Visit to the S21 prison: Morbid or sensible?

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The S21 prison processed over 17,000 people to destroy. Today it is one of the most popular travel destinations of Cambodia. Is visiting uncomfortable or important?

Some sights can probably only be seen once. Places like Petra, Machu Picchu and Angkor Wat are so great, exotic and expensive that they are the definition of a unique experience.

other sights can be seen once because there is enough; Places such as the Dachau concentration camp in Germany or the S21 prison in Cambodia.

It was worrying to be at the gates of the S21 prison for the second time in five years. My first visit in 2011 had been shocking enough. We had dilated an overzealous tour guide and traveled alone through the former prison - a sobering experience that I was not sure about whether I wanted to repeat it.

The second time I arrived in a guided group tour and was interested in seeing how experience would change.

alt = “”> CC BY-SA 2.0 former torture chamber in prison S21

We started in a small room with a stained floor that was orange and white. At one end there was a rusty metal bed frame - on it a few ankle cuffs and a small box that used prisoners as a toilet. A photo hung on the wall that was taken after the prison was discovered in 1979. It shows a rotting body that is chained to the bed in this former torture chamber.

It is strange how we read these words - "torture chamber" - in horror film descriptions and introduce us to secret underground cells that are filled with moisture and decay. This is located in an inconspicuous city road, surrounded by grass, trees and normal suburban life.

alt = “”> CC BY-SA 2.0 Green area around the S21

prison

The harmless environment guesses that the S21 prison was not always a place of horror. In fact, it was a high school until it was confiscated by Pol Pot's security forces in 1975 and became a security prison 21, the largest detention and torture center in Cambodia.

More than 17,000 people who were recorded in S21 were processed to destroy on the killing fields of Choetung EK, but not before months of torture with blows, electric shocks, scorching hot metal instruments, suffocation, waterboarding, hanging, skinning and worse.

The regime was so merciless that the guards were told that they would just have to live the prisoners alive to continue the torture. If a prisoner died, the security guard would be branded as a traitor and expect a prison sentence.

For those who are not familiar with Pol Pot, it is worth explaining that under his rule from 1975 to 1979 over 1.5 million Cambodian died of hunger, execution, illness or revision. His party, the Red Khmer, initially concentrated their murders on the soldiers and the government of the previous regime.

Then the party expanded the murders of academics, doctors, teachers, students, monks and engineers in the attempt to shape a classless farming society. Later, their paranoia was directed against their own ranks and cleansing throughout the country to ensure that thousands of party activists and their families were brought to the S21 prison and murdered.

When we were tourists in this first torture chamber, the photo on the wall was a harbinger of the horror of the prison. This was the point where there was no longer back.

Our guide pointed to the photo and pointed to a vulture that crouched over the decaying meat of the body. It is a creepy discovery that I missed during my visit without a lead.

There were other changes. For example, there were now scattered at the corners of the complex trash can. On my first visit I was upset when I saw that empty coke and other garbage were thoughly thrown around the overflowing trash can. If we couldn't expect respect here, where?

alt = “”> Atlas & Boots Completing trash cans in the S21 prison (2011)

There were also more explanatory signs who explained what happened in the S21 prison, which undoubtedly lived up to the increasing number of tourists in Cambodia.

Our guide led us through the chambers and the tiny prison cells that were so small that I couldn't stretch my arms.

Then we went to the most shocking of all exhibits: rows about rows of prison photos. The red Khmer meticulously led records about their brutality. Every prisoner who passed the S21 prison was photographed-sometimes before and after torture.

As most visitors will notice, some prisoners seem to be scared, others are angry or defiant, many are neutral in front of the camera, caught in one moment in the middle of one of the most terrible tortures in history.

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fair use
Shaking photos of victims of the Red Khmer in the S21 prison

When I went around between the photos, I might be best able to ask as a repeat visitor: Is visiting the S21 prison pathological or meaningful? Is it a morally ambiguous cornerstone of black tourism or a valuable educational instrument?

My conclusion is that it is a bit of both.

behind every corner, in every room is death. There is also no hope in the middle of terror; No stories about retaliation or justice. According to reports, Pol Pot died of a peaceful death in the Cambodian jungle, and only a few of his top generations were punished.

So, yes, it is morbid, but it also has a meaning. My Eurocentric upbringing taught me everything about Nazi Germany, but nothing about pole pot. Understanding the exams of a distant country contextualizes its own story.

It helps you appreciate your place in history and inspires empathy. It also makes them part of the broader consciousness that swears to never let the past become our future.

alt = “”> Gfdl Light in dark shadows: The S21 correctional facility is now a museum of memory and education

It is the last point that I find most important. When I met two of the registered seven survivors at the end of the S21 prison circle, I first felt a bitter sweet sadness. S21 was the worst thing that happened to them in their life, and now they had settled in his walls and experienced the horrors every day.

But then I remembered Leon Greenman, a survivor of World War II and a compatriot from East London, whom I met as a schoolgirl. Leon spent some time to attend local schools to tell the history of his life in Auschwitz. I remember how he rolled up his sleeve and had his tattoo touched - number 98288.

Leon insisted that we ask whatever we wanted, no matter how shattering it was for him, because "knowledge is the only way to prevent the past from repeating itself". This afternoon with Leon moved in a way how it could never be a month.

So, yes, dark tourism can be pathological, but if the focus is on memory and education, then it has absolutely, undoubtedly worth it.

prison S21: The most important

was: Visiting the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, formerly S21 prison, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Where: I traveled on board the Toum Tiou II as part of a Mekong river cruise. If you stay in Phnom Penh instead, use Booking.com for accommodation.

When: Cambodia is warm all year round. The best time for a visit is between November and March when you can enjoy cool, dry days, but note that this is the main season. June to October is hot and possibly wet, but still a good time for a visit. Rain usually falls for a short outbreak in the afternoon and rarely affects the travel plans.

like: I was at G Adventures Mekong River Cruise Adventure at a price of £ 1,299 per person for a 10-day trip from Saigon to Siem Reap. The price includes most meals, activities and a chief experience officer (CEO). For more information or bookings, call 0344 272 2040 or visit gadvures.com.

Note that the prices do not contain flights. Vietnam Airlines offers the only non-stop flights of the UK to Vietnam, with daily flights from Heathrow Terminal 4 to Hanoi or Saigon. Book via skyscanner.net.

alt = “Mekong River Cross LP guide”>

Lonely Planet Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos & Nordthailand offers a comprehensive travel guide for Phnom Penh and the Mekong Delta, ideal for those who want to explore both the most important sights and take the less busy road.

disclosure: We traveled to Cambodia with the support of G Adventures. All publications say that, but we really don't guarantee positive reporting. We say what we think - good and bad - so that you can make sound decisions with honest advice.

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