Cambodia – some history

First things first: Siem Reap means “Thailand defeated” – Siem as in “Siam” or Thailand’s Western designation, probably rooted in Portuguese, and Reap meaning to defeat. Cambodia has a long, contentious history with Thailand starting with hostilities during the Angkor era (13th c), the Thai capture of Angkor Thom in 1431, and the invasion of the new capital Lovek in 1594, which signaled the beginning of a decline for Cambodia. The country remained Thailand’s protectorate until the late 17th c when Vietnam settled and annexed the Mekong Delta, limiting Thai influence.

Foreign encroachments continued into the 19th c until Cambodia became a French protectorate (1863-1953). During the Cold War, the Khmer Rouge came into power, a genocidal regime supported by the US and China. They were ousted in 1979 by the Vietnamese with support from the Soviets. Vietnam withdrew its troops in 1989, after looting the country bare, and the Cambodian monarchy was restored in 1993. Such a tumultuous history for a small country of 15 million people.

Today, as we were driving back from Beng Mealea (the 12th c Lotus Pond temple that’s become one with the jungle surrounding it), a 2-hour drive from Siem Reap, located near the Kulen mountain from which the sandstone used to build Angkor Wat was quarried, I asked our guide, Chamrong, about the Khmer Rouge. I asked him about the prison camps and stories of how intellectuals (in fact anyone who was deemed literate or wore glasses) were exterminated. I was left speechless when Chamrong told us very calmly that it was all true: “My father was a teacher and was killed by the Khmer Rouge.” He told us about his childhood memories, like the landmines in a field right behind his house and how a cow or stray dog or someone from out of town would die there every other day.

Some 10 million mines were laid in Cambodia, mostly after 1979 when the Khmer Rouge were fighting the Vietnamese-backed Cambodian government. Cambodia has the highest per capita number of amputees in the world – one out of every 350 people. Many amputees can be seen playing music in touristy spots in order to get by. Chamrong told us how Siem Reap itself had changed dramatically in his lifetime. It became a major tourist destination around 2007. People began to move into the area in order to find employment in the tourism industry and that’s when a lot of the mines were cleared.

Beng Mealea, Cambodia

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