Death of Tuol Sleng Survivor Bou Meng Marks Loss of Living Witness to Khmer Rouge Atrocities

Bou Meng, an 85-year-old former prisoner of the Khmer Rouge’s Tuol Sleng interrogation centre (S-21), died at 11:00 p.m. on August 14. The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum announced his death in a statement released on August 15.

New York TimesS-21 Survivor Bou Meng Dies at 85 as Living Witnesses to Khmer Rouge Era Dwindle

Arrested with his wife Ma Yoeun in 1976, Bou Meng was blindfolded at S-21 on August 16, 1977 and separated from her; she was later killed at the Choeung Ek killing site, and their two children died of starvation. A guard’s request for a painter spared his life after two months of imprisonment and seven days of torture; he was assigned to paint portraits of Pol Pot, Marx and Lenin. After the regime fell, Bou Meng testified against S-21 commander Kaing Guek Eav (Duch) before the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) in 2009 and spent his later years at the museum, signing copies of his memoir and speaking to visitors.

S-21 Survivor Bou Meng Dies at 85 as Living Witnesses to Khmer Rouge Era Dwindle New York Times

• The Khmer Rouge regime’s policies caused an estimated 1.7 million deaths (1975-1979).

New York Times

• Between 14,000 and 17,000 people were detained at S-21, most of whom were executed.

S-21 Survivor Bou Meng Dies at 85 as Living Witnesses to Khmer Rouge Era Dwindle

• Only about a dozen survivors are believed to remain; Bou Meng was one of the last.

S-21 Survivor Bou Meng Dies at 85 as Living Witnesses to Khmer Rouge Era Dwindle

Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam) executive director Youk Chhang highlighted the urgency of preserving survivor testimonies as the survivor population ages.

S-21 Survivor Bou Meng Dies at 85 as Living Witnesses to Khmer Rouge Era Dwindle

• “Time is running out as the aging genocide survivor population continues to dwindle,” — Youk Chhang, executive director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam)

S-21 Survivor Bou Meng Dies at 85 as Living Witnesses to Khmer Rouge Era Dwindle