Thousands pack killing fields to honour Khmer Rouge dead

8220;Even though this happened many years ago, we see the victims who were brutally killed and starved to death had no chance to say farewell to their families,quot; lamented Phnom Penh8217;s deputy governor Chea Sophara.

However he said the ceremony was quot;not to vent anger but to express homage to the souls of the dead.quot;

quot;We must let the new generation reconcile together to bring a strong and stable peace,quot; he told the muddy fields packed with at least 400 monks and 2,000 mourners.

There were emotional scenes when a sudden downpour of rain from a sunny sky coincided with the offering of food to the stacks of skulls.

quot;This is a good sign that they come to receive our offering,quot; said 46 year-old Kong Saron, a mourner whose brother was one of the 20,000 who perished at these graves.

Since the collapse of Pol Pot8217;s brutal Khmer Rouge regime, the Choeung Ek quot;Killing Fieldsquot; have developed into a major place of mourning and tourist attraction.

The site 8212; just 15 kilometers nine miles south of the capital Phnom Penh 8212; holds the remains of an estimated 20,000 victims of the rebels8217; city center Tuol Sleng quot;S-21quot; prison who were forced-marched here for extermination after their torture .

Bones and ragged clothing still protrude from the grassy area, while most of the excavated skulls show signs of a brutal death by beating 8212; a common Khmer Rouge tactic to save bullets.

However Thursday8217;s event was in contrast to previous ceremonies, including May8217;s quot;National Hate Day,quot; a politically-charged event when mourners vent their anger at the quot;Pol Pot clique.quot;

quot;I don8217;t care about politics,quot; said one middle-aged woman and tearful mourner when asked about the contentious issue of a Khmer Rouge trial. quot;I just came here for religion.quot;

Of the Khmer Rouge leadership, only military Chief Ta Mok and S-21 Chief Duch 8211;both arrested this year 8212; are in jail as the first senior leaders of the group to face trial on charges related to the bloody rule of quot;Democratic Kampuchea.quot;

However Pol Pot8217;s number two and three 8212; Nuon Chea and Ieng Sary 8212; as well as public face Khieu Samphan live in peaceful retirement following their defections to the government.

The Khmer Rouge8217;s fading rebellion ground to a halt last year following a series of military defeats and top-level defections encouraged by Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Cambodia8217;s festival of the dead ends on Saturday, and includes one day of public holiday on Friday.