The Best of Cambodia & Laos

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PHNOM PENH
5
PHNOM PENH ATTRACTIONS
became one of the most notorious concentration camps, essentially a torture chamber
before people were slaughtered in the Killing Fields. It was called S21 by the Khmer
Rouge and it was by no means the only facility of this sort in Democratic Kampuchea.
S21 was one part of a larger organized killing apparatus. From 1975 until 1979, an
estimated 17,000 prisoners were tortured at Tuol Sleng and died, or were executed in the
nearby Killing Fields. A great number were actually Khmer Rouge themselves accused of
disloyalty by the increasingly paranoid leadership. Many were just ordinary Khmer citizens
required to confess to crimes they would never have known to exist.
If you don’t come with a guide, you’ll certainly want to hire one at the entrance,
although you’re free to roam the grounds on your own. Local guides often have personal
experience of the Khmer Rouge years and are vital sources of oral history. The prison
population of Tuol Sleng was carefully cataloged; in fact, the metal neck brace employed
for holding subjects’ heads in place for the admitting photograph is on display. There are
some written accounts in English and paintings made by a survivor called Vann Nath.
Vann Nath was saved only because the Khmer Rouge used his talents to create paintings
of Pol Pot (in July 2009, he testified against “Duch,” the prison director and the first
Khmer Rouge cadre put on trial). In addition to his artwork there are also gory photos
of the common torture practices in the prison.
Perhaps what is most haunting is the look in the eyes of the newly arrived; one wing
of the buildings is dedicated to these very arrival photos. Thousands upon thousands of
people staring at you across history—some terrified, some bewildered. Children and
infants did not escape the savagery and the carnage. This sight is overwhelming, so be
prepared. The upper galleries contain the roughly constructed cells, the manacles, and
the small metal boxes used for defecation that were part of daily life for all inmates before
they were taken away and murdered. To the left as you enter is a series of former classrooms
used for torture. There are grisly pictures of what the Vietnamese found when they
arrived. Victims still chained to the metal beds on which they had been tortured and then
murdered before their persecutors made a hasty exit to save their own skins from the
invading Vietnamese army. As the trial of the camp commandant, Duch, continues,
more information continues to emerge. The horror here is recent, and the depth of suffering
truly unfathomable.
South of town at the corner of sts. 350 and 113. Admission $2; guide fees vary (usually $2–$3 per person).
Daily 8am–noon and 1–5pm.
Wat Phnom This is one of the city’s defining landmarks. Legend has it that sometime
in the 14th century, a woman named Penh found sacred Buddhist objects in the
nearby river and placed them here on the small hill that later became a temple. The rest is
history. Phnom, in fact, means, “hill,” so the name of the city translates to “Penh’s Hill.”
The temple itself is a standard Southeast Asian wat, with Naga snakes on the cornered
peaks of the roof and didactic murals of the Buddha’s life done in Day-Glo allegories
along interior walls. Don’t miss the central ceiling, which, unlike the bright walls, is yet
to be restored and is gritty and authentic. The area around here is leafy and quiet. It has
in the past been a place notorious for robberies at night, but during the daytime it’s fine
if a little chaotic with beggars, hawkers, and drink sellers competing for your attention.
You’re sure to meet with some crafty young salesmen here who’ll offer you the chance to
show your Buddhist compassion by buying a caged bird for a dollar and letting it go; if
you stick around long enough, you’ll get to see the bird return to the comfort of the cage.
Intersection of St. 96 and Norodom Blvd.