DPA
Phnom Penh - Hundreds of Cambodian villagers dug up a newly discovered Khmer Rouge-era mass grave in the hopes of discovering gold and other valuables, police said on Tuesday.
Khean Sokhon, Chhuk Meas district police chief from the southern coastal province of Kampot, said the mass grave was discovered at the weekend by Vietnamese authorities seeking the remains of Vietnamese soldiers missing in action.
"They didn't find any Vietnamese remains, but after they found the grave, hundreds of Cambodians just arrived and started digging," Sokhon said by telephone. "There were too many of them to stop."
"They found a gold ring but very little else," he said. "Police warned them to stop, and some did, but most only stopped digging when they were exhausted and discouraged."
The mass grave was discovered on state land. The police ordered local authorities to gather the exhumed bones and the remains were expected to be taken to a Buddhist pagoda for safekeeping and blessing, he added.
The Khmer Rouge ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. Under its bloody Democratic Kampuchea regime, up to 2 million Cambodians, or more than a quarter of its population, died. The country is still littered with their mass graves.
Cambodians normally treat these graves with great respect, but police speculated that rumours that the victims were rich and had been buried with their gold led to mass hysteria among impoverished villagers.
Khean Sokhon, Chhuk Meas district police chief from the southern coastal province of Kampot, said the mass grave was discovered at the weekend by Vietnamese authorities seeking the remains of Vietnamese soldiers missing in action.
"They didn't find any Vietnamese remains, but after they found the grave, hundreds of Cambodians just arrived and started digging," Sokhon said by telephone. "There were too many of them to stop."
"They found a gold ring but very little else," he said. "Police warned them to stop, and some did, but most only stopped digging when they were exhausted and discouraged."
The mass grave was discovered on state land. The police ordered local authorities to gather the exhumed bones and the remains were expected to be taken to a Buddhist pagoda for safekeeping and blessing, he added.
The Khmer Rouge ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. Under its bloody Democratic Kampuchea regime, up to 2 million Cambodians, or more than a quarter of its population, died. The country is still littered with their mass graves.
Cambodians normally treat these graves with great respect, but police speculated that rumours that the victims were rich and had been buried with their gold led to mass hysteria among impoverished villagers.
9 comments:
They come for you Killers!
You will go to hell sonn!
And you! know who you are!
They may take you alive to hell this year! as HORA in the palace predicted!
Some thing streng and violent will happen in Phnom Penh!!!!!!!!!!!!
they are destroying artifacts that could bring the Khmer Rouge to justice. Those skeletal remains and items can be a link to how the Khmer Rouge operated and who they killed. Stupid savages dont know any better. Disgraceful poor scums.
When did Yuon become passionate about their dead one while they mass murder them in the fields. Vietnamese are always up to no good. They also should be trial of mass murder former Khmer Rouge.
This is the Vietcong way to destroying the fucken evidences before the Khmer Rogue trial!
Wrong, people just looks for
valuables. They don't give a damn
about bones and skeletons. The will
reburied it when they are done. You
won't even know if they were there.
This is the Communist youn way to destroying the fucken evidences before the Khmer Rouge trial!
And how is removing the jewleries
destroying the evidences?
8:17 PM Removing jewelery? You must have learned nothing in Archaeology, to disturb the position of each item and interrupt where they were buried is to destroy evidence unseen to the eye. Those people are mixing bones, making it harder to piece together whose bones belong to who, which makes it harder to identify them. THINK IT THIS WAY, WHAT IF THOSE BONES WERE THE BONES OF YOUR FAMILY WHO WERE LOST IN THE KILLING FIELDS?? They might be disturbing the grave of your family, for Cambodians to do this its a disgrace. But then again, they must be desperate. Its probably not their fault, but they are destroying information and evidence at a very alarming rate. The government cant even do anything about it...what a shame, Khmer history is also being dugged up and sold for a dollar. Instead of going to the museum where people can learn of our past, they are being sold to Thailand and making it into the bathrooms of rich people.
Oh, stop being such a baby, those
are good people who is willing to
break their back to find relief
for themselve. I got nothing but
respect for them. They are not
those low-life who went to rob
the rubber plantation or bank.
Let them work, bro, don't be so
idealistic because you are not
in their shoes.
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