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FORENSICS EXHIBITION |
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Forensic Exhibition:
THE
BONES CANNOT FIND PEACE
UNTIL
THE TRUTH THEY HOLD IN THEMSELVES
HAS
BEEN REVEALED
(Youk Chhang)
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The
Skulls
The ten skulls photographed for
this exhibit come from the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. They were originally
excavated from Choeung Ek (the “killing fields” south of Phnom Penh where Tuol
Sleng prisoners were executed) and other parts of Cambodia. This exhibit seeks
to demonstrate the value of forensic evidence in documenting the Khmer Rouge’s
crimes against humanity. It is also intended to educate the public about the
types of information that can be scientifically gathered from victims’ remains
in order to prove and record evidence of murder/genocide.
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Forensic
Evidence
Forensic teams from the
Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam) provided a large number of skulls to a
team of Canadian forensic specialists. The specialists chose ten for analysis.
The skulls were selected based on their condition, level of preservation, and
wound types; they were not selected randomly. Thus, one cannot infer that
because one of the ten skulls is from a female that 10% of the Khmer Rouge’s
victims were women, or that because four of them exhibit gunshot wounds that 40%
of the victims were shot.
The specialists found three types of trauma
to the skulls, which caused or contributed to the death of each
individual:
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Blunt-force
trauma (from such implements as a gun butt, hammer, mallet, or log): 2
skulls
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Sharp-force
trauma (from a cutting implement such as a machete, knife, hoe, ax, or
hatchet): 4 skulls
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Gunshot wounds:
4 skulls.
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| Cranium of a man, 25 to 45 years old |
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Cranium of a man, 30 to 55 years old |
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Cranium of a man, 20 to 40 years old |
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| Cranium of a man, 20 to 40 years old |
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Cranium of a man, 30 to 50 years old |
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Cranium of a man, 30 to 50 years old |
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| Cranium of a man, 25 to 45 years old |
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Cranium of a man, 25 to 45 years old |
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Cranium of a man, 20 to 40 years old |
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| Cranium of a woman, 35 to 50 years old |
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About this
Exhibit
Originally, DC-Cam wished to
display the skulls for public viewing. However, there is controversy in
Cambodian society over whether this is appropriate. Some Cambodians are
uncomfortable with the idea of boxing human remains. Although the spirit no
longer lives in the bones, people feel the bones should not be sealed so the
spirit can access them. Ideally, families should cremate the remains of the dead
and store the ashes in a stupa to
liberate the victims’ souls for reincarnation. His Majesty King Norodom Sihanouk
has expressed his discomfort with the idea of displaying the skulls.
DC-Cam, like the majority of
Cambodians, believes the bones have a more important function in our society:
they are a reminder for future generations of our country’s suffering and
devastation, and will also serve as evidence of the crimes committed during the
1975-1979 Democratic Kampuchea regime. But out of respect for the King’s wishes
not to have the skulls displayed, we have housed them in a separate room at Tuol
Sleng, which is open only to officials (e.g., prosecutors at the Khmer Rouge
tribunal). Their final disposition will be determined once the tribunal is
over.
The skulls rest on identical
pedestals built from slightly overlapping wooden slats. Spaces have been left
between slats so that air can reach the skulls, thus allowing the spirits to
come and go as they wish. To protect the skulls, we have placed them in clear,
five-sided Plexiglas cases secured with soft silicone caulk. The cases can be
removed by cutting the caulk with a razor blade, allowing the skulls to be
cleaned or moved.
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Documentation Center of
Cambodia
Forensic Study,
2004
Funded by US Department
of State
Bureau of Democracy,
Human Rights and Labor (DRL)
through USAID, Phnom
Penh
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