S21 Prison: The Gateway to Cambodia’s Killing Fields

In the 1970s, Cambodia's Khmer Rouge ran a horrifying prison camp called S21 that was at the heart of one of the worst genocides ever recorded. Fewer than 1% of those who stayed there made it out alive.
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Credits:
Host - Simon Whistler
Author - Morris M.
Producer - Jennifer Da Silva
Executive Producer - Shell Harris
Business inquiries to [e-mail]
Source/Further reading:
Official website of the genocide museum: tuolsleng.gov.kh/en/museum/bu...
Killing Fields museum: www.killingfieldsmuseum.com/s2...
Overview by USHMM: www.ushmm.org/genocide-preven...
In-depth NYT article on the discovery of S-21 and its transformation into a museum: archive.nytimes.com/www.nytim...
World Without Genoicde: the Cambodian Genocide: worldwithoutgenocide.org/genoc...
Britannica - detailed history of Cambodia: www.britannica.com/place/Camb...
Biography, Pol Pot: www.biography.com/political-f...
Britannica: Pol Pot: www.britannica.com/biography/...
BBC- Khmer Rouge era: www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-p...
BBC, the tale of two survivors: www.bbc.com/news/magazine-330...
Interesting review of Voices of S21: english.cambodiadaily.com/new...
S-21 torture methods: www.cambodiatribunal.org/2016/...
Medical experiments? thediplomat.com/2012/08/chill...
Cambodian incursions into Vietnam: www.nytimes.com/2004/01/07/op...

[@Bassist-Beneath]

The fact that Pol Pot and the prince both died comfortably of natural causes makes me want to throw up

[@shebbs1]

The utter vileness of Communism was revealed in the Killing Fields.

[@sharkfacemlg]

Its weird they almost always get away.

[@ghoul2164]

Pol pot was killed tho. By one of his own comrades.

[@shanghaichang]

It's more complex than you think. If you wanna something to throw up on. Read on how American secretly bombing Cambodia during the Vietnam war, involvement with Coup D'etat which leads to Khmer Rouge regime in the first place. Then literally support Khmer Rouge regime. and still pretends it didn't happen to this day.

[@ghoul2164]

@@shanghaichang Well USA did give a 250$ million fund to rebels in Cambodia

[@soangkeareaksmey1034]

I’m Cambodian, and I’m here to announce that S21 former director, comrade Duch, just passed away a few days ago.

[@Callsign-Blade_RunnerSG]

Good! He’ll report straight to Hell! A lot of them are waiting for him.

[@Mwraf]

Fuck em. Hun Sen will get a foot up his arus next

[@joannaedssay5988]

Fan-fcuking-tastick (I know I'm 8 months late replying), couldn't have happened to anyone better. I'm assuming he has a funeral and burial? If he's buried I hope his grave is forgotten and pissed on by junkies.

[@Inklenation]

@@joannaedssay5988 but junky piss is expensive?!.. 🤔

[@dariagreer3078]

I am convince that Satan welcome him with open arms for eternity.

[@longjonsilvernuts]

My parents and older siblings endured the Cambodian genocide. I thank you for this video and your video of Pol Pot. They mean a lot and is our constant reminder of where we had come from and what could my life have been had it not been for the genocide. Thank you again, these videos mean a lot to me.

[@primesspct2]

I am sorry for your loss Anthony, my family sponsored some cambodian refugees , we all ate Thanksgiving dinner together. This was long ago when I was in my early 20's At that time I had no real comprehension for what they had been through.

[@djquinn11]

Can’t even imagine, glad you’re family was spared. All the best Anthony.

[@joannaedssay5988]

I send my deepest sympathies to you Anthony. I hope you're able to heal as much as is possible. RIP to your parents and siblings, free from the pain.

[@liz-annedior3576]

💙

[@ChristmasLore]

Glad (somehow) that France adopted so many Cambodgien refugees as kids. I knew personally some of them, they were adopted by my parents' friends. So sorry you went through something so awfully similar.

[@nlwilson4892]

I've been to both S21 and Choeung Ek. Choeung Ek is about the size of a football field, it was originally paddy fields so each pit is about 6ft deep (they have dug some out and put the bones in a stupa) and they piled the bodies right to the top. There were 17 such Killing Fields in Cambodia. There's a thin layer of soil on top of them now but as you walk along the path you can see bits of clothes and bones sticking out. That tree it shows with the sign on - that is what they used to kill the younger children by holding them by the legs and smashing their head on the tree. They considered 3 generations of each family to be guilty for the "crimes of one". It is estimated that if the Vietnamese hadn't invaded when they did, about 4 million would have been dead within weeks because so many were so close to starvation. Both our guides remember, as children, scratching around in the dirt to find grubs to eat. It was good that Simon drew attention to the fact that other groups around the world are doing similar and the message at the end was very necessary - "The tale of S21 isn't something confined to history, a story that we can easily dismiss. It's a warning, a warning about what can happen when you divide a population, when leaders care only about power and we see our enemies not as people but as slogans."

[@joannaedssay5988]

Thank you for commenting and sharing. I'm kinda at the 'event horizon' of the Cambodian genocide rabbit hole.

[@Simca33]

“We can do this”, being the newest.

[@prapanthebachelorette6803]

I’m seeing this pattern in many countries right now, it’s scary

[@fasthracing]

Nope it used to be a Chinese cemetery.

[@BillClinton228]

Marxism always ends the same way, mass m*rder and horrific poverty. It's almost like the ideology doesnt work in real life without massive amount of starvation and misery... but hey lets keep trying it because that wasnt "real" marxism right?

[@biofoot7874]

That closing message, that needs to be in everyone's head

[@jamesbuck2378]

The only way these kind of events would stop, would be if every single person was caged, under total surveillance. And since that would be impossible, saddle up cause its never gonna completely end. Human paranoia is innate and a part of living nature. We all forget from time to time, but we are just as much animals, as we are humans.

[@johnstevenson9956]

@@jamesbuck2378 It may have been HL Mencken who said, "Darwin was wrong. Man is still an ape."

[@--enyo--]

James Buck I’m pretty sure that’s how these things start.

[@biofoot7874]

While the edge-lord nihilists mumble their piece, the sane and coherent must do what we can to not allow the triumph of the worst of us

[@jamesbuck2378]

@@--enyo-- People with free will, are more capable of becoming corrupted, in such a way that they go on to cause chaos. (Adolf Hitler, Pol Pot, Chairman Mao, Joseph Stalin and so on) That the only way to have stopped these monsters, would have to cage them, surveillance or even just kill them. But since we cannot read minds and since ANYBODY can be a monster, there is no way to completely stopping these things from happening; except caging everyone, or killing all of us.

[@Mansini77]

5:00 “A middle class teacher daydreaming of revolution.” Yeah, I’ve had a few of those in school myself.

[@woollypidgeon1948]

@Micheal Scott I won’t even bother arguing

[@deadrabbit666666]

@@woollypidgeon1948 nothing to argue

[@Powderlover1]

Me too... although usually I think of policies like universal healthcare, and a government that works for the people... not what I’m getting from pol pot.

[@IronJeff54321]

Yea they were chosen it didn’t just happen as he says ... it was a proxy war to clear away the population

[@750voltsdc3]

@American Patriot Yupp privatise it so the Chinese state can educate the young better than the American state could. ;)

[@sydneymiller3970]

I visited Cambodia as a teenager around 2013. I will never forget those killing fields. There were signs up telling you to notify a guide if you found bones. You could see the indentations in the ground where the mass graves were. I distinctly remember one tree, famous for having been used to kill infants and young children. You could see the bloodstains on the trunk of the tree, and not particularly high up. It all seemed so recent and fresh.

[@dudewheresmyvan]

I think the most gruesome thing was the tree in the killing fields, were guards would smash babies against it till they stopped breathing. Definitely one of the sickest things. Taking a tour of S-21 and the killing fields was intense.

[@josephwright5921]

Yes, i saw that tree and have a tiny shard of pottery from nearby. It is horrible what we humans have done to each other. God help us all for the the things that are coming with the Great Reset.

[@tyleroutingdyke849]

​@@josephwright5921 that's not pottery..... thats baby-skull shard dude...

[@bluegregory6239]

Yeah, I went to both places in 2012, and they are the heaviest things I've ever seen in a lifetime of travel. Bits of bone still working their way to the surface.

[@oldman975]

And in all of these atrocities there were people who said,”It can’t happen here!” They say it even now.

[@dshe8637]

They used to say it in Bosnia :-(

[@blacksheep_edge1412]

Meanwhile in the USA we've gone from, "it can't happen here," to people pushing for it to happen here.

[@oldman975]

@@blacksheep_edge1412 I’m afraid I must agree with you.

[@eegernades]

@@blacksheep_edge1412 the beginning domino to push the rest almost got pushed down in january 6, 2021. Thankfully, the domino got stopped before it fell.

[@TheLifeOfKane]

"It can't happen here" As we pay the Communist Chinese Party to commit the worst genocides in history in exchange for their cheap ethnic slave labor. It's happening now, I'm surprised the video didn't mention China's genocides. But I suppose losing ad money sucks

[@amb163]

"It can always get worse..." Yeah, that's what I worry about, sitting here in the year 2020. I hope more people take your end message to heart.

[@mike04574]

There will definitely not be a mass genocide like this happening this year but we should still be reminded

[@amb163]

@@mike04574 Don't tempt 2020. There's still four months left.

[@spritemon98]

I always say this phrase

[@dudeiii2069]

Being stuck in you house and being stuck in S21 isnt the same

[@amb163]

@@dudeiii2069 I wasn't making that comparison.

[@BooshMeBaby]

I'll never forget the lady who showed my partner and I around S21 telling me, poe faced, about her family walking from Phnom Penh to Battambang, hungry, thirsty, feet raw, stepping over dead bodies along the way. Her face was expressionless but her eyes were the window to a memory as fresh as if it were yesterday. A truly chilling place. As Simon said, everyone lived in fear, even the soldiers. You never knew when it would all turn on you.

[@somsachum8261]

As a Cambodian, thank you for this. I remember learning about Brother Duch back in college. Our class had a discussion on why he wanted confessions and agreed that it was their way of absolving themselves of being murderers. If a confession was made, they had killed spies and traitors, not innocent people (though this does conflict with their saying of killing ten innocents instead of letting one live). Of course, this is just a theory we had. I think one other thing Brother Duch was obsessed with was finding spies. Each prisoner had to give at least ten names of people within their network. You can pretty much see how this kept continuing, since each of those ten had to give another ten names as they're being tortured. Also, if anyone else is interested in learning more about this, one of the survivors was an artist. From what I remember, they wanted to paint portraits of Pol Pot and distribute it to the masses. During this time most people had not known of his actual appearance, other than by name. This was what saved the artist's life, as I think even being an artist would get you killed (I could be wrong though). He recounted his experience through that ordeal, and talked about how he was given real food for the first time in forever. It was just rice, but after not having real food for so long, he could barely eat the rice without hurting his jaw.

[@stillcantbesilencedevennow]

The arts rarely survive things like communist regimes. Only just now are those things starting to flourish again.

[@Mememeep]

I actually met this artist during my first visit. He told us it was really art that had kept him alive.

[@johnrock241]

his name was vann nath

[@chrissoclone]

A few years ago I first saw the movie "The Killing Fields" which led me into a rabbit hole on Wikipedia I'll never forget. Quite a strong message there at the end Simon, well done.

[@SargBjornson]

Quirky story: I was the one who started writing that Wikipedia article, in... 2004-05 I think (it was a mini-stub previously and I was bored out of my mind). I didn't know about the topic prior and I had to document myself on it all. I had never cried previously doing something like that, it was an experience I'll remember all my life

[@annescholey6546]

With the journalists being abused by the Khmer Rouge in the monsoon and Haing S. Ngor fleeing over a corpse filled swamp.

[@davidhamilton2093]

As our Scottish bard wrote, Man's inhumanity to man. Nothing has really changed since he wrote that in the 1780s. Clearly we've learnt nothing.

[@crystalmethking]

@Gipsy Danger hardest film i have ever watched

[@archstanton6102]

The documentary on this place is more harrowing but also has the survivor interviews.

[@nathanielfamisan1968]

"One of the great ironies of communism is that so many of its leaders came from the same privileged backgrounds that they rallied against." For once, someone finally said what must be said.

[@dsnodgrass4843]

It's not that big an irony, or a revelation. Nearly all fascists and other right-wing extremist leaders are nowhere near the embodiment of the traditionalist virtues they espouse, either.

[@michaelx4810]

Not sure why you’re elated. Hardly a revelation.

[@Dan16673]

Commie followers dont care because "intentions"

[@AJK156]

@@dsnodgrass4843 And?

[@dshe8637]

That's why Trotsky proposed that those people never be allowed to establish themselves as new overlords. He was for ongoing change of individuals in decision making posts, so that the country would be managed by a wider consensus. That's why Stalin got rid of him

[@raymondsmith9975]

if you were herded into a camp, and the first thing you saw was a sign that read, "To save you is no profit, to destroy you is no loss", that phrase alone would make your heart sink. it's pretty much telling you your life means nothing, and your pretty much not leaving here alive...

[@ProfessorRoy82]

I visited these places in 2017. My Uber driver said his parents survived the Khmer Rouge, I felt a bit awkward being driven to the killing fields. Seeing all of the skulls on display with color coded stickers explaining how the prisoner was killed, seeing leftover personal items bloodied, pictures of people who were murdered, the fields and prison itself - it was just a humbling experience.

[@b0gie726]

When I entered the makeshift cells in S21, chills came up my spine, the blood splattered on the floor, it was so traumatic for me to know that my father had to go through the Khmer Rouge as a 6 year old and not remembering my dead grandfather.

[@joannaedssay5988]

I'm so sorry, your comment brought tears to my eyes. I hope you find peace.

[@mizzouranger134]

Sorry that happened to your dad but why in the world is that traumatic for you? That’s called privilege that you have no concept of it. Give me a break. It’s gross really. It takes away from their experience.

[@BooEntertainment2019]

@@mizzouranger134 Idk why, but I think your tone of message comes off as quite rude. If it is, have some respect.

[@ian-nf9um]

​@@mizzouranger134 dick head it's the person's father's he can feel how he likes.sorry for your family's pain

[@danielgillard7795]

Thanks for making this one Simon - I live about a mile and a half away from Tuol Sleng and I drive past on my motorbike nearly every day. It's pretty much in the centre of Phnom Penh, and the rest of the neighbourhood is a very nice place, with some great coffee shops and local bars. Heck, my shoemaker is on the same street as S21! And where I live is virtually equidistant between S21 and the Choeung Ek Killing Fields. Despite the utterly horrible history here, the good people of Phnom Penh are rebuilding still, and life is a lot happier for many here these days. I've been watching your videos for a long time, and as tragic as the subject matter is in this one, I'm really glad to see you and your team make this video. I was thinking less than an hour ago that I should visit S21 again as it's been a while since I paid my respects. Anyway - listening to you as a fellow Brit on your videos often serves as a nice reminder of home, but this video's a great surprise - a British voice helping to chronicle a very important piece of the history of this lovely adopted city of mine. Thanks again.

[@genghis_connie]

Thanks for weighing in on this. It's good to hear how things are now. Best to you.

[@archstanton6102]

Was there in June 2017

[@danielgillard7795]

@@archstanton6102 hope you can make it back again one day sir - it's still as lovely and crazy as ever here :-)

[@brettkenyon4679]

@@danielgillard7795 you pretty much well said what I wanted to say. I visited Phnom Penh in 2009 to perform the Cambodian wedding ceremony. I had already married my wife back in NZ. We visited Choeng Ek Sol and S21. We visited yearly for five years, and I haven't been back since around 2014. The experiences I had in Cambodia made me truly appreciate what I have back in NZ. I want to go back again and see my wife's family too. I miss Cambodia.

[@andrewstrugnell7275]

Beautiful Shoes?

[@dodge96neon]

i remember in the late 1970's that there were many cambodians fleeing cambodia by boat and jane fonda said , " why would anyone want to leave cambodia "

[@KhanMann66]

Ignorance is bliss isn’t it?

[@peter-8483]

The fonda family are insane

[@lel7841]

Well what else expect from her? I have no idea why anyone could be a fan of hers. She's either a complete idiot easily fooled by evil men or a complicit accomplice in trying to hide their inhuman acts with gaslighting.

[@UlshaRS]

Privileged idiot and the exact kind of 'intellectual' (upperclass book smart world stupid know it all) that those regimes targeted first for extermination.

[@MaD0MaT]

Just like modern day Hollywood praising CCP for their mass killings. Why would you flee China?

[@lunameanstarsdraws8683]

My Boyfriend is half Cambodian, his mother escaped Cambodia and this genocide, and ended up where I live. I cannot say how thankful I am for her escaping this, and coming here, otherwise I wouldn’t have my wonderful baby. Without this video I wouldn’t have even known this had happened. Thank you Simon, thank you

[@jummalinio2610]

you ưhore

[@jummalinio2610]

your boyfriend's family were the KILLERS

[@jummalinio2610]

your sleeping witha genocider

[@thedefkidletterboxd]

I've been to Cambodia twice. It's one of my favorite countries in the world, and it really changed my life. Learning the horrors of the Khmer Rouge and the Killing Fields, seeing the trees where they bashed in the heads of babies, the cliffs they threw people off of to execute them, and the piles of skulls in stupas built as memorials to the victims was devastating to me. And then seeing the beauties of Angkor Wat and the ancient imperial capital outside Siem Reap, it really broke my heart. It's a country that's summited the highest of highs and trod the most dreadful abyssal lows. I've never quite gotten over it emotionally. If you go at some point in the future, though, the people are among the nicest I've ever met. It's really a remarkable land.

[@svenlarson6844]

same as you it changed me,it showed me what the human race was capable of.Without money you have sticks and spears,Bankrolled by i suspect the same gouls hanging around today,Cambodian people are very friendly and people should visit.

[@notoriousalien]

the fact that people are so kind just makes it even sadder. they have gone through more than any of us yet they smile the widest.

[@dadadannn]

And now today it is the true wild west country. Where your 1st tuktuk driver will tell you if you have money you can do ANYTHING you want. He's right. Literally anything you want. It's an amazing country with beatiful islands, coasts, jungles, cities and no laws, however unfortunately it's being taken over by China now

[@mephala7]

On my list soon as we can travel.

[@chris2pher44]

Ya I went once with some people from work and it’s like a different plant. I’ve got no clue how anything can get accomplished there but it can/does. It was a great time and huge education. If anyone gets a chance you must go. One of my first jobs when I was young the owner was Cambodian and he lost all his family, he would tell me stories and thought they were crazy but once you go there and see the school and the fields no video or pictures does justice. Friend a Cambodian then you can have a travel guide and hook up where to stay and people. Nice cheap place for vacation.

[@PB2070]

Great video but if feel i have to mention several things. After Vietnam defeated Khmer Rouge, Pol Pot didn't just disappear to the jungle and lived there until he died. Khmer Rouge collectively fled to Thailand and remained an opposition to the newly formed People's Republic of Kampuchea, while also being backed by the USA, UK, China and their allies as a really perverse version "an enemy of my enemy is my friend" because they wanted an ally in fight against Soviet and Vietnam influence in the region. Also, on insistence of USA, UK and China, Khmer Rouge representatives were holding a seat in the UN instead of the ones from the newly formed People's Republic, which in turn received an embargo by the UN Security Council. All in all, a really tragic chapter in human history.

[@dshe8637]

They could not have been successful without Western backing. That's an even bigger tragedy.

[@dylanagoblin9298]

Pardon my ignorance but you seem quite knowledgable on the topic and I have just been wondering one thing. I have been researching this and from what I understand the Khmer Rouge were originally communists, motivated to overthrow the dictatorship of Sihanouk. For what reason did they become authoritarian? They seem motivated to "free the people" and all that, but what made them so afraid that they began murdering people just for having glasses, for seeming "elitist". I don't quite understand the shift?

[@Philip271828]

If you're still following this: Do you know why the UK was backing the Khmer Rouge?

[@rockonallnight]

@@dshe8637 China was by far The Khmer Rouge’s main backer during their ascendence to power and all throughout their reign of terror over Cambodia. The US started backing them after Vietnam overthrew the regime, not during the actual genocide that took place from ‘75 to ‘79. US support was essentially a way to continue on with its proxy war against The Soviet Union once Vietnam ousted The Khmer Rouge from power and control over the country. Yes it was horrendous for The US to back The Khmer Rouge in any way, but their support for them did not occur during the actual Cambodian Genocide.

[@the_corvid97]

@@Philip271828 Because they were opposed to the Soviet Union and Vietnam.

[@brandonthomson4980]

Never in my life have I ever been in a place that bothered me so much as going to S21 (or Choeung Ek for that matter). The upper levels of the buildings were unbearable to be in even for a few moments. Just the heaviest of feelings knowing the atrocities of what happened there. Even walking into S21, you are greeted by the final 12 remaining victims all interned in coffins above ground, as well the gallows that have not been taken down. The cruelty of humanity knows no end, and we unfortunately allow cruelty to continue.

[@mizzouranger134]

Where are atrocities like these happening?? All liberal idiots hate the military. So what would you like to do about it?

[@aresjerry]

Pol Pot could also smile and have a good time

[@titanicwang2044]

History doesn't repeat but it rhymes.

[@nessmess500]

Great quote!

[@roo5940]

History doesn’t repeat itself, but human behavior does

[@robertomanalo6346]

You fool what mean History doesnt repeat itself . It repeat and judge itself it happen again in China in the Xinjiang region were Muslim Uighur have been Genocide the way Pol Pot did in Cambodia

[@robertomanalo6346]

Titanic Wang you are a Wacko and Weird about your statement

[@roo5940]

@@robertomanalo6346 no you are! Lol

[@superme63]

You can tell by the closing statement that this one really hit you in the feels, Simon. My guess is because it happened so close to the year of you being born.

[@jamieschaeffer3675]

I cried

[@jamesclendon4811]

A small blessing: today, Sept 01, 2020 the announcement has been made that Duch has just died at age 77.

[@pyromania1018]

@Dominic No grave. Thanks to COVID, he was cremated and hastily buried.

[@pyromania1018]

@@alexander-mauricemillamlae4567 I don't know if it is.

[@epajarjestys9981]

For being one of the few who genuinely regretted his own atrocities, did not justify or downplay anything, and provided detailed records of what happened, I hope he is headed for better destinations. No one can escape his karma. But some can learn.

[@pyromania1018]

@@epajarjestys9981 I don't think he genuinely regretted anything. He probably hoped it would allow him to avoid capital punishment.

[@GleichUmDieEcke]

And on that day, he finally became a good communist.

[@FourOf92000]

In case anyone was wondering, Brother Duch died on September 8th, a couple weeks after this came out.

[@marthaperdew]

I hope he is burning in hell !

[@becgould3772]

I hope it was slow and extremely painful.

[@epajarjestys9981]

According to Wikipedia, he died on Sept. 2. He knew he had committed unspeakable evil. He will suffer the consequences. I wish him all the best.

[@SomeHomestuck]

I hope he is in the deepest pits of Tartarus

[@darrienscott7048]

When I was stationed in Japan as an aircraft mechanic for the AF I would often travel to the Philippines, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and more but Cambodia definitely stood out. I went to the "Killing School". It was insane. They did tours and you can still see blood stains in the rooms. There was also a tree that clearly was beat on and would grow bark on certain parts. The guide told us that they used that tree to bash babies against until they were dead. I couldnt continue the tour cause I kept picturing the babies. Till this day I randomly picture it and the BOOM! I see this video.

[@AkurA30]

A terrible part of history... Just wish more people knew about it

[@gangsterpenguin8709]

also kinda funny

[@tsartomato]

inb4 asian camps in usa

[@VNYoshi]

From my POV, it was covered up. The US supported the Khmer Rouge (see: Allegations of United States support for the Khmer Rouge - wikipedia). They went as far as using the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia as an excuse to place an embargo on Vietnam. For more people to know, is to acknowledge that the West willingly backed a genocidal regime out of convenience. Which as you could imagine, fat chance.

[@Assassinus2]

Nyan Nyan And yet thoroughly unsurprising. If anything, I rather feel that more knowledge of this would lead to more Tuol Slengs popping up, especially in the United States.

[@glitchass]

I remember exactly when and where I was when I found out about Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. I'll never forget how shocked I was when my dad told me about it. I was in middle school at the time, 7th grade I think. I'd heard the song Holiday in Cambodia by Dead Kennedys tons of times, being a punk fan, but I'd never made the effort to read up on the meaning behind it. It shocked me to think that something so horrible and of such a large scale could have happened in the 70s, but I guess being a 13 year old, I wasn't the most informed anyway. For the rest of middle school and high school, the Cambodian genocide wasn't mentioned once in any of my social studies/history classes. We learned nothing about it at all. In fact, I learned more about the existence of the Japanese internment camps in my freshman year English class while reading Farewell to Manzanar than I did in my US history class. When I took that class my sophomore year, there was, and I shit you not, ONE entire sentence about the camps in our textbooks. One. It's frightening to think about how many people still are unaware of the atrocities that have happened in recent history, and the ones that are occurring right now. I never learned about he Armenian genocide until I looked up the meaning behind the song Holy Mountains by System of a Down a few years ago. There are still so many awful parts of history that everyone needs to be informed of, myself included. I apologize for the wall of text, but your comment really put it best.

[@murlock666]

Factual and delivered brilliantly. Definately one of your best Simon. Keep up the good work. More presentations like this might just help prevent it in the future. Very moving.

[@knightrider693]

He's become one of my favorite sources for history

[@captainkavi]

I was at S21, two years ago , it left a indelible impression on me - you can see everything right there in front of you, the same exact beds people were tied to in the same rooms, the marks on the walls and the old faded paint, the photos the journalist took when he discovered the place are truly shocking. But there are beautiful flowering bushes and trees in the courtyard and the whole neighbourhood is actually very nice. I found it one of the most important but disturbing places i have ever visited and i've travelled widely and seen a fair amount over the years. this place really starkly reminds you that we are all much closer to total chaos and a loss of humanity and morals than most people realise. The cambodian people are really wonderful kind and compassionate and the country is beautiful to visit, id consider living there to be honest, it will never cease to cause me such conflicting emotions that this could have happened here and what the country and people have been through to still keep smiling

[@r.m.5548]

Liar

[@captainkavi]

@@r.m.5548 why would you say that? seems a strange statment and out of no where... i was indeed at S21 2 years ago, why would i lie about that or how it made me feel?

[@ptdvll]

Cambodia is an amazing country, and for those who have not been there, please go. Go on the tour of S21 and the killing fields...after that, your life will change and you’ll have a different perspective. Cambodians are some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. Thanks for this video Simon, it brought back memories

[@cashewnuttel9054]

Cambodia is an amazing country If they are then why are they still poor? Also no thanks, I hate traveling.

[@ptdvll]

@@cashewnuttel9054 not sure why you’d waste both of our time by even replying to the comment. Furthermore go and learn about economics and how money and power works, then come back with a sophisticated comment.

[@cashewnuttel9054]

@@ptdvll I don't even know why you'd waste your time to write your OP or reply to my comment to begin with. And really, that's your response? To learn about economics, money, and power? I know that in order to travel you need to be economically feasible. I do know that locals will try to squeeze as much money out of you. I do know that the locals think they have the power over you because you're a foreigner and they think you're stupid, and try to squeeze as much money out of you. Stop preaching Pete, you aren't changing the world.

[@ptdvll]

@@cashewnuttel9054 for all the things you “know”, you’re quite wrong about a lot. Perhaps it’s time you get off your pedestal, and save up some money, go travel, and see the world. It’s clear you don’t know much, as you’ve called yourself out. It’s quite hysterical that wrote that response. Thanks for adding additional humour to the world. Good luck with all your keyboard warrior gigs.

[@OF01975]

One of the senior leaders, Duch just died this morning

[@jasonnoghani7116]

Good, may that bastard burn in hell - love from Kampot!

[@blerp6675]

Good

[@mitchellneu]

Good riddance

[@artemisarrow179]

He’s got some serious explaining to do in front of God.

[@RapturianCitizen]

@@artemisarrow179 Please get over your childish ideas.

[@TheAshleyYoyo]

A chilling get brutally honest message at the end there. And my biggest respect to you for not ending with the “so I hope you found that video interesting if you did hit the thumbs up” outro. It would have been disrespectful to the education we all got and you kept it respectful throughout. Respect ✊🏽

[@misterhat5823]

And he spared us from the mid-video infomercial.

[@TheAshleyYoyo]

Mister Hat Very true, he didn’t have to but he did. Classy move all round from Simon

[@Masterdeber]

ikr it’s so disrespectful and typical when history youtube channels end their videos with “please like and subscribe” after discussing a tragic genocide

[@swiss.2916]

Simon, your closing was the most impressive thing I have heard in a year. The most presidential sounding commentary I have heard in an even longer time. Thank you.

[@deadflag7030]

*"It's a holiday in Cambodia, where you'll do what you're told, it's a holiday in Cambodia, where the slums got so much soul."* -Jello Biafra

[@bchin4005]

Not to take away from any of the atrocities mentioned, but it's disturbing how Rawanda never seems to make it on the lists of modern genocides.

[@ThePhantomSafetyPin]

I feel privileged to have learned about the Rwandan Genocide in 7th grade. It's important, and nobody, nobody talks about it. Tragic. Same with Cambodia's killing fields.

[@SA-5247]

I’m not sure what you mean? It’s taught in every public school and a movie was made about it.

[@rejvaik00]

Don't forget about the Rohingya genocide Which strangely enough Nobel peace prize winner Aang San Syu Kyi went before the International Court of Justice to defend the Burma military from accusations of genocide in 2019

[@starrchild254]

People seem to forget the irish genocide as well even though a million people died

[@starcraftplayer7084]

Uganda too... 😢 almost half a million were killed under that idiot general.

[@cindyr2951]

This is by far your most powerful video across all your channels. Well done Simon, to show us history and currant tragedies.

[@murlock666]

Totally agree

[@crumptonemma]

Your ending monolog was amazing. Thank you for continuing to cover pieces of history that seem to be swept under the rug.

[@RyanSmith-pp5hc]

I lived a few blocks away from S21 for 3 years. I knew it was a place I needed to visit while I was living in Cambodia but also knew the emotional toll such an experience would take. My brother came to visit a year into me living there and the two of us went to S21. It was chilling just to walk through the gate. You could almost feel the pain and death that took place there. I would imagine it is similar to visiting Auschwitz. Definitely worth a visit. Let us never forget the atrocities human beings are capable of under the right circumstances.

[@lauren9667]

Your videos have made me laugh, they’ve educated me, they’ve even made me shake my head at people’s foolishness, but this was the first one to make me grieve for humanity. While you were listing the places where atrocities were currently being committed in the closing message, I was able to list a few more...

[@Jeremyramone]

The fact that the architects of this genocide never faced justice certainly discredits the idea of karma.

[@rodchallis8031]

What does justice look like in these cases? To imagine a punishment that fits the crime, you have to become what they are. They all got off too easy. As they all did in Germany and Japan, too. Because the dispensers of justice in those cases were not debased degenerates. That's a hard pill to swallow, but there you have it.

[@unclestoma4699]

@@rodchallis8031 if I was in charge Germany and Japan would not have existed after ww2 they would be erased forgotten

[@27dcx]

@@unclestoma4699 So you would have committed genocide against two whole populations for the actions of their governments? You really lost the message here bud.

[@vincentlp115]

@@unclestoma4699 so you are gonna turn into the very thing that they were fighting against back then? (the allies i mean)

[@archstanton6102]

Depends what they were reincarnated as

[@Vizaya]

It's hard for me to ask my parents about their ordeal when fleeing Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge. I feel bad asking them to recall it. So thank you for this video. I've visited these places when I was 10 and couldn't fully process the immense tragedy.

[@jaxxii]

My professor talked about this in class today, so when I saw this in my recommended I was honestly so surprised. This video was very informative/clarifying.

[@bellacarow3605]

That ending!!! I love this channel, love the videos and most importantly, the candid way you explain history. It's not enough to know that it happened, we must admit it can happen again so we can take action against atrocities like this.

[@5ryans]

We have a duty to learn from history so that we dont repeat it

[@aaronbradley3232]

Yeah but it certainly seems like we're not going to

[@pyromania1018]

No one ever follows that lesson.

[@justinmeasday8930]

I notice these maniac leaders were school teachers.

[@anarchyantz1564]

And even now we have certain groups in the "civilised" west who want to tear down and destroy history rather than leave it to learn from it.

[@archstanton6102]

Too late

[@NR23derek]

Almost certainly the best, most informative video you have made Simon. I visited this place in 1993, shortly after Cambodia opened to tourists and I can honestly say I came away terrified at what I'd seen. In one room was a large display of passport style photos of the victims and one in particular caught my eye, a teenage kid with a terrified expression that spoke volumes. I saw ghosts that day and will never forget it. Thank you.

[@earthflash]

Blessings for your superb overview! I visited both S21 and the Killing Fields --- and thoroughly photographed both death zones --- for my book, "There are no Foreign People." These scenes were macabre, intense, and heartbreaking --- for my spirit to record. Because of the massacres --- Cambodia seemed eerily empty of any grandparents --- when I visited in 2010. I appreciated your final warning. You are gifted at what you do, thank you. Full love and support from the Earthpeople of Hawaii

[@j.a.weishaupt1748]

Please never stop this collaboration with Morris M. Thank you for always writing thrilling stories with your typical weird sense of humor.

[@InfamoussDBZ]

Deciding who lives and who dies is the ultimate corruption of power

[@ricojes]

incidentally, that's what doctors in italy had to go through when their covid cases shot past their available equipment.

[@nemo7782]

@Brandon Toad Yep, don't mention the DEMOCRATIC cities they happened in.

[@ThePhantomSafetyPin]

@@nemo7782 It happened in NYC, in the United States, during a Republican's rule. Don't fool yourself. Blaming the left wing for everything is as foolish as blaming the right for everything.

[@HauntedXXXPancake]

@@ricojes Yeees, Triage (saving those you can) is the same as killing perfectly healthy people for ideological reasons ... If you're a pretentious moron.

[@alfredrestivo2713]

I have watched almost every video you have made on every channel you have. This was by far the most chilling narrative you have done.

[@jameswight6259]

Really appreciated that you included that conclusion/message at the end. So true and so important! Suggested follow up reading for those interested, not specifically on Cambodia but generally on the psychology of the perpetrators of crimes against humanity: Obedience to Authority - the Milgram experiment, Christopher Browning - Ordinary Men, and the Zimbardo prison experiment.

[@pathallahan3016]

Not even mentioning a "so I hope you liked that video, if so....". I've seen others where he said something along the lines of "im not going to ask if you enjoyed that video" etc. This one he didn't even do that. Amazing ending to a well done video

[@quirkyMakes]

Finally something that has some real feeling in it. this is how the crimes of the past should be betrayed. Thank you for the video. I had no Idea about Cambodia's recent history. This is why I watch your channel. Keep up the good work.

[@Korilian13]

At S21 I listened to a talk by a woman who had grown up during the Khmer rouge. Before that I'd assumed that maybe if you were just a simple peasant, you might have been able to escape somewhat unscatched. But her talk showed me that they turned the whole country into a giant concentration camp. It was such a harrowing story. I'll never forget it. I definitely recomment checking out the talkd there if you have the opportunity.

[@peipei4082]

Where can i watch or listen to the talk?

[@karlallspach5309]

I'm slowly working my way through all the content on this channel. Really addictive and never fails to amaze. Excellent work!

[@osmosis7464]

A few years back I visited S21 and the killing fields and it was the most harrowing experiences I have ever had. There was a resident artist (one of the 12 who survived) who painted some of the most upsetting scenes you will see, such as torture and people chained in cells. The killing fields has a kind of mausoleum with row upon row of skulls and when you look in the open pits, you can see bones protruding out even now. Left as a reminder as to evil of some people. Simon's words speak true now when people who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it, particularly some of the youth of today.

[@BamBoomBots]

I can imagine that one can only do a vid like this once in a while. However, if you can stomach it, the Jadovno and Jasenovac concentration camps are worthy of a video. Too little people know about the atrocities committed there, Heinrich Himmler and SS personnel themselves were shocked and called it 'barbarian'. Something else: save the Uighurs, bring down the CCP. As long as we look away form genocide we are not worthy of our existence as a species.

[@jamieschaeffer3675]

Please do a video. I've never heard of them and if their anything like this the world needs to know.

[@johnathanblackwell9960]

@Dylan sky It's kind of funny but the Chinese have been ethnically cleansing non han chinese for decades but people only now seem to have taken notice.

[@SonofSethoitae]

@@johnathanblackwell9960 People noticed when they did it to Tibet, but nobody did fuck all about it

[@alistairmackintosh9412]

Money>blood.

[@JayR-wg9jq]

a video about what china is doing would be great but it would be demonitized before the guy even posted it

[@beakytzw]

This has to be one of the most powerful videos you have made Simon. Thank you.

[@misternasty7291]

This channel has opened my eyes to a lot of things. Your reporting style is on point.

[@TheWeatherbuff]

Y'know. When I think about all my so-called "problems" in my life here in the USA, this puts things into perspective. Thanks Simon.

[@MEZ92]

@Brandon Toad We are voting him back in. The leftists are trying to bring down the country. Even moderates who hate him don't like what the left is trying to do.

[@yaboib3074]

Release the hounds

[@bluegregory6239]

The Dead Kennedys wrote a very good song about this in 1980. The things that Gen Z and Millennials in the US complain about nowadays make me laugh out loud.

[@mrspock1994]

I’ve been here...it’s very eerie, haunting...never forget it. And you’re absolutely right, Simon. That ending was spot on

[@Vrani2110]

Thank you for another informative video Simon! Not sure if this is already on a list of possible future videos, but I would very much like to see a video on either Auswichtz or Tereschenstadt (Been to the latter 3 times by now in my 30 years, and I remain deeply touched after each visit to this day.)

[@jessyew487]

One of your best to date. Way to use your platform Simon!

[@tistedmentality3715]

You should look up what the Chinese are doing to the Uyghurs people. That is one that should unite the people of earth against chit he CCP.

[@DriftedVisionMan]

Or Tibetans

[@--enyo--]

Sadly we all know these days, but nobody can do anything about it. 😔

[@neighborhoodcatlady6094]

The photos that we’re recently published. Looks like they were taken from a Nazi concentration camp. Seeing the prisoners next to the train cars. I have heard that they also have an airstrip and medical facility nearby for transplants. Evil.

[@khrashingphantom9632]

tisted mentality Well the Uyghurs are a Chinese Muslims so people have been primed to not care about them and mass news media not cover their plight. (In the U.S at least.) Especially now.

[@reeeteee2526]

Brandon Toad China Uncensored has done videos on these camps. Highly recommended.

[@mariuszgorski6828]

This is one of the most dark history videos from You guys... And I am Polish. I know what DARK HISTORY is...

[@exlibrisas]

Check their "cannibal island" video.

[@mariuszgorski6828]

@Gipsy Danger thanx man. My sister in IRL right now and she cant say bad word about Your people. I know Your country story too. I know what English did to your country. I hope they will picture it on this channel. World need to remember who is the bad guy here. Cheers!

[@mariuszgorski6828]

@@exlibrisas Saw that one too. Terrible thing did communist comit. And the saddest thing is that 99% will not be judged for what they've done.

[@commentingchannel6577]

@@mariuszgorski6828 communists that were supported and funded by the cia

[@heavenseeker2320]

commenting channel oh no not another delusional one.

[@christopherengel7436]

Great video Simon & crew. Powerful words at the end. I only hope everyone really hears them.

[@brennanhuard966]

This deserves a rewatch. Thank you for making this episode.

[@ProffesionalZombie12]

This is probably one of the best pieces done on this channel, with a powerful and sobering message at the end. Really outdid yourself, Simon. You gave S21's victims a voice.

[@LothlorianOG]

The killing field was probably the most emotional place I've ever been. The museum at S21 is dark, and worth the time, but the audio tour around the killing field nearby will bring anyone to tears. The bones and clothes of children are still being washed up. The pain in that place is still palpable.

[@VB-dx8dh]

Nice work Simon, Morris, and Shell. Way to wrap it up Simon. Truly disturbing and sad that humans are capable of such atrocities.

[@pyromania1018]

They had four interrogation units: 1) The Cold Unit, AKA the "gentle" unit, which was for questioning and was not allowed to use torture 2) The Hot Unit, AKA the "cruel" unit, for prisoners who withstood the cold unit 3) The Chewing Unit, for particularly resilient prisoners--essentially Room 101 4) The Political Unit, for political prisoners, obviously

[@turdferguson7264]

A powerful message. Thank you Simon, and your colleagues.

[@Free-Bodge79]

. One of the harshest and most brutal Geographic videos I've seen. What Simon says in the closing statement. Deserves to be listened too. Never a truer word spoken.!

[@GrecuDragos]

That was such a heartbreak video. Thank you for this presentation. the world needs to learn from past mistakes

[@TheBlueB0mber]

0:18 Contractor #1: Hey guys, there is supposed to be a door here Contractor #2: Ummm... sledgehammer?

[@norezenable]

lol noticed the same thing.

[@JustJake77]

Joining the chorus here.... That closing message though.... Well done.

[@jamesdreads7828]

What a sign off, amazing video. Great work.

[@sol029]

The last few seconds... that's everything. Thanks. love your content

[@shoiyoow]

I’m a Cambodian myself yet I don’t even know much about my own people’s history. Thank you for this, helped me a lot.

[@sada1504]

There was a Cambodian boy in my kindergarten class. I don't remember him well, we weren't friends, but I remember that he was a refugee, or his parents were, or something (ca. 2004). That kid taught me that people can be evil, just by existing.

[@alfredrobertson7852]

I'm a rational man, but when my wife and I went to S21 in 2012, something definitely poked me hard in the chest when we were in the room at 0:24 seconds in the video. Visiting S21 is a surreal and powerful experience. Everyone we saw was crying. Its an awful and surreal and essential place to visit. The surreal part comes at the end when one of the few survivors has a table where he sells a book detailing his experiences at S21. Of course you buy it, the man is smiling and insists on taking a picture. Its clear from the pic my wife and I are fresh off an ugly crying session and there is a man, who survived the unimaginable, just beaming.

[@Robert-ch8hf]

Great job Simon, very impactful message.

[@DesertFernweh]

Amazing timing on this Simon. Kang Kek Iew AKA Comrade Duch died a few days ago. I am sure hell has a suite waiting for him.

[@jonatanmarklund7473]

Millenials using the phrase "let's smash" took a dark turn there. As a history nerd and teacher, thinking I might use it in my class.

[@juliusraben3526]

Also the type of daydreaming about revolution :P ?

[@tomfrazier1103]

"Smash" shows up first in Soviet Russia around 1920, and was a go-to concept for the remainder of Soviet, and other Communist history. Present day University Communist cheerleaders still parrot it.

[@skywallke]

Are you allowed to teach the truth about this horror? Nonetheless the United States and the United Nation has supported Pol Pot and condemned the Vietnamese for their liberation of Cambodia.

[@jeremiahcherry5283]

You’re going to smash your students? Either way man.. thats bad.

[@Kneal2005]

Anyone born between 1981 and 1996 (ages 23 to 38 in 2019) is considered a Millennial, and anyone born from 1997 onward is part of a new generation, generation Z.

[@Timthevapeman44]

Every time I watch a video like this I see history on the verge of repeat.

[@jessicasilver912]

Nicely done!! One of ur best yet!!

[@LogieT2K]

What a profound way to close put the video, great work as always simon and team

[@missKC19]

I remember Margret Thatcher giving her support to Pol Pot. Nothing else needed to be said about that woman!

[@scottanderson5990]

The ending was so well written. Thanks for this video.

[@robertharrison1482]

Excellent vid, great narration, been to killing fields, educational, but very sobering, keep vids coming, subscribed!

[@kaned5543]

Your closing message was so powerful. Thank you.

[@Mememeep]

I went to Cambodia after reading a story about the survivor of Khmer Rouge on Reader's Digest. I cried so much when I read the story... I went to S21, it was really sad and scary. I really cannot imagine how horrible it was for the victims. I met one of the few survivors, who was a painter at S21. And when I see older or middle aged Cambodians, it will remind me of the horrible years they had endured.. just make you think that how can a human did that to another human being?

[@amaralim3809]

You are absolutely right. Committing such horror is beyond imagination. I have no word to say. It's not even comparable to any animal. Sufferings and angers always remain inflamed in me, until I do not see a single benefit of being born into this world.

[@mikall1]

I need a hug now

[@milly-moo9056]

I have come across your channel by pure fluke. I'm hooked and subscribed xx wish you was my geography teacher back in the 90s.

[@singingsam40]

A heartbreaking piece of humanity's worst history, beautifully presented. Thank you Simon.

[@eursiaameria9393]

The fact that people still continue to praise and want socialism and communism is just astounding since they have access to the truth like this

[@tuliko8678]

Heavy words at the end there mate. I have been to S21 and the Killing Fields. I had no idea it was a school until I stepped into the courtyard. Being a teacher myself this made me sick to the stomach. To see Something as innocent as the swing set converted into a torture rack. I was blessed to meet one of the survivors there, Chum Mey. I gave him a big hug. He lost everyone in his family, and he can still smile. ❤️❤️

[@crowsoup9953]

I like that you added that message at the end. So many of these types of videos kinda end on a "well anyway that's it kinda gross right" note, and it's very important that you stressed the way this is not a one-off to be pushed aside, that it is a constant part of our past, present, and future.

[@mandymoore5774]

Torturing a person does not open them up to an honest confession, if anything it does the exact opposite! DISGRACEFUL AND DISGUSTING!