Coming soon to Cambodia: Khmer Rouge tourism

21 former regime member's homes and munitions warehouses are to be renovated in the hope of driving tourism in the area

By Chris Anderson 11 March, 2010

Two cambodian boys walk past the grave of Khmer Rouge's former leader Pol Pot in July of 2006.

The Khmer Rouge's last stronghold, Anlong Veng in Oddar Meanchey district, is set to be developed as a historical tourist site after getting government approval by Prime Minister Hun Sen's Cabinet.

Anlong Veng's officials are particularly excited about the development because they say it will allow the local population to sell goods to tourists related to the Khmer Rouge and consequently increase their quality of life. A sharp contrast to the quality of life the Khmer Rouge provided between 1975 and 1979 when nearly two million Cambodians perished under their watch.

The Khmer Rouge locations those officials are hoping will drive tourism are 21 soon-to-be refurbished homes that belonged to Khmer Rouge leaders and members, as well as former munitions warehouses. Already attracting tourists in the area is Pol Pot's grave, located near the Chom border crossing with Thailand, and the compound of Khmer Rouge Central Committee member Chhit Choeun.

One might wonder how a trip to Angkor Wat might be complemented by a visit to a genocidal dictator's grave and munition warehouses of doom. If anything, it would be to see the contrast between the Khmer Empire's greatest monument and achievement of engineering, Angkor Wat, and the Khmer Rouge's (or Red Khmer) use of social engineering to achieve mass death instead of a utopian society.

The Khmer people are the largest ethnic group in Cambodia, and unfortunately the Khmer Rouge will forever be tied to the people and history of Cambodia.

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About the author: Chris Anderson is the Associate Editor of CNNGo. He manages the regional content, writes and updates the CNNGo home page.

User Comments and Reviews

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astrally74

01 June, 2010

I traveled to Cambodia backpacking two years ago and had the complete opposite experience. I never felt in danger at all, or like I was going to be scammed. I felt the warmth and hospitality of these people who have been through hell.
I had a great time in Sihanookville, as well!
I would go back in a second as cambodia, and cambodians, remained in my heart.

afriend921

16 March, 2010

I just got back from Cambodia & I did not have a good experience. It's not a tourist friendly place. I came in overland at Poipet, which was confusing & had many scams. I had to pay extra for my visa, while an official held my passport! Siem Reap & Angkor Wat were great. While in Phnom Penh I visited the Killing Fields & S21 Museum, which were disturbing & informative. While sightseeing, the staff at the Noura Motel across from the National Museum went into my room and stole all my locked up valuables. I reported the incident to the Police, who directed me to the nonexistent Tourist Police. Lesson learned, I moved onto Sihanoukville, where I was very disappointed. Everything has been built up & the beach is littered with trash and bars. The next & final stop was Koh Kong city & surrounding natural beauty. I liked this area so much, I feel guilty mentioning it for fear it will turn into another Sihanoukville. There are some nice things in Cambodia but its hard to relax because you are always afraid someone is trying to scam you. I consider myself fairly adventurous, but I was overwhelmed by the overall sense of desperation in Cambodia. I don't think most tourists can handle it either.

PadSo

11 March, 2010

First some correction on errors: Oddar Meanchey is the name of a province, not district. Also although the Khmer Rouge regime only lasted 7 days into 1979, they were horrible days, so it should be 1975-1979. And the Khmer Rouge never called themselves 'Khmer' Rouge, but Democratic Kampuchea. Cambodians generally identify themselves and each other ethnically by 'Khmer', and the word 'Khmer Rouge' or 'Red Khmer' was used by former Cambodian king Sihanouk to call a movement of Cambodian Communists. The KR site is not necessarily at odds with a visit to Angkor, since both present examples of what historically are 'ideological obsessions' in Khmer society, though with strikingly different results. There is also a connection between the two, in that Angkor is a source of 'delusion of grandeur' for Pol Pot and the KR, who confidently believed that Cambodians, by virtue of their Angkorean heritage, could undergo this social engineering and build the first [agrarian] communist Utopia on earth.

chrisa1

12 March, 2010

Hi PadSo. Thanks for the comment. Did some checking and you're correct about the dates and the Khmer Rouge's self identification. So I made some minor adjustments to the post. As for the KR site not being at odds with a visit to Angkor, that's what I was driving at. But I think some people -- mostly from outside of Cambodia -- might not make that connection as they might not be familiar with Khmer and Cambodian history. Nice comment. Be sure to come back and post more! Cheers, Chris.

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