Pol Pot - The Khmer Rouge & the Killing Fields Documentary

I've never had such an eerie feeling as I did whilst standing in front of the killing fields memorial in Cambodia. To see such a tower of human remains and know it's only a fraction of all people killed was truly horrifying and mind blowing..

I was shocked to discover a few years ago that the hair-cutter at the shop I frequented escaped with her sister from one of the Khmer Rouge jungle prison camps where many died. One day, we were making small talk as she cut my hair and I asked where she was originally from, and she said Cambodia.

She then told a story how they left during Pol Pot's rule, and that she and her sister escaped to save their lives. At first, I thought she was kidding, but then I saw her sad eyes and the emotion in her voice. They escaped at night preferring to die trying rather than wait for an almost certain eventual death in the camp.

The two hiked quietly for many days through the jungle until they reached Thailand and safety. From there, they eventually were allowed to resettle in the US. She and her sister are brave. Sadly, many in their family disappeared during that bad time.

Never forget, he did not do these things alone. He was human supported by other people. The killing fields were ran by everyday people. That's an important point to remember when looking back on dictators.

How people came to do these things are just as important as who was at the head of government.