Sites of Genocide, Cambodia - Tuol Sleng and the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek
In 1975 the Tuol Svay Prey High School was taken over by Pol Pot's security forces and became the infamous Security Prison 21 or S-21. Thousands of people were tortured to death there including several foreigners and not a few of Pol Pot's own people. Now S-21 has been turned into the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.
During the same period, thousands more were taken to the extermination camp at Choeung Ek, sometimes called the Killing Fields. Some were shot, many were beaten to death with bamboo poles to save bullets. More than 8,000 human remains have been recovered and the same number of skulls are now on display behind clear glass panels in a multi-story Stupa at the site. Many pieces of bone and scraps of clothing remain scattered around the green surroundings.
