Tuol Sleng Museum

The building which is now known as the Tuol Sleng Museum was actually a former high school in Phnom Penh. What made this school famous is something dark. During the Khmer Rouge regime, the school was converted into a security prison known as S-21 by the regime. The museum stands today as a reminder of how harsh and inhuman the prisoners here were treated by the regime.

Those who were detained here would be photographed before and after they were tortured or even executed. Those who were executed seemed to be the lucky ones. A normal day in the prison would begin at 4:30am where the prisoners would be forced to strip so that guards can check if they have anything to commit suicide with. They are only given four spoonfuls of rice everyday with water soup. Serious beatings were given to prisoners who would drink water without permission.

Out of the 17,000 prisoners, only 12 are known to have survived this prison. The Tuol Sleng Museum holds items, photographs and records of the horrific events that transpired here.