The Tuol Sleng Prison and Genocide Museum.

27^th November 2012

I really wanted a lie in this morning but alas, my body clock had other ideas and I was up at 7.30am and ready for our first proper day in Phnom Penh. We started by finding the Stray approved travel agency who will issue our bus ticket to Siem Reap. Despite being reasonably close to our hotel the tuk tuk driver got lost so we spent a good 30 minutes driving around the hectic city streets. After getting the tickets we checked out a few camera shops and eventually settled on a fairly similar model to the one I already had! Horray for pictures!

After a quick lunch in cultural KFC we made our way to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. Tuol Sleng was a high school but in 1975, under Pol Pot's instruction, it was transformed into a security office for the Khmer Rouge. Known as S-21, it housed those seen as enemies of the Khmer Rouge and is where an estimated 20,000 people died. These enemies of the Khmer Rouge were not only supporters who had fallen into disfavour but also educated Cambodians and their families, including children.

Rory and I have read a little about Tuol Sleng but I wasn't sure what to expect. When you arrive the the high walls are topped with barbed wire and the former school buildings are bleak but nothing out of the ordinary. It is only when you pay the $2 entrance fee and step inside the classrooms turned prison cells that you can appreciate what happened here. One of the first rooms we entered still had blood spatter on the ceiling. In another, the outline of two bloodied hands which had been pressed against the stone wall could still be seen. 

The first rooms we encountered had been used as a place to hold and question the prisoners. The majority of the prisoners were civilians who had no knowledge of the Khmer Rouge's accusations but here they were tortured until they relented and gave false confessions in the hope of stopping the torture. Below you can see a wooden frame. While Tuol Sleng was a school it was used as exercise equipment but when Tuol Sleng became a prison it was used to torture prisoners. The prisoners were hung upside down and beaten until they fell unconscious. Once unconscious their heads were dunked into pots full of sewage and stagnant water so they would wake up and the torture could continue.

 In another identical building the classrooms had been divided in to small cells where individual prisoners were kept. These cells were so small that when Rory stood inside one his shoulders nearly touched both walls. 

When the prisoners were brought to Tuol Sleng their details were meticulously documented and their picture was taken. Several rooms in the prison were dedicated to displaying the original pictures and as we walked around I was struck by how young many of the prisoners were.

You could even see the remains of some of the prisoners.

Of all those who entered Tuol Sleng it is believed that there were only seven survivors. These prisoners displayed skills that were of use to the Khmer Rouge and so their lives were spared. One such survivor was a painter who while imprisoned was instructed to paint Pol Pot's portrait. He did such a good job that he lived to tell the tale. In fact, he and another survivor were at the Tuol Sleng, selling books about their lives and their time in prison.

When we finally finished walking around Tuol Sleng we made our way to the grand palace and the complete contrast was unbelievable. In a few minutes we had went from the very worst of humanity to a grand palace which was celebrating all the good things about Cambodia. While not as elaborate as the grand palace in Bangkok, it was definitely worth a visit.

The grand palace was a short walk from the river front area of Phnom Penh so we made our own way to the main promenade, dodging the throng of tuk tuks that seem to crowd every inch of the city. At one point we even had to get a police escort across four lanes of traffic! After our busy and fairly draining day we had a quick dinner followed by a not so traditional chocolate blizzard from Dairy Queen and then made our way back to the hotel where we spent the evening watching the MTV EMAs! Today has definitely been surreal.