ii
I 'WI
The trail
of Pol Pot
Home to ancient treasures such as Angkor Wat, Cambodia also has a dark and bloody past that should not be forgotten,
says Alasdair Bouoh.
GETTING THERE: CAMBODIA
Singapore Airlines (www.singaporeair.co.uk) flies to Phnom Penh via London for
around £800 (inc tax). Cheaper, at under £500 (inc tax). is to fly from London to
Bangkok with Thai Airways (www.thaiairways.com), and then buy an internal flight
for around £100 with Bangkok Airways (www.bangkokair.com).
m. ‘ raw: . 'rlifia‘fi“ t ' “M‘W‘M Kigali? 8W5”? 0 e es qusmw-h’f -- - . a cou goo . oys red wine N invade IS child's for a fiver ! 53:: “M3 i m. . your life play PAGEIOO : A5 s¢f_fj‘_,--—L ' PAGE99 PAGE 102
olloning a _\L‘.‘ll' ol natural \.li.l\[lt‘|‘Il\'_ it I.t|\t'\ .i hold
man to c\p|oit c.ilaiiiit_\ loi \.l\ll \ei one ol the nioic
\hadou} \tic'c'c'\\ \[ttl‘lt‘x ol Illlli \\.l\ the inticiiiciital i'ixe ol' 'dark toiirixni'. In llttt\l lll\l.tlltt'\. lllt‘lttitll.l|\ Il.t‘.t‘ heen \et up ax a mark ol i'expcct loi the \It tiiiix. oi .t\ a \xarning to l'utiire generationx IIH\\t‘\t‘t. neux that the ('ainhodian go\eriiinent hax .illoucil pinatc t‘ltlt‘llillM' to “text control ol the countr\\ lttit\l hallimcd .iiid liixtoiicalli important \ite\ ha\ been met \\ll|l iiiteiixc t'llllt'l\ttl Daniagingl}. little tor none at .illi ot the iexeiiue tIl.t\\ll tioiii these IUlll'I\I (tlll'4lt'llitlt\ ix heiiig channelled lititk into restoration oi' Pl'L‘M‘t‘Mtllttll ol the \itc\ l’eih.ip\ tlic ltlii\l \urprixing ttt\l;tltL‘L‘ ol' litt\ i\ the \eci'et deal the goxeiiiineiii
hax niade \\ ith a .lapanexc coinpan} to paxx ox er control ol the legendar} Killing I-ieldx.
like much ol' ('amhodia. the capital cit} Phnom Penh Il.t\ a mercurial character. the promenade alongxide the 'l‘onlc I Sap Rner l'lltg‘x \\llIl the e\cited chatter ill children. The gaudy
\[itl'ex oi the Rina! Palace \pcak (it a proud d_\na\t}. l’alin ti‘ee\ \ihixper and l‘lagpolex \nap in
the e\ening ht'c‘c‘le. It t\ rather hon you might imagine
Bangkok had been. below it
became a global hux \top. But
alter dark. there ix a \ihill ol danger about the place l'ilian myths lltttt\l ol' them truei prolileratc in tlic \Il.ttI_\ lxiix .llltl e\pectation hangs hein} in the air
It \eein\ a \Htl'ItI a\\a_\ hour the coiiipaxxionatc L'lllt\ on the coloxxal Khmer \t;ittie\ at :\ngkoi‘ “M iii ttitt'llt\\t'\l ('anihodia. Wandering through the \tlttkcit Huddliixt lt'ltllih'\ there. one leels like Indiana .Iotic\ \tunihling upon the gi‘catext archaeological lind on I'..'tt‘lh. In the \tllllll. .it the tadiiig \eaxide resort ol' Sihanouk\ ille. or at the l'i'aiicopliilc l'|\t'l\l(It' \tation at Kampot. lite paxxex \higghhl} Hut .tIllttt\l il _\L'.tl\ alter Pol Pot rexet the clock to Year /.ero. Phnom Penh l\ \IIII linding itx l‘eet. It lendx an e\citing and edg} iinniediac} in the cit). There ix. at tiniex. a l'ui‘iou\ eiierg} about the place. ol people |i\iiig their Ines on last-loruard. l'tl\|tlll‘_' headlong into the lutui'e. Round e\er} corner. though. the} iiie\itali|_\ must lace the past.
I “as recuperating lroin a particularl_\ \iolcni lioui ot tood poixoning at a i‘amxhackle guesthouse in the ttHI'lIl\\c'\l ol Phnom Penh \\ hen I came itL'l'ti\\ Roland .lolle'x ino\ ing liliii The Killing l-i'elr/x. like man}. I \xax Ill'\l e\po\cd to the hill terror of the Khmer Rouch murderoux reign ol terror through this unflinching biopic. hut ('anihodia \llII hears the blood} mark ol‘ atrocity Alter the benign l’riiice Sihaiiouk \Vax deposed by a militar} cotip in l‘)7ll, ci\ il \iar i‘a\aged the country lor the years. When the tthllt'gettlx linall_\ entered Phnom Penh in April l‘)75. their leader Pol Pot ordered the
' THE LIST 95