Greetings to everyone from Cambodia! This is a post that indicates about the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, also known as former S-21. The general truth about Toul Sleng Museum is that it is a place where documents about the Pol Pot era exist, and most importantly, with the clear exhibition, preservation, and many things that happened in that period, they take you to discover how Cambodians suffered in the prison.
Locations
Toul Sleng Museum is located in Phnom Penh City, Street 113, Bkk III. At 7:38 a.m. on the morning of Shabbat, I arrived at the front of the museum with one of my pretty relatives.
As national visitors, we didn't have to purchase any tickets. Arriving at the entrance of the museum, we will see one or more than two security guards standing there near the ticket office, where there was also a woman working there as well. As a Cambodian, all I need to do to enter the museum is ask the permission of one of them and introduce myself by saying that I am Cambodian.
In the museum of Toul Sleng, there are many different building, each building provide different types of pictures as well.
I walked like weakly with my relative and ended up arriving at the 1 st floor of. I could say the environment here is quite which is the great site for foreign cultural learner.
A new updated map now appears on this location board.
Unknown prisoners, there are more than 10%. I only found a few so it might be more in other room.
No Smile Allowed
In the museum, there is one specific rule for visitors here, both foreign and domestic visitors: we are not permitted to smile or laugh when we enter the building. The interior of the S-21 museum, including sculptures, pictures, articles, and everything that we see and hear, cannot be accompanied by a reaction that would indicate that you are happy.
You must maintain a usual expression everywhere you go.
This is height measurement tool during that period.
The creation of the Toul Sleng Museum allows people from overseas to know the deep and dark history of how innocent Cambodian suffered, especially this museum, which plays a very important role in enabling the citizens of Cambodia to have a great understanding of what happened between 1975 and 1979.
On the walls, you are saw picture indicate about the deprivation of Cambodian's families by seeing that they have taken a baby from a newborn mother means that they have to live separately without seeing each other face-to-face; the mother is in prison.
Most of the prisoners in this prison are Procheachun Tmei (people who were forced to leave Phnom Penh or other cities after April 17, 1975) and are considered to be war losers. And anyone who is against the revolution will be put in prison and tortured.
Talking or gossiping about the Pol Pot organization, not eating; saying the porridge is not delicious;
Breaking the stuff like a spoon.
Sick, complaining, laughing, and not taking medicine from them mark as the enemies of the organization to be destroyed by transferring them to the prison.
There are more than this reason to tell how they caught into the prison, the reason isn't that serious which is not acceptable at all.
The pillows of the prisoners have been kept for conservation. Well, we didn't know what really happened between the prisoners and the pillow since the pillow seemed to have shattered in the middle.
No other visitors left, I try to look around, but feel like everything is new. The window and the door was unlocked as well, it was just us and a piece of paper direction. To be honest, I didn't get any fear of this at all.
Like, 15 years ago. I lost in the mall, Soriya mall with strangers there, no smart phone at all. "Thanks" to my husband and my big sister that they finally have found me by asking everybody.
Back to when I was in the museum, that time I am struggling with how I am wandering and also thirsty at the same time, so I really suggest you bring more than 1 litter of water since you have to walk a lot in each floor and would speak more too because while the guide explains the history to you, you might ask them some questions. Obviously, I bring 1.5 liters of water, but due to the fact that I came here with my relative, we share the water.
Finally, we found a way out. Breathing some fresh air while sitting on the steel bench.
Volleyball Court, But Become Torture Areas
I stopped in front of this board's statement for around 5 minutes to get more information about Toul Sleng. I was about to move, but then my niece came, and I waited for her to finish reading after me.
It was utterly heartbreaking to see what they did to the victims, and it was hard for me to describe the picture because that would remain me of the situation.
I am not sure if you can see the letter clearly by my picture,so I decided to write it down again, I'm so sorry because I wasn't carefully that time. May I explained it to you, this phrase has become the most popular phrase speaking during Khmer Rouge period, only speak to the inmate. "Answer according to my question", sounds not too strange, but until we see the reality.
Seriously, it is a dangerous phrase. In fact, no matter how you try to answer, too slow, too quickly, confidently, confessing or refusing, they still brutally tortured you.
Everybody who has been caught to this prison almost got no chance to survive.
The personal costume of young prisoners, you can perceived how young she is by seeing her dress.
We were climbing up the stairs again because we forgot to bring our notebook 📒.
This is my first visit, and I expected to see more national visitors than international visitors, but it wasn't, the majority of them were from Korea.
At the end of my blog, I really suggest everyone who is willing to explore this museum come here early in the morning, around 7-8 a.m., so that you don't have to face the dizziness because of crowds and to avoid getting hot too. As you know, Cambodia is mostly hot, especially in the afternoon from about 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
All I want to expressed after my visiting here: It was heartbreaking to see what the former S-21 looks like, the dark basic history about it, and how people suffer. The Cambodian Genocide period is gone. It was a shocking experience especially if you purchase an audio service, without guide or with guide you can access with the information. Thanks to the government for creating this museum in order to allow international visitors to know more history about Cambodia and what the innocent prisoners have been through. I hope that the people who survived that period live in peace and happiness and find their family who have lost during the war.
