S-21 Prison and The Killing Fields


By Shelby Oak

Especially due to the fact that the S21 museum was the first place we went, there were a lot of thoughts and emotions being provoked by what we were seeing. S21 is the Khmer Rouge's name for the prison center which had been the Tuol Sleng High School. This was the scene of gruesome interrogations and torture as the Khmer Rouge destroyed the lives of millions of people. The bloodstains on the floor, the images of guards and victims, and outlines of the 2 meters by 1 meter cells provided haunting insight of the horrors that happened here. Because this containment facility used to be a school, one could really picture the turnover from a place of children and the innocence of learning to the grief and tragedy. One part that really resonated with many of us was speaking with one of the last survivors from this camp. He told us about the torture inflicted on him for him to admit to being part of the CIA, which he was not. Once he gave in and said he was, they continued to torture him to figure out who else he was working with. He showed us his wounds and scars with hopes we would go forth to share his story. This truly showed to us how life changing this can be for a person. This man and the other survivor spent every day educating the general public of what they have been through, despite how painful it must be for them.

Our day study of the Khmer Rouge and the Cambodian genocide continued with a visit to the Killing Fields memorial. We took an audio tour and learned the horrors of what people experienced. The place felt at once both serene and peaceful, while carrying with it, its horrific past. We learn about the mass graves, the discovery of these graves and the ruthless behavior of the Khmer Rouge leaders and soldiers.



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