Choeung Ek Genocidal Center (Killing Fields) Tourism

The Choeung Ek Genocidal Center, commonly known as the Killing Fields, is a solemn memorial located just outside Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It serves as a stark reminder of the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge regime between 1975 and 1979. An estimated 17,000 people were executed in the fields after being held and tortured at S-21 Prison (now Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum) in Phnom Penh. Victims ranged from men, women, children, and infants, and were buried in mass graves. Today, Choeung Ek is one of several sites around Cambodia where the brutal history is preserved. Visitors can walk through the peaceful area that once witnessed extreme violence, with remains, clothing fragments, and bones still surfacing due to erosion. A Buddhist stupa filled with thousands of skulls, exhumed from the mass graves, stands as a central memorial to those who lost their lives. The site provides educational experiences through audio tours available in several languages, offering personal narratives, historical context, and accounts from survivors. Choeung Ek is a place for reflection, education on human rights, and a reminder of the darkest chapters of Cambodia’s history.