Killing caves of Phnom Sampeau

About

The Killing Caves of Phnom Sampeau are positioned about halfway up a dramatic limestone outcrop. Between 1975 and 1979, the Khmer Rouge marched an estimated 10,000 people up Sampeau mountain, bludgeoned them over the head, and tossed them through the cave skylight. A nearby cave was used for children and babies. As the cave floor filled with bodies, the drop ceased to be lethal, with many victims surviving the fall and being left to die of their injuries or starvation. A stairway leads down into the cavern, and at its base, a memorial cage filled with the bones of the people killed here. Deeper in the cavern, you’ll find a golden reclining Buddha lying alongside a newer memorial filled with more remains of the cave’s victims. At the summit, you’ll find a temple complex, and several viewpoints to take in the lush countryside.