Not even one generation ago, Pol Pot & the Khmer Rouge rose to power. In the years of 1975-1979 about 2 million people lost their lives – about 20% of the country’s population. It was one of the worst human tragedies of the last century. Pol Pot showed no mercy and went against his own people; doctors, teachers, intellectuals and city dwellers. The people who lived in cities and towns – some 3 million – were driven out to work in the countryside (it only took 3 days for Phnom Penh to become a ghost town). They were labelled “depositees,” and were given very short rations with the intention of starving them to death.

When Vietnamese forces invaded Cambodia, Pol Pot fled to the Thai border, where he would hide out. He was arrested in 1997 and died during house arrest in 1998 – it was not a painful death for him…

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum was a former high school, which was used as the Security Prison 21 (S-21). Out of the 17.000 people who died there, only 7 survived. 14 others had been tortured to death as the Vietnamese were closing in on the city. Their graves have been placed inside the courtyard.

A visit to Tuol Sleng is a depressing experience. It’s clearly nothing for the faint-hearted, because there’s something about the sheer ordinariness of the place that make it even more horrific; the setting right in the city, the simple school buildings, the grassy & flowery area in the courtyard, ousted beds, instruments of torture and most of all, wall after wall of B & W portraits of men, woman and children conjure an image of humanity at its worst.

Admission:
$2.00 per person
Open everyday from 8.00am – 5.00pm

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

The Killing Fields.

The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek are located about 15 kilometers outside of Phnom Penh. It was a place where more than 17.000 civilians were killed and buried in mass graves. Many of them were transported here after detention and torture at the S21 prison. In the center of the area lies a 17-story glass stupa which houses 8.000 skulls, bones and cloth exhumed from the mass graves. Again, this place is nothing for the faint hearted, since you’ll be walking on paths with visible cloths & bones, as well as disturbing photographs.

Admission:
$5.00 per person (including a headset) + $15.00 per tuk tuk
Open everyday from 8.00am – 5.00pm

Stupa in the center of the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Human skulls at the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Mass grave at the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Mass grave at the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

This is the kind of history you don’t learn about in school (at least I didn’t). WWI & WWII, as well as the Vietnam War are on the agenda in almost every textbook, but the history of little Cambodia is left out most of the times. Yet it’s not even slightly less relevant!

The reason why I find Cambodia’s history so heartbreaking is because its people are one of the friendliest you’ll ever come across and imagining that someone would want to erase them, leaves me speechless.

“Let history not repeat itself.“ A statement most people would sign immediately. Still, it’s a wish one can send to Santa Clause, because reality looks a lot different…

India’s massive weapon chamber.

We all know that China not only increased their armoury but that also first aircraft carrier was launched, so that it can reinforce its military status in Asia. India’s stocking of armoury was therefore a bit overshadowed but shouldn’t be underestimated. As mentioned by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, India has become the world’s leading weapon importer. In the arms race with China, India focuses on the expansion of its naval forces with a 45 billion Dollar investment for 2012.

Photo credit unknown.

Pakistan’s “secret war”.

Pakistan was also market on the crisis map of 2011. Focusing on the war against the Taliban on the countries borders, there is also a “secret war” against militant separatists in the state Bolochistan, whose claims reach from more autonomy to independence.

An old border dispute in Asia.

The border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand was newly blazed at the beginning of 2011. When in February both sides claimed the Preah Vihear Temple (which lies on the Cambodian side), first shots were fired and the region didn’t seem to come to a stand. Dozens of soldiers have lost their lives and thousands fled the area. Despite several attempts at mediation on both sides, a newly escalation is not unlikely.

Photo credit: HALO Trust.

Pirates apart from the Gulf of Aden.

More and more prosperity toward violence was seen off the cost of Somalia. The Gulf of Aden is still the most dangerous waters for international merchant shipping. But modern piracy seems to become a global problem in 2012. The Gulf of Guinea (on the West coast of Africa) is a new “hot spot” for pirates and Indonesia holds the record for pirate raids.

Drug cartels are geared up for expansion to the South.

No easing of tension seems to be in sight against Mexico’s drug cartels. But their reach is not limited to the US border, where thousands of people died in the drug war. Almost all of South America is involved in this war, yet there has been little notice about this in the news.

An action plan on the US-Mexican border.

Also a topic that has not been in the news was the US approach against illegal immigrants on the Mexican border. Despite president’s Barack Obama’s announced reform of the immigration law, the numbers of deportations have reached a new all time high.

East Europe pulls the Euro brake.

In 2012, Europe’s Euro crisis is not over yet. One thing is clear though: Until further notice, there will be no expansion of the Euro zone. Even though the crisis has already begun in 2011, Estonia joined the common currency. Meanwhile not only Lithuania and Latvia dropped their plans of joining the Euro zone. Also Poland (where the Euro should have been welcomed by January 1st, 2012), Bulgaria, Rumania and Czech Republic pulled the break on the Euro.

A camel shortage as a bad omen?

At the beginning of the “Arabic spring”, the future of the world’s largest oil exporter Saudi-Arabia was unsure. A possible bad omen could be the sinking amount of the camel population. The reason: By now the country already relies on imports.

Camels are the lifeline in any desert.

Nuclear disarmament.

With the stationing of rockets in the Russian enclave Kaliningrad, the continuing dispute between Russia and the NATO reached its high point. Russia doesn’t only threat with the setup of a defense system but the country also considers a withdrawal of the START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty)-agreement with the USA.

Too many laurels for Rwanda?

Rwanda has become well known as Africa’s flagship country. With 7 percent economic growth and many reform initiatives, president Paul Kagame was downright paid court with by the USA. Even though the first US-trade agreement since the genocide of 1998 has become the highlight of the US-Rwandan relationship, Rwanda might get too many laurels beforehand. After critical newspapers have been closed down and opposition members have been jailed, reports of murdered government critics made the headlines.

What do we need Coltan for?

The ore Coltan is just one of many minerals over which there is a civil war going on. When it comes to its mineral reserves (particularly diamonds, coltan, cassiterite, tin, and copper) the Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the richest countries in the world. And Coltan is its Gold. Out of the ore you obtain the rare metal Tantalum. Without it, the modern world wouldn’t be the same: Tantalum is used in cameras, game consoles, laptops, flat-screen TV’s, nuclear reactors as well as our mobile phones. Since all of these gadgets are produced in huge quantities, the demand for Coltan constantly ascends. And the worst part about this: there is no real alternative for it.

The Coltan War.

80% of the world’s known Coltan supply is in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Experts say, that the demand for Coltan is one of the driving forces behind the war in the DRC. Most of the mines are rebel-controlled. A UN-report states that the Rwandan army made 250 million US $ from selling Coltan in less than 18 months (even though there is no Coltan in Rwanda to mine). Apart from the corruption that is going on, child labour is also very common in the Congo, and the mining industry is no exception. In the past ten year, millions of people have died; villages have been (and still are) raided & families have been massacred. The money from the Coltan sale is often immediately spent on new weapons; it’s a vicious circle.

Environmental issues.

Farmers:

Farmers have been forced off their land (or were forced to mine themselves) as war has ravaged their land. Most of the men who work in the Coltan business used to be farmers. Their wage is above average with about 200 US $ per month. Though the problem about this issue is simple as well. Once they get paied, it’s not unlikely that they’ll be robbed as soon as they return home. The people can’t do anything about this, because…well, life is cheap in Africa…

Wild life:

The Congo is well knows for its Silverback Gorillas and they are also one of the victims because the main area in which Coltan is mined, is in the Kahuzi-Biéga National Park. This park is home to the famouse Mountain Gorilla. Diane Fossey also started studied their life here, before she decided to leave for Rwanda. Miners are killing the gorillas for their “bush meat”. It’s highly priced and therefore the demand is rising. There are only about 130 free living Mountain Gorillas left in this National Park (where before there were over 14.000), and their numbers are still decreasing.

A dead mountain Gorilla in The Congo. Photo by Brent Stirton.

What can we do?

Well, there is not that much that we “little ones” can do, because as usual this lies with the big companies. But there’s still something that each and every one of us can do:

• Try not to buy a new mobile phone every year. Of course we all know that the iPhone 6 will be faster & better than the iPhone 5, but if you wait one more year, there’s going to be a new phone on the market anyway…
• If you do decide to throw out your old phone, think of a way to recycle it. Give it to charity, or look on the Internet for other ways of recycling.
• Spread the word. Most people don’t even know about this issue and the situation hasn’t changed mostly because the consumers don’t complain. Visit RaiseHopeforCongo.org to get more information.

Soil erosion caused by excessive mining (source: ABC Australia).

Civil war because of minerals for our mobile phones…Photo credits unknown.