S 21 Tuol Sleng — Where Jan Meyer Went

The most fascinating piece of history of Cambodia are the Khmer Rouge. The dimension of their cruelty is only topped by the crudeness of their ideology. While other genocidal regimes came up with sophisticated rationales to legitimize their rule and barbary, the Red Khmer pursued the goal to dumb everything and everyone down. To reach their utopian state of complete equality of all people every bit of individual development had to be erased. That of course included any intellectual endeavour, including books, any profession that required education or even glasses: being able to read made you suspicious.

I cannot even begin to get into the details of their rule and history. For now it suffices to say, their actions are truly unique insofar that they committed the only auto-genocide in history. They killed a quarter of their own people and deliberately destroyed the infrastructure and cultural heritage of their country.

The depth of their depravity, however, has one unexpected upside. Unlike other mass murdering regimes of the past, there are no die-hard defenders alive like the AfD or Putin that long for resurrection of their ideological forefathers. That enables a country that is otherwise known for corruption, intransparency and political repression to slowly come to terms with its past. This process happens also through memorial sites, like Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.

This place used to be school, before it was transformed into "Security Center", which is Newspeak for torture prison. It is estimated that up to 20,000 people were tortured and driven to forced confessions in this place, before they were driven off to nearby Choeung Ek Killing field for execution.

Now, without further ado: S 21 Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum:

S 21 consisted of 4 main buildings. This building featured torture rooms on the ground floor and prisons on the two upper floors.

Prisoners were chained to a bed, were they were tortured till they "confessed". One torture was electrocution. While rest of the country was intentionally weaned of electricity, S 21 had it own power generator.

Again, that used to be school. There are documented cases that former students and teachers of the school were imprisoned here.

They were no high rise buildings in the 70ies. Outsiders had no chance to peep into the compound. But there were not many outside people to speak of: the population of Phnom Penh was almost entirely evacuated during the first days of the regime.

"Evacuated" to countryside to build a new "anticapitalist" society by growing rice.

That tree still stands and can be visited in the Cheoung Ek Killing field.

"Brother Duch" was was Kang Kek Iew and in charge of S 21. He was the highest ranking member of the Khmer Rouge to stand trial later and be sentenced to life in prison. He confessed his guilt.

The picture below features the leading clique of "Democratic Kampuchea". They called themselves "Angka" (meaning "Organisation" in Khmer). Stunningly, their identities were completely unknown in the population. Even low and mid ranking party cadres didn't know who "Angka" actually was. Just imagine you live in this total hell hole, and all you know is that you are governed by some elusive, anonymous organisation called...yeah "organisation". If "1984" weren't written before that, George Orwell would be accused of plagiarism. (Btw it is pretty likely "Angka" knew that book. They were highly educated. Most of them spent many years in Paris studying)

The witch hunts didnt spare anybody. Many perpetrators turned victims.

The left one is the guy from the pic above.

Initially the population was happy to be liberated from the highly corrupt and incompetent Lon Nol regime in 1975 by the Khmer Rouge.

The enthusiasm only lasted a few hours. Forced evacuation started immediately. The Khmer Roughe viewed any city dwellers with suspicion. In their eyes, they only lived off the actual workers and peasant. They were "parasites" that needed to start doing real work, ie growing rice.

An entire family. Parents with 6 children. Killed.

Also foreigners fell prey. A sailor who inadvertently entered Cambodian waters was captured.

Shackles to keep several people on one bar.

Hooks in the floor to attach the shackles

The following image is of particular interest. As mentioned earlier the identities of "Angka" were unknown to virtually everybody. That changed in 1978, the last year of their reign. It was decided that in order to bolster legitimacy and popularity to establish a cult of personality as observed with any other communist dictatorship in Asia at that time. Therefore it was decided that the identity of the leader Pol Pot was publiced and be prepared for admiration. The busts below are examples of this campaign. That never really took off however, and the regime collapsed before (or rather was defeated by Vietnamese troops).

The Khmer Rouge installed these nets to prevent suicides.

Individualy cells were crudely setup in the former class rooms.

The instruments were just as crude as their ideology.

life insects were inserted in open wounds and other body cavities.

Any building and infrastructure was destroyed that did not comply with their narrow view of understanding the world.. That iwas a cinema.

In order to save on precious ammunition and not create attention, the condemned were beaten to death with a blow on their head.