It's one of the poorest countries in the world, but few disagree that Cambodia is one of the most beautiful.
Wracked by war, poverty and political corruption for the past several decades, the people of Cambodia persevere against the odds and cling to hope that they will find peace & prosperity in the 21st century. The mighty Mekong River, the majestic ruins of one of mankind's most advanced civilizations and the fabled "Killing Fields" are just a few of the famous landmarks in this southeast Asian monarchy wedged between 2 roaring economic neighbors (Thailand and Vietnam).
Join me after the jump for a look at this distinctive nation and its people.
(Cross-posted @ The Laughing Planet)
If you just want to see more purdy pictures from Angkor Wat, jump down to the bottom. But as this is a political blog, it's imperative to give some basics about the history and current events.
Population: 14,241,000
Ethnic groups: Khmer 90%
Religion: Theravada Buddhist 95%
(Map via Google Maps; all photos by author.)
The most glaring event in recent history was the genocide that took place over a brief period in the 1970s under the leadership of Pol Pot. The Khmer Rouge followed the sterling example of Mao Zedong whose totalitarian Communist policies killed tens of millions during his reign. The number killed in under 5 years due to executions, disease, exhaustion and starvation exceeds 2 million.
All political and civil rights were abolished. Children were taken from their parents and placed in separate forced labour camps. Factories, schools and universities were shut down; so were hospitals. Lawyers, doctors, teachers, engineers, scientists and professional people in any field (including the army) were murdered, together with their extended families. Religion was banned, all leading Buddhist monks were killed and almost all temples destroyed. Music and radio sets were also banned. It was possible for people to be shot simply for knowing a foreign language, wearing glasses, laughing, or crying. One Khmer slogan ran 'To spare you is no profit, to destroy you is no loss.'
Credit must be given to the artists who somehow endured this kind of persecution and preserved the traditional music and dance of the Khmer people.
The Oscar-winning film "The Killing Fields" (watch for free with your Netflix account) accurately documents the events of this horrific era. This 20-minute video from ABC Australia gives another good inside look at the tragic events.
Cambodia has been consistently listed in the bottom quartile in the world's GDP per capita. That number ($2,100) has been slowly creeping higher since its rock bottom around the end of the Khmer Rouge years, but there is still plenty of room for improvement. Poverty is widespread.
(from CIA.gov [they should know])
The major economic challenge for Cambodia over the next decade will be fashioning an economic environment in which the private sector can create enough jobs to handle Cambodia's demographic imbalance. More than 50% of the population is less than 21 years old. The population lacks education and productive skills, particularly in the poverty-ridden countryside, which suffers from an almost total lack of basic infrastructure.
Multi-national corporations are the sharks in the water who smell the blood of poorly protected natural resources governed by "leaders" whose primary motivator is avarice.
(Taipei Times)
A report released by London-based Global Witness said international donors had turned a blind eye to the widespread corruption, mismanagement and nepotism that has positioned political elites as the only beneficiaries of Cambodia’s oil, gas and coal reserves.
[snip]
"The Cambodian government does not have a process for allocating resources outside of patronage," Global Witness campaigns director Gavin Hayman said in a statement.
"The same political elite that pillaged the country’s timber resources has now gained control of its mineral and petroleum wealth," Hayman said. "Unless this is changed, there is a real risk that the opportunity to lift a whole generation out of poverty will be squandered."
[snip]
More than 75 companies, including multinationals Chevron Corp and BHP Billiton PLC, are currently working in Cambodia’s resources sector, and the report says some have already made undisclosed, upfront payments to the government.
For more, see Chevron Silent on Bribery Allegations.
These sad facts notwithstanding, Cambodia is a place which should rank very high on anyone's list of places to visit before one's death. Many a package tour whisk the visitor through the nation's crown jewel in a matter of hours so they can say they "saw it". But the temple ruins alone require several days' scouring to begin to comprehend, and there are many other charming and worthwhile sights to behold elsewhere.
Phnom Penh: The little capitol that could
Providing a rare example of a pleasant Asian capital city, this revitalized town is somewhat clean & its people friendly. The bustling central market provides a wide spectrum of sights (and smells), while the chilling prison museum (an elementary school turned torture chamber) and the mass graves of the killing fields remind visitors of the country’s recent gruesome past. Add the Royal Palace, plus an array of temples and cheap eats & you’ve got a city that qualifies as a destination, not just a place to pass through to get to the good stuff (See: Bangkok).
To the untrained eye, these structures could pass for the legendary Grand Palace of Bangkok. But in fact this is the Royal Place of Phnom Penh.
The Tuol Sleng Prison
Of all places for tens of thousands to be tortured: an elementary school.
From 1975 to 1979, an estimated 17,000 people were imprisoned at Tuol Sleng (some estimates suggest a number as high as 20,000, though the real number is unknown). At any one time, the prison held between 1,000-1,500 prisoners. They were repeatedly tortured and coerced into naming family members and close associates, who were in turn arrested, tortured and killed.
Why does this artist rendering look so very relevant today? Oh yeah, because the previous American administration didn't see anything wrong with torturing prisoners.
The scars of war never completely heal.
The late Princess Diana was a tireless crusader for the eradication of land mines. Perhaps no nation has suffered more at the hand of the blight of these cruel devices the disproportionately maim and kill children. Perhaps if you do nothing else to help make the world a better place today, you can get involved with No More Landmines or the Halo Trust.
Sihanoukville: Tropical beaches, coral reef, & fishing villages
The vast expanse of white sand beach in Cambodia’s main beach resort remains largely undeveloped. Hundreds of colorful umbrellas line the first 10% of the beach providing welcome shade for burnt pale-skins and sun-shy locals alike. Snacks are trotted by atop the heads of young girls who practice English and make a few bucks/day. The fruit girls are the most amusing (think Carmen Miranda with a horizontal hat). Many of them hope to be whisked away by marriage to a smitten westerner.
Kids often roam free during the day in rural areas. It makes one wonder if these island youth will ever have the chance to attend school.
Yes, this woman has a pet otter. No, the child is not playing with a snake. (It is a bike wheel.)
Two bodies of water dominate the nation. One is the Mekong; the other is a massive lake upon which a large proportion of the populace depends for food.
The Tonlé Sap (Khmer: ទន្លេសាប;), i.e., large body of water (Cambodian meaning "Large Fresh Water River," but more commonly translated as "Great Lake") is a combined lake and river system of huge importance to Cambodia. It is the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia and is an ecological hot spot that was designated as a UNESCO biosphere in 1997.[1]
The Tonlé Sap is unusual for two reasons: 1) its flow changes direction twice a year, and 2) the portion that forms the lake expands and shrinks dramatically with the seasons. From November to May, Cambodia's dry season, the Tonlé Sap drains into the Mekong River at Phnom Penh. However, when the year's heavy rains begin in June, the Tonlé Sap backs up to form an enormous lake.
I saw wild freshwater "Irrawaddy" dolphins in the Mekong but could manage no good close-up photos (You see that black speck between the dd in "Irrawaddy?"). These rare creatures are considered one of the more imperiled on Earth due to the strains of the waterways in which they live. Rising toxicity in the Mekong, Yangtze and other rivers suggests these animals will surely be extinct in our lifetime.
Angkor Wat: Seeing is believing
Words don't do justice to a sight like Angkor, but just a touch is required lest this become an exercise in photojournalism. Angkor Wat is not just one temple or one small group of ruins, but is a sprawling relic of a tremendous empire that ruled the region for centuries. Indeed, the initial photo is of a singular temple of the same name, but the term "Angkor Wat" now refers to the entire complex that spans thousands of square miles.
Sadly, this scenic ruin has become renown for its role in the Angelina Jolie vehicle Tomb Raider (I've never seen it). A search on Teh google shows there's also a video game or 2 which also pimp the beauty of the area.
FWIW, I'd hope the exposure from these ventures has led to an increase in tourism for the local people. Often when big Hollywood movies descend upon fragile locales in the developing world, little money ends up in the local coffers. In fact, many say all that is left behind is garbage (the film "The Beach" is known for especially egregious abuses (PDF) on this front.)
For several centuries, the Angkor temples were essentially abandoned until their "discovery" in the 17th C. Only one major temple, Ta Phrom, was not restored by archeologists, a very controversial decision at the time. Since then it has become one of the 3 most visited temples in the complex due to its photogenic attributes as it is devoured alive by the encroaching rainforest.
The grandiosity of the structures is even more overwhelming when one considers that western civilization was going through the era known as the "dark ages" during the time when Angkor arose.
Handsome people the Khmer
Care! Trail Full!
Bayon is one of the most tremendous temples of the Angkor empire.
The man with the red shirt (lower right) gives some perspective on the scale.
Even the horses dress up for Angkor Wat.
The many bas reliefs tell the history and myth of denizens of Angkor. The evolution of the religion is shown with the Hindu traditions giving way to Buddhism. The blend of these two spiritual paths is visible in several of the area's reliefs and is one of the features which makes Angkor unique.
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