A Respectful 2025 Guide to Choeung Ek and Tuol Sleng (S-21)
Between 1975 and 1979, approximately 1.7–2 million Cambodians – nearly a quarter of the population – died under the Khmer Rouge regime. The two most important sites for understanding this genocide are Choeung Ek Genocidal Center (the “Killing Fields”) and Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21 prison) in Phnom Penh. Visiting them is emotionally heavy but essential – most Cambodians consider it an act of respect rather than “dark tourism.”
Choeung Ek – The Killing Fields (15 km south of Phnom Penh)
What you will see:
- The Memorial Stupa – a towering glass-sided shrine filled with more than 8,000 human skulls arranged by age and sex, many showing clear signs of blunt-force execution.
- 129 mass graves (86 excavated) – depressions in the ground where bodies were found.
- The Killing Tree against which executioners smashed children** – now wrapped in bracelets left by visitors.
- Fragments of bone and clothing still surfacing after rain – the earth literally refuses to forget.
Audio guide (included, available in 15 languages) is outstanding – narrated by survivors and historians. It takes 90–120 minutes. Opening hours: 7:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. daily Entry: US$6 (includes audio guide) Best time: early morning or late afternoon for fewer crowds and cooler weather.
Respect rules:
- Dress modestly (shoulders and knees covered)
- No photography inside the stupa
- Walk only on paths – unexploded ordnance was cleared but the ground is sacred
- Silence at the Killing Tree and mass graves
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21) – Central Phnom Penh
Originally Tuol Svay Prey High School, converted into Security Prison 21. Of the estimated 20,000 prisoners who entered, only 12 are known to have survived. What you will see:
- Classrooms turned into tiny brick cells or mass detention rooms with iron shackles
- Barbaric torture devices and blood-stained floors (preserved as found in 1979)
- Thousands of mug-shot photographs of prisoners – including children
- Paintings by survivor Vann Nath showing torture methods
- Testimonies from both survivors and former guards
Audio guide (highly recommended) includes survivor Chum Mey’s voice – one of the 12 who lived. Opening hours: 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. daily Entry: US$5 (audio guide US$3 extra)
Survivor Encounters (2025)
Two of the last living survivors still regularly meet visitors:
- Chum Mey (age 95) – at Tuol Sleng most mornings
- Bou Meng (age 84) – often at Tuol Sleng in the afternoons They sell signed copies of their books (US$10) and are happy to talk. Buying a book is the most respectful way to support them.
Practical Tips for a Survivor Taught Me
- Visit Tuol Sleng first, then Choeung Ek the next day – the chronological order makes the horror coherent.
- Bring tissues and water – the emotional impact is physical.
- Do not take selfies with skulls or at the Killing Tree.
- Leave a bracelet or flower at the sites – Cambodians believe it helps the spirits find peace.
- Avoid organised “happy pizza” tours that treat the sites as a checklist.
Why Cambodians Want You to Visit
Every survivor I’ve spoken to says the same thing: “We don’t want pity. We want understanding. When foreigners come, learn, and tell others, the world remembers. That is how we prevent it happening again.”
The Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng are not tourist attractions. They are classrooms where humanity teaches its hardest lesson. Come prepared to listen, to feel, and to carry the stories forward. Because in Cambodia, memory is the only justice the dead ever received.