| | Apr 21, 2006 - Phnom Penh, Cambodia - A City Reborn | (click to enlarge)
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| Phnom Penh - A City Reborn
On April 17, 1975, the wicked Khmer Rouge Regime took over the capital city of Phnom Penh and as part of its drastic new social program swiftly forced all of the cities residents to move to the countryside and become peasant farmers. The city that once had half a million people, was reduced to a ghost town of empty buildings, vehicle-less streets and less than 50,000 people. The era was one of catastrophic times for Cambodian residents as the demented Khmer Rouge Regime and Pol Pot government killed anywhere between 1 to 3 million people throughout their rein of less than four years. If you were not done as instructed you were killed. If you were an educated professional, you were a threat and killed. If you wore glasses, you were thought to be smart, and therefore killed. Wealthy - killed. The Khmer Rouge were a violent regime that got worse the longer they ruled. Children were trained to do the violent acts of execution, often in a cruel manner by beating people with shovels or other instruments to save bullets. Even senior and middle management with the Khmer Rouge party were often killed, to make room for the more vicious and cruel younger breeds coming up the ranks. It is a time in history only thirty years ago when the world turned a blind eye and a country and its people were devastated in a catastrophic genocide.
Today, the ghost town of Phnom Penh has a new breath of life. The city is vibrant and growing and thanks to the United Nations and millions of dollars poured in from foreign aid. It now has a bustling economy that is on the move. How the local people deal with their history is impressive. Although I am sure it must be constantly on their mind, however, they seem to be moving on and forward with their lives despite the massive losses they have suffered. People we met and spoke to all lost family because of the Khmer Rouge. One guide lost his father. Another lost seven of her nine brothers and sisters with the two that survived doing so as they were 'ugly and pretended they were impoverished.' The loss of all the educated citizens and professionals makes you wonder how the country survived. One person told us there were only forty doctors left for a country of about 14 million people. How accurate his numbers are, we don't know, but it certainly makes you think and further wonder how the brutality and genocide of this corrupt regime lasted for almost four years.
Luckily, Phnom Penh is a foreign aid success story. Although the current government, many of who were Khmer Rouge, are extremely corrupt, the country and city are growing in leaps and bounds. Just a few years ago the city remained a dust bowl of dirt streets and closed businesses. Today, investors are opening hotels, restaurants and cafes to cater to the growing tourism sector - the saving grace for this country. The main roads have been paved, gardens along the boulevards planted, monuments erected and sense of prosperity is in the air. There is still much work to be done as a turn down many side streets puts you on a dusty road with a lack of commerce except for the odd local street side vendors. Unfortunately, the country is still very poor, with many citizens living in desperate poverty especially in the country sides. However, it was a pleasant surprise for us upon arriving in Phnom Penh to see how developed this capital city has become.
After a month in 'richer' Vietnam, we were surprised to find trendy cafes, restaurants and boutique hotels that rival those found at home and were certainly not found in Vietnam. The marketing and commerce efforts in Phnom Penh were so similar to those found at home and in other Western countries it was opposite to anything in Vietnam. In Vietnam they still appear to be learning about free enterprise and commercialism. However, Phnom Penh appears to be years ahead of them. They are growing on the right track and we loved the look and feel of the city as it surpassed our expectations for this third world country.
With a total of three days in the city, (two before our visit to Sihanoukville and one after) we explored the city and its main attractions. The must see for all visitors to Cambodia is The Killing Fields and Toul Sleng Museum. Toul Sleng is a former school that was converted by the Khmer Rouge to a Security Prison called S-21. From 1975 - 1978 they detained over 17,000 prisoners here of which, only seven survived. The rest were brutally tortured and then sent to Killing Fields of Choeung Ek where they were viciously killed and buried in mass graves. In 1980, 8,985 people were dug up from the mass graves and a Memorial Stupa was later created for visitors as a peaceful reminder of the atrocities that took place only 30 short years ago.
Visiting both the prison and the killing fields was a depressing and emotional event. To think of how one regime can get the power to be so evil and create such heinous acts in our modern times is mind-boggling. How did someone not stop the killings? What were other countries thinking? How did the regime thrive and grow and the people not revolt? Nevertheless, it happened, and hopefully again the world learns from the past and genocide like this will never happen again in Cambodia or any other country in the world.
Today, Phnom Penh has been reborn. From a thriving city to a ghost town and back to a growing city once again. Phnom Penh moves forward with vigour and a renewed lease on life that shows strong and proud. As tourism continues to boom in Cambodia and industries are again recreated the hopes of moving this third world country to new riches is a dream for all.
TRAVEL TIPS FOR PHNOM PENH
1. US money is wildly accepted everywhere in Cambodia and there is no need to exchange your money to the Cambodian Riel. You may get small change back in Riel but usually change for large bills is given back with US change. Thanks to the ANZ Bank, bank machines are now available in Phnom Penh and money is dispensed in US dollars not Riels.
2. Although depressing, a visit to both The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek and the Toul Sleng Museum are a must to get an understanding of the history of this country and the people.
3. As Cambodia is still a very poor and third world country, there is a lot of begging on the city streets. There are also many young children working to sell tourists books and souvenirs. For some travellers, the begging and child labour can be very disturbing to see.
4. Currently, the river front area is one of the nicest and most developed areas of the city for tourists. There are many good restaurants, cafés and bars in this area and it is a great location to stay during your time in Phnom Penh.
5. English is spoken in most major tourist areas making travel in Cambodia relatively easy. It is shocking how well many of the children speak English. They are learn it school and eagerly practice it so they can communicate with the tourists and increase their sales.
6. Another great place to visit in the city is the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda with the ornate traditional architecture and gardens. Make sure you dress conservatively - shorts and tank tops are not allowed.
7. There are several markets in Phnom Penh to visit including the Central Market with its unique art-deco design, the Russian Market with loaded with tourist souvenirs and the Old Market filled with goods mostly purchased by the locals.
8. For a historic visit to where the legend of where Phnom Penh started, visit Watt Penh on the small hill located in the centre of the city.
9. Enjoy a relaxing afternoon walk along the waterfront and sip a coffee on one of the many street side cafes.
10. When visiting Cambodia, more people are flying directly in and out of Siem Reap and only visiting the Angkor Wat area. Phnom Penh is worth the visit as well. Perhaps when booking your flights you can try to fly into Phnom Pehn and out of Siem Reap or vice versa so you don't miss either of this interesting destinations.
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