Cambodian bastion of genocidal Khmer Rouge a tourist destination that offers rich rewards
- See the spot in Anlong Veng where Pol Pot was cremated, and his mountaintop retreat and that of ‘The Butcher’ Ta Mok, with their sweeping views
- See too the hardscrabble shacks of some ex-guerillas, 20 years on from their surrender, and the garishly decorated casino
Anlong Veng, on Cambodia’s border with Thailand, is not particularly easy to get to – which is why it made such a good stronghold for the Khmer Rouge leadership long after their genocidal regime was toppled. Today, it offers rich rewards to visitors seeking to better understand Cambodia’s recent history.
The modest town and its surroundings were the last bastion of the fanatical Maoists who ruled the country, then called Kampuchea, between 1975 and 1979, and subsequently waged a bloody guerilla war that only ended after the death of their leader Pol Pot in April 1998 with the surrender of the remaining senior leaders in December that year.
Hugging the Dangrek mountain range which forms a natural border between northern Cambodia and Thailand, Anlong Veng was once virtually cut off from the rest of Cambodia by thick forests and a lack of roads. Access for the Khmer Rouge came via unofficial border crossings from Thailand, and the Thais readily accepted the valuable hardwood logs that the Khmer Rouge sold to help finance their existence.
The Choam/Chong Sa-Ngam border has officially opened, and offers a far quieter land crossing than the alternative – the bustling town of Poipet to the west. On the Cambodian side of the border, advertising signs for mobile phone brands, money transfer agents, and a handful of restaurants line a dusty road.
Just 100 metres from the border are two of Anlong Veng’s top attractions; they could not be more different, but both demonstrate the changes the area has undergone in the 20 years since the Khmer Rouge surrendered and were rehabilitated.
