Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
Name	Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
Established	1979
Location	Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Type	Genocide memorial and historical museum
Coordinates	11, 32, 59, N...
Website	http://tuolsleng.gov.kh

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. Located in the capital Phnom Penh, this site serves as a central memorial to the victims of the Khmer Rouge regime. It is housed in the former Security Prison 21 (S-21), a key facility of the Democratic Kampuchea government. The museum preserves evidence of the atrocities committed between 1975 and 1979 and stands as a poignant site for education and remembrance.

History

The site was originally the Tuol Svay Prey High School, constructed in the 1960s during the administration of Norodom Sihanouk. Following the fall of Phnom Penh in April 1975, the Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot, converted the school compound into a high-security interrogation center. Codenamed **Security Prison 21** (S-21), it operated under the direct command of the Communist Party of Kampuchea and its internal security apparatus, the Santebal. The prison was part of a nationwide network of security centers linked to the infamous killing fields like Choeung Ek. After the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia and the subsequent fall of the Khmer Rouge government in January 1979, the facility was discovered by Vietnamese forces and allied Cambodian units.

The prison (S-21)

The prison complex was meticulously organized for detention, torture, and extraction of confessions. The former classrooms were converted into crude brick cells and large interrogation chambers. Prisoners were shackled to iron beds or kept in mass holding cells, subjected to systematic torture to elicit forced confessions of being enemies of the Angkar, often implicating others in fabricated plots. The methods were overseen by the prison commandant, Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Comrade Duch. Virtually all who entered S-21 were destined for execution; an estimated 12,000 to 20,000 people were imprisoned here, with fewer than a dozen documented survivors. The prison maintained detailed records, including thousands of photographic portraits of inmates, which later became crucial evidence.

Museum establishment and layout

The museum was established by the People's Republic of Kampuchea government in 1979, shortly after the fall of the Khmer Rouge. The layout was left largely as it was found to serve as evidence of the crimes. The four main buildings surround a central courtyard. One building displays rows of victim photographs, including those of men, women, and children from diverse backgrounds such as former Lon Nol soldiers, intellectuals, and even Khmer Rouge cadres themselves. Another building preserves the tiny brick cells, while others contain interrogation rooms with torture instruments, maps made from human skulls, and paintings by survivor Vann Nath depicting prison life. The surrounding grounds still hold the barbed wire fences erected to prevent suicide.

Notable prisoners and staff

Among the few survivors were artist Vann Nath and Chum Mey, a mechanic, whose testimonies became vital. Notable prisoners included high-ranking Khmer Rouge officials like Koy Thuon and Hu Nim, who fell victim to internal purges. The chief administrator was Comrade Duch, who was later tried and convicted by the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia for crimes against humanity. Other senior staff included interrogators like Mam Nai and Tang Sin Hean. The prison's operations were ultimately overseen by the highest echelons of the party, including Pol Pot and Nuon Chea, the latter also tried by the UN-backed tribunal.

Significance and remembrance

The museum is a primary site for understanding the Cambodian genocide and is integral to the national process of healing and justice. It provides irrefutable forensic evidence used in the prosecutions at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. Annually, it is a focal point during the Day of Remembrance on May 20. The museum's preservation challenges debates about representing traumatic history and serves as a stark warning against totalitarianism. It is frequently visited by international leaders, scholars, and tourists, drawing parallels to other memorial sites like the Auschwitz concentration camp and the Kigali Genocide Memorial.

Collections and archives

The museum holds an extensive and harrowing archive, central to historical research on Democratic Kampuchea. Its collections include over 6,000 photographic negatives of prisoners, meticulously kept by the Khmer Rouge. There are thousands of pages of typed confessions, often fantastical and coerced, detailing the biographies of inmates. The archive also contains torture instruments, prisoner shackles, victim clothing, and skulls exhumed from mass graves. Administrative documents detailing prison regulations and correspondence with the upper command, such as the Office of 870, are preserved. These materials have been studied by institutions like Yale University's Cambodian Genocide Program and are crucial for the work of the Documentation Center of Cambodia.

Category:Museums in Cambodia Category:Genocide memorials Category:History of Cambodia