3years 8months 20days

3 years 8 months 20 days is the most memorable number in the heart of the Cambodian citizens. It refers to the period in which Cambodia was under the genocide regime - Khmer Rouge. Almost 3 millions Cambodians were massacre through torture, inhuman, cruel treatment, starvation and mass killing. The whole country became the prison - the biggest and the most cruel prison in the world. It's the regime that created the "prison without walls".

The regime started on the 17 April 1975 and ended on the 07 January 1979. Phnom Penh, used to be known as the "Pearl of Asia", became the ghost city. Zero traffic, Zero electricity, Zero water supply, Zero citizens (excepts the regime leaders), and Zero activity - all were found were abandoned houses, empty streets but bodies.

Perhaps the most populated area in the city was the Toul Sleng Prison located in the heart of the city and once was a high school. Now it is known as Toul Sleng Genocide Museum. Prisoners are those who were thought to be against the regime and they were subject to all forms of torture, cruel and inhuman treatment. After the collapse of the regime, only 12 were known to survive amongst the 17,000 prisoners.

Toul Sleng high school was converted into Toul Sleng Prison with all form of tortures, cruel and inhumane treatment. It was the torturing center of those who were thought to be against the regime and those who were brought there never came back.

Cambodian map of human skulls. Perhaps Toul Sleng Genocide Museum was the most known to have torture, cruel and inhuman treatment upon prisoners. However, similar forms of tortures happened almost everywhere in the country during the regime. Hundreds or even thousands of people died everyday.

Photos of Toul Sleng prisoners. Each prisoner was taken a photo as a proof of identity before taking into a cell. Thousands of innocent lives including children and babies were ended in this prison. 

These are the paintings of prisoners in the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum. They described how the prisoners were inhumanely treated and tortured. Even innocent children and babies of the prisoners were also subject to starvation and killing. 

A Toul Sleng survivor. He is one of the 12 survivors amongst the 17,000 prisoners in Toul Sleng Prison. Because of his artistic skills, he was kept to do some paintings for the prison. For him and the rest of the Cambodian people, the end of the genocide regime was the start of a new life. 

Duch - The boss of the Toul Sleng Prison. He used to be a high ranking official of the regime and responsible for the Toul Sleng Prison. The lives of thousands of innocent prisoners rested in his hands - whether they were subject to torture or inhumane treatment, he had the power to do so. He was caught and imprisoned after the collapse of the regime. In 2012, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for his crimes against humanity by the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), established under the cooperation of the UN and the Cambodian government to prosecute those who have the highest responsibility for the crimes against humanity during the genocide regime.