Phnom Penh Day 2 (part 1)- Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek Killing Field

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After our "ïnteresting" journey from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh the day before, we were rested and ready to tackle most of the major sights in PP in just one day. We had planned meticulously the night before to see the sights closest to the hotel first (The Royal Palace, National Museum and Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (infamously known as S-21 to an older generation)). We decided to cover those sights on foot, before hiring a Remork-Moto (aka: Tuk Tuk) to take us to the furthest sight, Cheoung Ek- a surviving 'Killing Field'. I was particularly keen to see the latter two sights having been moved by the Killing Fields film about Sidney Schanberg and Dith Pran.

Upon leaving the hotel for our day of sightseeing we were immediately hit by two things. The first was the sheer humidity of the city- the sun was shining, but the air was simply oppressive. The second was a barrage of calls from locals, desperate for us to employ them as Tuk Tuk drivers for the day. Being confident, independent tourists, we decided to ignore these calls, and walk the two blocks or so to the Royal Palace, our first port of call. However, as soon as we had stepped onto the pavement parallel to the palace walls, a young-ish man in a Tuk Tuk began to follow us, asking what we were planning on seeing. When we explained that we wanted to visit the Palace, he told us that it was closed (at 10.30am) and that it would not re-open until 2pm! Instantly, a spanner in the works; our plan was in tatters, as he also told us that the National Museum operated along similar lines. Skeptical, we pressed on to the entrance, the driver all-the-while betting us the entrance fee that we would not be allowed in. Of course, despite seeking our employ, the driver was not out to trick us, and the Palace really was closed.

Our co-ordinated plan was ruined, and we were left with little choice but to head on to sights that were open: Tuol Sleng and Cheoung Ek. The driver's persistence paid off, as he secured our business for most of the day, after some light-hearted haggling of course. Elana was just glad that he referred to her as "Sister" rather than as "Lady" as had been the case up until that point .

Arriving at Tuol Sleung, the atmosphere changed remarkably. Entering were plenty of fellow travellers, all of whom appeared to be aware of the significance of the sight we were about to lay eyes on. For those unaware, Tuol Sleng was a former elementary school. That was, until the Khmer Rouge occupied it as a political prison from August 1975 until 1979. At least 17,000 prisoners passed through its cells and torture chambers in those years (although only 1,500 were there at any one time). Of those who passed through, only 7 people are confirmed survivors, four of whom are now deceased.

The buildings themselves were divided into blocks situated around what are now peaceful, yet somber, courtyards. We first entered into Block A, infamous for being the site where the last 14 prisoners executed by the fleeing guards were found. In each room was a rusty iron bed, often accompanied by instruments of torture, whilst on the walls were photographs of how the room had been found some 30 years ago. Without going into to much detail, it is fair to say that the photos were most unpleasant and shocked me to the core.

Block B was, for me personally, the most disturbing of the 4 blocks remaining. This was where the equally infamous photographs are stored; row after row, the faces staring back were blank with emotion (or was it muted defiance, perhaps?). None of the "subjects" displayed any sense that they knew the fate that awaited them. The walls were divided into Male and Female, sometimes by age. Of those some were processing photographs, and others were torture photographs. It is fair to write that neither were more, or less, disturbing than the other. Most depressing were the pictures of the children. My face, as I left Block B, was not only one of sorrow, but one of confusion. I, like many Cambodians today, was left perplexed as to how such barbaric inhumanity could occur, and reminded me of the experience of our own people during The Shoah.

Block C held the cells. Each floor contained a different category of cell. The ground floor were brick cells, barely 3 feet wide and 5 feet deep, if that. The floor above contained the wooden cells, of similar dimensions, whilst the top floor contained rooms of mass detainment. Pictures which I saw later revealed that the prisoners were packed like sardines, lying feet to feet.

The final Block was D, which held memorabilia and sought to finish on a more positive note (if such a thing were possible) by giving details of the trial of the 4 surviving main leaders, and examples of some of the acts which they were accused of committing. This was but a short respite from the heartbreak of the museum, as we ended by setting eyes on the skulls of those who had lost their lives, many of which displayed their trauma and cause of death.

Having spent over an hour at Tuol Sleng, it was clear that we were in for a difficult morning of sightseeing. It is otherwise impossible to convey any idea of my emotional state at the time, as I was quite simply shocked by what I had witnessed, in a way that I simply had not prepared for. On our way to the Tuk Tuk driver, we were stopped by a security guard and introduced to a Mr Bou Meng. I recognised the name and face as one of the 7 survivors of S-21 whose face had been on one of the information posters. Despite the fact that he was advertising a book on his life (which I, perhaps a little sheepishly, purchased), I was amazed and grateful to be face-to-face with a survivor from such an horrific experience .

Having left Tuol Sleng behind, we moved on to the next harrowing part of the day- the Cheoung Ek Killing Field, some 15km out of PP itself, which took around 20 minutes by Tuk Tuk. The museum itself is rather underwhelming; I was expecting a huge expanse of land with a large museum, but what we saw was a small museum building and only a small portion of the 'Killing Field'. The museum contained only two rooms. The first had exhibitions on the main leaders of the KR and a few skulls. The second was a small home cinema where we watched a film which was interesting but far too long. So far, so underwhelming, particularly when compared to the tragedy of S-21.

From this, we headed to some of the mass graves which had been uncovered 30 years ago. We saw one particular grave where some 160 headless corpses were found, as well as others which had contained the bodies of women and children, and trees against which young babies had been murdered in the most barbarous of fashions in front of their own mothers. As in Tuol Sleng, a sense of bewilderment crept over me as I reflected once again on how man could act in the most barbaric ways toward one another.

Along with S-21, my most vivid and haunting memory comes from the final part of Cheoung Ek- an imposing memorial Stupa (Buddhist building) within which were contained the skulls, bones and clothes of over 8000 men, women and children across 17 levels. Of these, only one or two levels at the bottom were physically open to visitors, their preserved contents staring back, many of which had teeth attached and others of which were visibly damaged. All were arranged according to age and sex, and all served as a tangible reminder that these events, still very much in living memory, simply cannot be covered up in a manner akin to that which some have attempted on the Holocaust.

These images will stay with me, a vivid and disturbing reminder of what I had seen, but an experience which simply cannot compare to those who bravely, and in most cases quietly, went to their deaths. I am glad only that on this particular occasion, we did not take the Tuk Tuk driver's advice and head to Choeung Ek first, but rather to S-21, in order to follow the route which those caught up for real took. We, however, escaped with our lives.

Michael

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