Go Beyond

The young man in the photograph was named Kim Bol. His photo is one of hundreds on display at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, known as Security Office 21 during the dark years of the Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Rouge took photos of every person they interrogated, tortured, and killed at S-21. These black and white photographs are the Khmer Rouge’s bloody fingerprints at the scene of one of recent history’s most heinous crimes. Kim Bol had the misfortune of being arrested and taken to S-21 on December 10, 1978 — exactly thirty-two years ago to the day. Earlier this week I returned to S-21 for the fourth time. Every time I visit I make it a point to look at as many of the photos on display as possible. I look at the expressions on each face and try to imagine what these individuals must have thought as they posed for what would be their last photograph. And, I look at the dates on the photos and try to remember what I was doing at the time these unfortunate alumni of S-21 were experiencing a living hell.

S-21 is a troubling study of humanity at its worst and a warning of the logical consequences of a worldview that devalues human life. The photos at S-21 tell the story. No one was exempt from the barbaric and inhumane treatment and torture of the Khmer Rouge. They murdered men and women of every age, teenagers, children, babies, and even pregnant women. And, they murdered Kim Bol whose remains lie buried in a mass grave. On the day that Kim Bol posed for Pol Pot’s photographer, I was just a few months into my journey into full-time vocational ministry and was looking forward to driving home to celebrate Christmas with my family. Life was good for me on December 10, 1978. I was not thinking about Cambodia or even aware that places like S-21 existed. But, they did exist and thousands of people like Kim Bol suffered and died as a result.

All that remains as evidence that Kim Bol briefly existed is a faded black and white photograph taken by the people who killed him. I will never know anything more about Kim Bol other than the single fact that he was photographed on December 10, 1978. I will never know the exact date of his death, where he was buried, whether he has any surviving family members, what made him laugh, or what hopes he had for his future. All I can know for certain is that he is dead but should not be forgotten. Kim Bol’s photo challenges me to live with greater awareness of the injustices in our world and to intentionally do something to make a difference. His photo and the hundreds of others on display at S-21 remind me that the world becomes even more dangerous when good people remain silent and complacent in the face of injustice. We must work to affirm the worth and dignity of all people lest one day the faces of our own children are photographed and put on display to remind a future generation of what can happen when evil prevails.