Trace Back The Dark History Of Cambodia In Tuol Sleng and The Killing Fields

As peaceful as it seems in this day and age, Cambodia, in fact, has gone through a desperately heart-wrenching period in the late 19 century. And Tuol Sleng Museum together with The Killing Fields is among the existing witness of such tragic part. A visit to these landmarks may leave the guests sadness and sorrow. But as for me, I find it necessary to pay tribute to thousands of citizens who passed away under the regime of Khmer Rouge. It also works as a reminder for us that any action against human rights deserves condemnation and requires the world union to dismiss.

The Importance Of Tuol Sleng and The Killing Fields In The Tragic Past Of Cambodia

It is never a piece of cake to fully appreciate this place due to the shadow overcasting their history and origin. But where there’s a will, there’s a way. I had a local tour guide on my trip to accompany me and carefully explain the details of Tuol Sleng and The Killing Fields.
Before transforming into a museum, Tuol Sleng used to be a secondary school. Under the regime of Khmer Rouge, the school turned into Security Prison 21 also known as S-21 for short.

The name Tuol Sleng literally means "Hill of the Poisonous Trees". Although it’s just one in approximately 150 execution centers constructed by the Khmer Rouge, Tuol Sleng made the record in many aspects. It retained the most significant number of prisoners and the cruelest form of torture. The figure for inmates in Tuol Sleng may far exceed 20,000 and the death toll was estimated at 18,000.

There are four well-preserved building entitled according to the English alphabet A, B, C and D in the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. Building A has large cells where the liberating force discovered the last victim. Building B is now a photograph gallery displayed black and white pictures of the prisoners who were tortured or executed. Rooms in Building C are subdivided small cells with rusting iron bed frames used to keep prisoners. The final structure, Building D, shows other memorabilia such as instruments of torture.
The Khmer Rouge lasted for only four years from 1975 to 1979, but its damage was enormous. Pol Pot and his authority detested personal possessions, establishing such unreasonable laws to divide the country. They broke the family ties and allure naive people into believing in peace from “purifying” harmful elements in the society.

Those who opposed to Pol Pot’s policy were confined in Tuol Sleng and many other prisons for torturing. Khmer Rouge authority sent many others that were considered “incurable” to Choeung Ek. Here most of the prisoner received for “re-education” or sentence to death.
Khmer Rouge’s soldiers didn’t give them a peaceful death. In order to save the bullets, they used spades to smashed the heads of the unlucky, burying both the dead bodies and the fainted people together. The massive execution like this has given Choeung Ek and the large graves around the name Killing Fields.

Prepare To Be Scared And Be Moved In Tuol Sleng And The Killing Field

What impresses most about the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum is the instruments of torture that Khmer Rouge used to persecute prisoners. All are horrible and out of ordinary mind’s imagination.

As recorded by survivors, anyone who was taken to Tuol Sleng had to endure a process of so-called interrogation. It is designed to make inmates admit to whatever crimes the captors charged them with. Most common types of persecution include chairs with searing hot metal instruments, electric shocks, and hanging. The captors even used plastic bags to suffocate and knives to hurt the prisoners.

For more severe charge, they could pour alcohol on the wounds, pull out fingernails and pour alcohol on the injuries, pushing the prison’s head under the water. The Khmer Rouge soldiers can even combine the three methods to generate confession. Nowadays, visitors to Tuol Sleng still identify a lot of waterboarding tool, equipment to shackle the legs on the right bar while restraining the wrists to the left on the brackets, then pouring hot water over the face. 

In some cabinets hidden behind the wall of the old school, you can see a lot of human skulls of people who died of severe torture or inadequate healthcare. There was some time when the number of the casualty was too high that the prison actually runs out of burial spaces.
Despite a projected number of 20,000 people to be put in jail at Tuol Sleng, only twelve were found survive after the liberating forces succeeded. Although they were lucky to be able to survive until liberation, memories of the darkest time were still haunting them long after that. Until 2011, the Cambodian government confirmed that there were only three adults and one child to still alive. A survivor has bravely published a book to expose the cruelty of Khmer Rouge and the struggle he had to face to adapt to the normal life. 

Two Historic Witnesses In The Present Days

The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum set in the capital city of Cambodia, Phnom Penh. It chronicled the most terrible days in Cambodian history, which was the time of a massive genocide. The museum is only 10 km away from the Phnom Penh International Airport, and it takes about 10 minutes from the Royal Palace by car. It situates in such a central location even though the history of the museum is something the Cambodian want to forget.

The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum is open for public entrance from 8 AM to 5 PM, but the survivor testimony is only available between 2:30 and 3 PM from Monday to Friday. It is an excellent place for you to gain an in-depth insight into the Cambodian history and appreciate how strong and united its citizens have been to rejuvenate the nation.

After an international troop led by the Vietnamese defeated Pol Pot and Khmer Rouge government, the new government reconstructed Choeung Ek, or the Killing Field into a memorial site. A commemorative stupa with Buddhist architecture design was build to soothe the long gone spirits and to appease the survivors. The Cambodian hold a memorial ceremony on May 9 annually at the Killing Fields as a reminder of the darkest time in their history.
Visitors from all over the world can learn a deeper side of such a young country like Cambodia. Also, it’s an ideal way to sympathize with the local people and truly become a responsible and knowledgeable tourist.