Choeung Ek Genocidal Center

ជើងឯក

In an orchard 15 km outside Phnom Penh, the Khmer Rouge executed about 20,000 S-21 prisoners. The central stupa holds more than 5,000 skulls, and the Chinese audio guide takes you quietly through the mass graves.

Choeung Ek lies about 15 km southwest of central Phnom Penh. It was once a Chinese cemetery and longan orchard. From 1975 to 1979, the Khmer Rouge used it as an execution ground for S-21 prisoners. Trucks brought the blindfolded prisoners here at night. To save bullets, executioners killed them with hoes, iron bars and saw-toothed palm leaves, then pushed the bodies into pits. In 1980, 129 mass graves were excavated, yielding about 8,985 sets of remains. Total deaths are estimated at nearly 20,000. It is the best-known of more than 300 killing fields across the country. In 1988, a 17-story white memorial stupa was built at the center of the grounds. Inside glass cases, more than 5,000 skulls and sets of clothing are displayed, arranged by age and sex. The paths pass the remains of wooden huts where prisoners were held, the 'magic tree' where revolutionary songs were played to drown out screams, the 'killing tree' used to smash infants (hung with bracelets left by visitors), and pits where broken bone fragments and cloth still surface in the rainy season.

Admission is US$6, which includes the Chinese audio guide. The guide takes about an hour, narrated by survivors and researchers, and it is the most valuable part of the visit. Following the numbered route on foot takes about 1 to 1.5 hours. Getting there: a tuk-tuk from the city center takes about 40 to 50 minutes, and a round trip including waiting costs about US$15 to 20. Most people combine it with the Tuol Sleng museum into a half-day trip, and half-day tours that cover both sites are also available.

Note: This is a graveyard, so dress respectfully, keep quiet, and do not step on the soil at the edges of the pits. Do not pick up bone fragments or cloth from the ground. There is almost no shade in the grounds, so bring water and a hat. Those sensitive to emotional content may skip the inside of the stupa. After your visit, you can rest and collect yourself at the small stalls outside the grounds.

Choeung Ek Genocidal Center

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