Street 113, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Daily: 7.00am - 5.30pm
I recall how disturbing and heart-wrenching it was when I watched a documentary about the Cambodian genocide under the Khmer Rouge regime led by Pol Pot. I finally had the chance to be physically present at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum last December, which name means 'Hill of the Poisonous Trees' in Khmer.
The admission fee at the point of writing is
US$3.00 (~S$4.30). Students can enter for free with valid identification.
The museum that serves as a testament to the blood-curdling cruelty and heinous crime done by the Khmer Rouge was known as Security Prison 21 (S-21).
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| Does it look like a school map to you? Yes, the prison used to be a high school before 1975. |
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| I shuddered at the various images that came to mind upon reading those regulations... |
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| The jars that were used to dunk the prisoners' head into filthy water. |
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| Electric barbed wires were installed around the perimeter of the former prison. |
Signs prohibiting photography are present in front of the rooms of the four main buildings, so I didn't take any pictures of the interior. To those who have played the Silent Hill series before, I must say that some of the rooms are reminiscent of the Otherworld. Countless photographs of the prisoners of the past are displayed inside many of the rooms I'm inserting two pictures of the interior from the Internet.
One of the buildings had wire fences put up along the corridors as there was a moment when a woman tried to jump down to end her suffering. The Khmer Rouge officials didn't want any of the prisoners to commit suicide as they wanted to get information before sending them to the killing fields.
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| Imagine living behind the fence with your days being numbered... |
There were at least 12,200 prisoners who were tortured inside the prison and eventually sent for execution.
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| One of the stones with the names of the victims engraved on it. |
Towards the end of the guided tour, we had a chance to hear the story of one of the few survivors of the genocide, Mr Chum Mey. Another survivor, Mr Bou Meng, is also there to tell his story to the visitors.
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| Do support him by purchasing his book. The price is US$10.00 (~S$14.30) at the point of writing. |
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| Mr Bou Meng was telling his story to another tour group when I was there. |
Following which, we made our way to where it used to be the biggest killing field in the country.
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