Sihanoukville, Stepping Back In History

Almost four decades ago, a dark chapter in human history took place. From the steaming jungles of Vietnam, Laos and Thailand, correspondents banned from Cambodia by the Khmer Rouge's infamous Pol Pot. Their words, however, failed to truly describe the bloody terror raining down on Cambodians by that maniacal tyranny.

April 2019, I got the opportunity to visit Cambodia, fellow ASEAN country which famous for it's historic site Angkor Wat --the largest Hindu-Buddhist temple in the world--. I haven't had time to visit Angkor Wat or capital city Phnom Penh, I only visited the port city of Sihanoukville, but it was more than enough to satisfy my curiosity about what happened in this "Killing Fields" four decades ago. The Khmer Rouge's genocidal brutality from 1975 to 1979 almost totally obscured a fascinating history and left us with a few enduring images of this rich civilization. Yet the world never forgot Cambodia's day of glory, and I'm here to discover by myself.

    

Grooming Sihanoukville from distant (Photograph by:Oka)

Before The Killing Fields

From the 11th to the 14th centuries, the Hindu and Buddhist Khmer Empire was a dominant civilization in the Indochinese Peninsula. To memorialize their supremacy, they constructed such extraordinary site as Angkor Wat, which means "temple of monastery". The community of Angkor Wat was not only the core of this empire but its geographical center as well, far from unfriendly neighbors.

Angkor Wat was once the capital city of King Suryavarman II. It's the only temple in this complex that has been in continuous use since it was built -- originally as a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu and later converted to a Buddhist temple. Sacked by the Chams in 1177, and subsequently abandoned around 1450, it was soon swallowed by vines and banyan trees. Centuries of neglect followed.

Angkor Wat (courtesy of Britannica.com)

Frenchman Henri Mouhot "discovered" Angkor Wat while in the region from 1858-1861. He wrote "One of these temples -- a rival to that of Solomon, and erected by some ancient Michaelangelo --might take an honorable place beside most beautiful buildings. It is grander than anything left by Greece or Rome, and presents a sad contrast to the state of barbarism in which the nation is now plunged."

Restoration began in the 20th century. Thankfully, the complex received little damage during the 1970s and 1980s and was declared an UNESCO World Heritage site in 1992. The image of Angkor Wat has appeared on every Cambodian flag since 1863 reaffirming the people's emotional attachment to it. Riots event erupted in Phnom Penh not long ago when Thai claimed the temple might actually belong to Thailand.

The Killing Fields

In 1432, Angkor Wat indeed sacked by the Thai resulting in a long period of decline until 1863 when King Norodom allowed the country to become a French protectorate. Cambodia was therefore administered as part of French Indochina.

Cambodia gain independence from French colonial in 1953, King Norodom Sihanouk attempted to maintain neutrality during the Cold War and even the "hot" war in neighboring Vietnam. Then, in 1970, Sihanouk was removed from the thrown by military coup. From exile he aligned himself with the communist Khmer Rouge rebels committed to overthrowing the pro- US government in Phnom Penh.

Architect of Genocide & Khmer Rouge Dictator Pol Pot / Saloth Sar. (courtesy of Republika.co.id)

Cambodia then suffered the same devastation as Vietnam and, in 1975, faced extreme hunger. That year, the Khmer Rouge marched into the capital, seized control, and installed a cruel regime led by Pol Pot. 

What followed was a massive and horrific extermination, somewhere between 3 million people were executed, in an attempt to destroy any evidence of modern western civilization, returning the country to an 11th-century agrarian model. Towns were emptied, religion banned, land confiscated, intellectuals murdered, children forced into labor camps, embassies closed, money forbidden, media silenced, health care eliminated. Pol Pot declared "This is Year Zero", based on Mao's agrarian utopia. For many, it was their last. 

The Killing Fields (courtesy of Independent.co.uk)

The non-sense experiment was finally stopped in 1978 when Vietnam invaded, presumably to stop the slaughter into their territory. Vietnam's battle with the Khmer Rouge was finally ended by treaty in 1991. 

After The Killing Fields

In 2005, oil and natural gas deposits were found beneath Cambodia's territorial water. As commercial exploration began in 2011, oil revenues could affect Cambodia's economy as well as the character of Sihanoukville. The city was only found in 1964 as the country's sole deep-water port and primary tourist getaway. With 'help' from Chinese investors, the city now tidy up with rapid acceleration of tourism infrastructure to make them stand on the same level among other Southeast Asia travel destination. 

Preah Sihanouk 2019 (Photograph by Oka)

What have I learnt from this journey?

As a fellow ASEAN neighbors, I believe Indonesia-Cambodia have historically shared cultural ties and similarity, and even more both Borobudur and Angkor Wat temple have been designated by the UNESCO as World Heritages Sites. The similarities between the two nations should continue to develop into various forms of cultural cooperation in the future. 

Cambodian friends, their parents and families were among the victims of genocide (Photo Private Collection)