Khmer Rouge Prison 21 The Chilling High School In Phnom Pehn Cambodia
Below is a MRR and PLR article in category Travel Leisure -> subcategory Destinations.
Khmer Rouge Prison 21: The Haunting High School in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Summary
While most travel stories are joyful and carefree, some places starkly reveal humanity's darkest tendencies. One such place is Khmer Rouge Prison 21, also known as Tuol Sleng. It stands as a harrowing testament to the cruelties mankind can inflict upon itself.
Tuol Sleng
Opened in 1962 as Ponhea Yat High School in central Phnom Penh, the site consisted of three horseshoe-shaped buildings, each three stories tall. By the 1970s, it was renamed Tuol Svay Prey High School. In May 1976, it became the headquarters of the Khmer Rouge's genocidal campaign in Cambodia.
The Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot or "Brother Number One," ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, with conflict persisting for years beyond. Responsible for the deaths of approximately one-third of Cambodia’s population through murder and starvation, the regime is often compared to Hitler's for its brutal genocidal acts. Tuol Sleng exemplifies this brutality.
Hidden within Phnom Penh's alleys, Tuol Sleng was enclosed by electrified barbed wire to prevent escapes. Prisoners were constantly tortured, forced to confess to crimes against the state under a set of ten harsh regulations. Some of the chilling rules included:
1. You must not contest or make excuses.
2. Do not cry while being punished.
3. Disobeying any rule results in lashes with an electric wire.
Mirroring Nazi concentration camps, the Khmer Rouge documented each inmate and their atrocities. Upon arrival, prisoners' pictures were taken, and detailed biographies recorded. They were confined to tiny cells, subjected to daily torture involving beatings and electric shocks. Ultimately, inmates were marched to the killing fields and beaten to death to save bullets.
Grim Statistics
- Between 10,500 and 14,500 adult prisoners.
- About 2,000 child prisoners.
- Only seven survived.
- Just two Khmer Rouge operatives have faced prosecution for these crimes.
Today, Tuol Sleng serves as a genocide museum. Its walls are lined with haunting images of prisoners, men and women, some as young as five years old. Bloodstains remain in the interrogation rooms.
Why Visit Tuol Sleng?
Traveling is about discovery, even when uncovering something horrific. Ignoring humanity's darker sides risks repeating history's grave mistakes. From the Nazi camps in the 1940s to Tuol Sleng in the 1970s, and ongoing tragedies in places like North Korea and Darfur, we must ask: Will we ever learn?
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