The Tuol Sleng Museum or the genocide museum is a sobering experience where one visually learns about the war-torn history of Cambodia. No matter how many history books or news reports I read, nothing adequately prepared me for the reality of what many Cambodians lived through
while under the regime of Pol Pot, when more than 2 million
Cambodians were killed.
During the reign of Pol Pot, a place once filled with children and laughter was turned into a revolving door of death. Known as S21, this prison was a killing apparatus and is believed to have tortured and killed approximately 17, 000 people. Many of these people were sent to S21 as a result of the Khmer Rouge's paranoid leadership.
Upon entering the genocide museum, you see a sign warning that any loud talking or laughter is forbidden. That warning seems unnecessary as you enter the first floor and see the rooms with barred windows and steel beds with chains. Photos on the wall depict the brutally beaten bodies of the last victims of S21.
The second floor is probably the most haunting as you see countless walls and boards covered with black-and-white face shots of the Khmer Rouge’s many victims: men, women, young children, etc. Some photos showed sadness and fear, while others face shots showed defiance. Regardless of the emotions shown in the pictures, the sadness I felt was overwhelming because the majority of those people never made it home.
For me, it was hard to believe that little knew about this genocide as it was happening.
During the reign of Pol Pot, a place once filled with children and laughter was turned into a revolving door of death. Known as S21, this prison was a killing apparatus and is believed to have tortured and killed approximately 17, 000 people. Many of these people were sent to S21 as a result of the Khmer Rouge's paranoid leadership.
Upon entering the genocide museum, you see a sign warning that any loud talking or laughter is forbidden. That warning seems unnecessary as you enter the first floor and see the rooms with barred windows and steel beds with chains. Photos on the wall depict the brutally beaten bodies of the last victims of S21.
The second floor is probably the most haunting as you see countless walls and boards covered with black-and-white face shots of the Khmer Rouge’s many victims: men, women, young children, etc. Some photos showed sadness and fear, while others face shots showed defiance. Regardless of the emotions shown in the pictures, the sadness I felt was overwhelming because the majority of those people never made it home.
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