is so original," he said.

Some have suggested adding a guest book in each room at the S-21 prison where people can think and write about their experiences.

But any change would be limited, and any major work delayed, until after the Khmer Rouge Tribunal has finished its work.

I’m Phil Dierking. And I'm Alice Bryant.

Words in This Story

commercialism - n. the attitude or actions of people who are influenced too strongly by the desire to earn money or buy goods rather than by other values?

convictions - n. the act of proving that a person is guilty of a crime in a court of law?

cremated - v. when the body of someone who has died is burned to ash

extermination - n. to destroy or kill a group of animals, people, completely?

graffiti - n. pictures or words painted or drawn¹⁸ on a wall, building, etc.?

graphic - adj. shown or described in a very clear way — used especially to refer to things that are unpleasant or shocking?

prosecute¹⁹ - v. to hold a trial against a person who is accused of a crime to see if that person is guilty?

preserved - v. kept in good condition over a long period of time?

1 rouge   

n.胭脂，口红唇膏；v.(在…上)擦口红

参考例句：

• Women put rouge on their cheeks to make their faces pretty.女人往面颊上涂胭脂，使脸更漂亮。
• She didn't need any powder or lip rouge to make her pretty.她天生漂亮，不需要任何脂粉唇膏打扮自己。

2 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

3 promotions   

促进( promotion的名词复数 )； 提升； 推广； 宣传

参考例句：

• All services or promotions must have an appeal and wide application. 所有服务或促销工作都必须具有吸引力和广泛的适用性。
• He promptly directed the highest promotions and decorations for General MacArthur. 他授予麦克阿瑟将军以最高的官阶和勋奖。

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 skulls   

颅骨( skull的名词复数 )； 脑袋； 脑子； 脑瓜

参考例句：

• One of the women's skulls found exceeds in capacity that of the average man of today. 现已发现的女性颅骨中，其中有一个的脑容量超过了今天的普通男子。
• We could make a whole plain white with skulls in the moonlight! 我们便能令月光下的平原变白，遍布白色的骷髅！

6 neatly   

adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地

参考例句：

• Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
• The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。

7 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

8 extermination   

n.消灭，根绝

参考例句：

• All door and window is sealed for the extermination of mosquito. 为了消灭蚊子，所有的门窗都被封闭起来了。 来自辞典例句
• In doing so they were saved from extermination. 这样一来却使它们免于绝灭。 来自辞典例句

9 vendors   

n.摊贩( vendor的名词复数 )；小贩；（房屋等的）卖主；卖方

参考例句：

• The vendors were gazundered at the last minute. 卖主在最后一刻被要求降低房价。
• At the same time, interface standards also benefIt'software vendors. 同时，界面标准也有利于软件开发商。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

10 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

11 preservation   

n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持

参考例句：

• The police are responsible for the preservation of law and order.警察负责维持法律与秩序。
• The picture is in an excellent state of preservation.这幅画保存得极为完好。

12 sanctuary   

n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区

参考例句：

• There was a sanctuary of political refugees behind the hospital.医院后面有一个政治难民的避难所。
• Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。

13 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

14 prosecuting   

检举、告发某人( prosecute的现在分词 )； 对某人提起公诉； 继续从事（某事物）； 担任控方律师

参考例句：

• The witness was cross-examined by the prosecuting counsel. 证人接受控方律师的盘问。
• Every point made by the prosecuting attorney was telling. 检查官提出的每一点都是有力的。

15 lieutenants   

n.陆军中尉( lieutenant的名词复数 )；副职官员；空军；仅低于…官阶的官员

参考例句：

• In the army, lieutenants are subordinate to captains. 在陆军中，中尉是上尉的下级。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Lieutenants now cap at 1.5 from 1. Recon at 1. 中尉现在由1人口增加的1.5人口。侦查小组成员为1人口。 来自互联网

16 cremated   

v.火葬，火化（尸体）( cremate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He wants to is cremated, not buried. 他要火葬，不要土葬。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The bodies were cremated on the shore. 他们的尸体在海边火化了。 来自辞典例句

17 Buddhist   

adj./n.佛教的，佛教徒

参考例句：

• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
• In the eye of the Buddhist,every worldly affair is vain.在佛教徒的眼里，人世上一切事情都是空的。

18 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

19 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？