S12 and Killing field

Visiting S-21 (Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum) and the Killing Fields (Choeung Ek) offers a deeply emotional and educational experience. These two sites near Phnom Penh document the atrocities committed during the Khmer Rouge regime (1975–1979), under dictator Pol Pot. Tourists visit to learn, reflect, and honor the victims of one of the 20th century’s worst genocides.

Torture Rooms: Each contains a metal bed, shackles, and sometimes bloodstained walls, preserved as it was found.
• Photographs of Prisoners: Thousands of haunting black-and-white portraits taken of men, women, and even children upon arrival.
• Cells: Narrow, makeshift brick or wood cells where prisoners were held in inhumane conditions.
• Instruments of Torture: Displayed with explanations of their use.
• Stories of Survivors: Personal testimonies, writings, and sometimes survivors themselves are present (e.g., Chum Mey or Bou Meng).
• Mass Graves: Many marked, some not. Over 8,000 skulls were exhumed here.
• The Memorial Stupa: A tall glass monument housing more than 5,000 human skulls, many visibly fractured from blunt force trauma.