Choeung Ek

The Choeung Ek Killing Fields are a gloomy reminder of the Khmer Rouge's terror, whose vicious dictatorship ruled Cambodia between 1975 and early 1979, with the goal of transforming the country into a socialist agrarian society. In under four years, it's estimated that between one and three million Cambodians were killed under Pol Pot's totalitarian authority. Many perished because of food and disease, but also hundreds of thousands of Cambodians - intellectuals, educated individuals like as teachers and doctors, government opponents, and even anyone suspected of being an opponent - were slain.

It is estimated that 17,000 people died here at Choeung Ek. The victims here were taken from S-21, the Khmer Rouge's maximum-security jail that is now the Tuol Sleng Museum. There are 129 mass graves here, with 86 of them excavated and the bones of 8,985 persons exhumed. A memorial stupa with over 8,000 skulls stands in the heart of the region. A visit here is a really somber experience that will help you comprehend this turbulent period in Cambodia's contemporary history. Choeung Ek is located just off Monireth Boulevard.

The Killing Field and Toul Sleng Genocide Museum (S21) Tour can help you properly comprehend what happened here and the horrors of the Khmer Rouge government. During this tour, a driver will pick you up and bring you 14 kilometers south of Phnom Penh to the Choeung Ek Genocidal Center, where you will spend two hours visiting the old orchard that became the site of the mass graves. You'll then return to the city to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, which is housed inside a former high school turned maximum-security prison.

Google rating: 4.6/5.0
Phone: +855 23 305 371
Adress: Choeung Ek Street, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Website: n/a