Killing caves of Phnom Sampeau

View of the valley below Phnom Sampeau mountain

The killing caves of Phnom Sampeau are a Khmer Rouge (KR) execution site on Phnom Sampeau, a hill 7 miles (11 km) southwest of Battambang in western Cambodia. KR killed their victims on top of the cave at the rim of a daylight shaft or ceiling hole and threw the corpses into the cave.[1] Men and women were placed in separate caves and clothes in another.[1] Phnom Sampeau (Sampeau Hill) has multiple caves that traditionally served as Buddhist temples. A large glass memorial in the cave next to the skulls and bones and a golden reclining Buddha mark the massacre. A memorial assembled from cyclone fencing and chicken wire contains human bones.[2][3]

Geography

View from the top of Phnom Sampeau

The caves are located on the Mountain of Phnom Sampeau, about mid-way up the mountain along a 250 m (820 ft) road. The mountain is of karstic limestone and features a group of temples. The approach is 12 km (7.5 mi) to the west of Battambang city on the road to Pailin. The mountain is home for a group of macaques, which feed on bananas left by pilgrims. A natural arch made of stalactites offers views of the deep canyon. The valley has vegetation of vines and is inhabited by bats.[4][5]

Features

A statue found in one of the caves in the Phnom Sampeau mountain

A golden, reclining Buddha image appears in one cave. Skulls and bones are kept in a glass-covered cabinet next to the statue. Remnants of war artillery remain, oriented towards Phnom Krapau (Crocodile Mountain), the strategic KR location during the war. At the base point a chicken-wire memorial is present which houses other skeletons. Another feature seen is an incomplete Buddha carving, a 30-foot (9.1 m) image, carved partly into the rock face of the hill, with only the head of the Buddha exposed. Lack of funds prevented its completion.[2][6]

References

  1. ^ a b DK Travel Guides (1 June 2011). DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Cambodia & Laos. Dorling Kindersley Limited. p. 91. ISBN 978-1-4053-4985-7.
  2. ^ a b Ray, Nick; Bloom, Greg; Robinson, Daniel (1 July 2010). Cambodia 7. Lonely Planet. pp. 256–. ISBN 978-1-74179-457-1. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  3. ^ Lonely Planet Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos & Northern Thailand. Lonely Planet. 2012. pp. 324–. ISBN 978-1-74220-700-1. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  4. ^ "Killing Caves of Phnom Sampeau". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  5. ^ "Phnom Sampeau". Lonely Planet. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  6. ^ "Killing Caves Death Caves of Battambang - Death Caves of Phnom Sampeou". showcaves com. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
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