Pol Pot Journals

ប៉ុលពត កម្ពុជា ប្រជាធិបតេយ្យ

Monday, October 30, 2006

Casino Rouge

What do the Kampucheans do to commemorate Pol Pot and his movement. Now in the extremely tiny town of Anlong Veng, The last strong hold of the army of Democratic Kampuchea, there are tourist sites and now a full size casino.
Before the town had dirt roads and the buildings lived in by the former KD rulers, were simple cinderblock buildings. While the organization may be gone, some of its former members are still around and can remember their glory days.
According to The Cambodia Daily:

"A small dirt path snakes through the tall grass beyond Bin Saravuth's stall to Pol Pot's final resting place, which is marked with a Ministry of Tourism sign that reads "Pol Pot was cremated here."A low shelter of wood and corrugated metal has been built over a pile of dirt and ash where the body of Democratic Kampuchea's Brother No 1 apparently lay burning at his unceremonious cremation, days after his April 1998 death. Locals have also constructed a new wooden fence around the area, which earlier this month appeared freshly swept and clear of weeds and refuse.Sticks of incense and offerings of now-shriveled flowers decompose in front of a wooden shrine set up beside the cremation site evidence of remaining loyalty to the notorious leader.Apparently unaware of the upkeep at the site, Seang Sokheng, the district tourism director, said he has designs to build a fence around Pol Pot's resting place, which he was optimistic would help lure tourists."We plan to clear the grass and bush around Pol Pot's grave. It's quite overgrown and difficult for tourists to go there," he added."We think Pol Pot's grave is a potential destination for Anlong Veng," said Seang Sokheng, who also told of plans to offer boat rides to promote tourism at the swamp around Ta Mok's house."

And:

"During the Khmer Rouge, before integration, everybody was very disciplined and followed the Khmer Rouge rule: To not drink alcohol, no prostitution, no gambling," said Im Sopheap, a former rebel soldier and also now a deputy Anlong Veng district governor."Now Anlong Veng has been transformed into a liberal place," he said. "A casino is against the rule we used to follow. I don't understand why they're building it."

Apparently a lot of Kampucheans are trying to use Pol Pot as a tourist attraction and there seems to be some reverence for him by some of the locals. He wasn't hated by everyone, apparently.




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