Phnom Penh was widely considered to
The first of these is the Toul Sleng
be the most beautiful city in French In-
Genocide Museum. In a brutal four
dochina thanks to its well kept parks
year period, the Communist Khmer
and other European innovations. The
Rouge, under the authority of leader
French left in 1953, but their influ-
Pol Pot, tortured and killed people in
ence remains. Some of the European
what had once been a high school. As
style buildings have fallen into disre-
the communists came into power, the
pair. Nonetheless, the beautiful bones
school was converted into a concen-
remain and some of the French colo-
tration camp known as S-21. It is esti-
nial buildings have been restored to
mated that some 17,000 people passed
their former grandeur in recent years.
through its walls, with only a small
Penh
handful of that number surviving.
and Cambodia flourished with an in-
Today, little has changed with S-21. It
dependent government. Despite this
is preserved much as the Khmer Rouge
success, the invasion of the Khmer
left it with the addition of several photo-
Rouge in the 1970s very nearly de-
graphs that tell the building’s awful tale.
stroyed the city and its people. This
The other Khmer Rouge landmark
bloody and vicious period is memori-
that draws many tourists to pay their
alized at two of the city’s main tour-
respects is the killing fields outside of
ist attractions, both of which provide
the city. Many of the people who did
an unforgettably moving experience.
not survive S-21 are buried here, and
During
the
1960s,
Phnom
2013 Asian Fabric 71