Table of Contents
What happened at Tuol Sleng prison?
From 1976 to 1979, an estimated 20,000 people were imprisoned at Tuol Sleng (the real number is unknown). At any one time, the prison held between 1,000 and 1,500 prisoners. They were repeatedly tortured and coerced into naming family members and close associates, who were in turn arrested, tortured and killed.
What is the name of the prison in the capital city Phnom Penh?
The most infamous of these prisons was known as “S-21,” located in the capital city of Phnom Penh, where accused “traitors” and their families were brought, photographed, tortured, and killed. Of the roughly 17,000 men, women, and children who were brought to S-21 there were only about a dozen survivors.

Who imprisoned in Tuol Sleng?
The most notorious of the 189 known interrogation centers in Cambodia was S-21, housed in a former school and now called Tuol Sleng for the hill on which it stands. Between 14,000 and 17,000 prisoners were detained there, often in primitive brick cells built in former classrooms.
Who was sent to Tuol Sleng?
In reality, Chum Mey was about to enter the darkest period of his life, as he was taken to Tuol Sleng. There he was imprisoned in a brick cell about two metres by one metre wide, blind-folded and shackled to the floor.
How old is Chum Mey?
age 91–92
Chum Mey later remarried and had six children; three sons and three daughters….
Chum Mey | |
---|---|
Born | 1930 (age 91–92) Kingdom of Cambodia, French Indochina |
Nationality | Cambodian |
Occupation | Motor mechanic, writer |
What is the killing tree?

The weary oak carries the burden of a hideous past. Against its trunk, Khmer Rouge soldiers bashed the delicate skulls of infants and small children, tossing their lifeless bodies into open pits. As if weeping, a deep crimson stain runs down the oak. It is marked forever as the Killing Tree.
What happened to children under the Khmer Rouge?
Family life was discouraged and repressed. Everyone was forced to live in communal work camps, but at the age of eight most children were sent away to live with other children under two or three senior Khmer Rouge officials.
What was Tuol Sleng The former high school used for?
Tuol Sleng is a former high school used as “Security Prison 21” by the Khmer Rouge regime from its rise to power in 1975 to its fall in 1979. An estimated 17,000 people were imprisoned there; of them, there are only 12 known survivors.
How old are the oldest trees in the world?
The Great Basin Bristlecone Pine (Pinus longaeva) has been deemed the oldest tree in existence, reaching an age of over 5,000 years old. The bristlecone pine’s success in living a long life can be attributed to the harsh conditions it lives in.
Can you bring a tree back to life?
Identifying whether a tree is dead or living can sometimes be a very tricky task – especially in the winter time when every tree can look dead. While it is possible, yet sometimes difficult, to revive some sick or dying trees it is impossible to bring a dead tree back to life.
Who financed the Khmer Rouge?
In the 1970s, the Khmer Rouge were largely supported and funded by the Chinese Communist Party, receiving approval from Mao Zedong; it is estimated that at least 90% of the foreign aid which was provided to the Khmer Rouge came from China.
Did U.S. support Khmer Rouge?
According to Michael Haas, despite publicly condemning the Khmer Rouge, the U.S. offered military support to the organization and was instrumental in preventing UN recognition of the Vietnam-aligned government.