Figure 9 - uploaded by Julie M. Fleischman
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Construction of the Choeung Ek memorial in 1988 (image courtesy of the Documentation Center of Cambodia); the memorial today.
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The Khmer Rouge regime, led by the infamous Pol Pot, governed Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. Living conditions were severe, and it is estimated that approximately one quarter of the Cambodian population of nearly eight million died from mistreatment, overwork, malnutrition, and violence. Using a biocultural anthropological approach, this research addr...
Citations
... The remains of these victims are now curated in a memorial stupa (Buddhist shrine) at Choeung Ek. After an extensive conservation and analytical project conducted by an exclusively Cambodian team-designated the Choeung Ek Conservation of Victims at the Killing Fields project (Beavan 2015; Fleischman 2016)-today the minimum number of individuals represented by the remains is more than 7,700 (derived from the count of right humeri), although only 6,426 crania are present (ECCC 2017b;Fleischman 2017). The remains in the stupa are visually confronting and serve as a pedagogical tool informing Cambodians and foreigners about the violence committed by the Khmer Rouge, as well as serving as a memorial for those who perished. ...
... According to the archival execution records from S-21, this overrepresentation of males was expected. For example, an analysis of 97 S-21 execution lists indicates there were nearly six males for every female (Fleischman 2017; see Fleischman 2018 for a comparison of the demographic patterns between the archival documents and the skeletal remains). While having more males than females in this sample was anticipated, having so few females (n = 12, or 2.4%) was unanticipated. ...
... 1980, the crania and/or skulls were separated from the postcranial elements. The rationale for this separation and commingling is unclear, but perhaps the crania were used to count the number of victims (see Fleischman 2017). This extensive commingling has resulted in the inability to reassociate any of the stupa's postcranial elements with their respective crania (see Fig. 1). ...
The Khmer Rouge regime controlled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. Conditions were severe, and it is estimated that approximately 1.7 million individuals died from overwork, malnutrition, and violence. Hundreds of thousands were executed and buried in mass graves throughout the country. Many of these graves were exhumed during the 1980s, but until recently the disinterred human remains had not been scientifically analyzed on a large scale. This paper will discuss the osteological analysis of more than five hundred crania conducted at the Choeung Ek Genocidal Center (Choeung Ek) in Phnom Penh. Choeung Ek was used by the Khmer Rouge as the execution and burial location for one of its highest-level detention centers.
The crania at Choeung Ek were assessed for demographic characteristics and traumatic injuries. Results indicate that the majority of the 508 crania were estimated to be male (82.9%) and young adults (68.3%) between 20 and 35 years of age. Perimortem trauma was present on 311 crania (61%), with 179 (58%) having discernible impact locations. Blunt force injuries (87%) were the most common mechanism of trauma, and the basicranium (53%) was the most frequently affected region. When the mechanism and location of traumatic injuries were evaluated by sex and age-at-death categories, no statistically significant differences were found, indicating that all victims with perimortem trauma were subjected to similar execution methods regardless of their age or sex. These remains stand as a testament to Khmer Rouge violence as well as a solemn memorial to those who perished.
Chapter 8 discusses the impact of the Khmer Rouge regime on the people of Cambodia and the importance of documenting the evidence of violence. This study focuses on the important work being done at the Choeung Ek Genocidal Center analyzing the skeletal remains of the victims. In particular, a recent study performed on a sample of Khmer Rouge victims is discussed and, through analysis of the perimortem trauma, confirms eyewitness accounts that blunt force trauma to the base of the skull was often utilized to execute the victims.
Between 1975 and 1979 Cambodia was witness to a period of mass violence in which approximately two million people died from famine, disease, and murder. This violence was the result of policies initiated by the Communist Party of Kampuchea, better known as the Khmer Rouge. To date, little research has systematically or empirically studied the geography of specific practices, notably the construction of irrigation schemes, initiated by the CPK that produced those material conditions that resulted in death and deprivation. Using satellite images, aerial photographs, archival records, and field observation, we systematically document and map Khmer Rouge irrigation schemes. Findings indicate that approximately 7,000 kilometers of canals and dikes and over 350 reservoirs were constructed during the genocide. A six-class typology is forwarded, as we argue that local hydrologic and geomorphic conditions did figure in the construction of dams, dikes, canals, and reservoirs.
