Rule of Khmer Rouge and the Ongoing Genocide in Cambodia

The rule of Khmer Rouge ended more than 30 years ago, but the genocide in Cambodia continues. Even though Pol Pot, the leader of Khmer Rouge is dead, Hun Sen, one of former Khmer Rouge henchmen keeps his legacy alive. Hun Sen’s genocide may not as fast paced as Pol Pot’s was, but with more than a million people killed as a result of Hun Sen’s rule, it is clear that only the names have changed, the oppression remained the same.

Photo: Skulls of People Killed During the Khmer Rouge Genocide from Wat Thmei, Siem Reap
Photo: Skulls of People Killed During the Khmer Rouge Genocide from Wat Thmei, Siem Reap

The rule of Khmer Rouge caused an international uproar and had to be buried. This was a cue for Hun Sen and his Cambodian People’s Party to enter the scene and gain control over shaken and divided nation. Hun Sen killed or silenced everyone in his path until his grip on power was iron strong, continuing with the genocide right where Khmer Rouge had left off.

Ta Mok

30 years later, people are still being killed, opposition is still being silenced and Hun Sen is in no rush to prosecute Khmer Rouge leaders. Ek Choeun, aka Ta Mok, aka Brother Number Five, aka Butcher – one of Khmer Rouge’s most prolific killers remained a powerful figure until 1999 when he was apprehended but his trial was being purposefully delayed.

Duch

Kang Kek Iew, aka Duch – the infamous leader of the Tuol Sleng Prison (S-21) in Phnom Penh, under whose command at least 14,000 Cambodians and 8 Westerners were brutally tortured and eventually killed spent several years after fall of Khmer Rouge roaming freely throughout Asia, working as a teacher in Thailand and China. He resurfaced in Cambodia as a new-born Christian and became a lay pastor until the 1999 interview with investigative photo-journalist Nic Dunlop in which he disclosed the details of Khmer Rouge atrocities. Duch surrendered to Cambodian authorities following the publication of the interview but the trial has been dragging with no sentences being handed down.

Being former Khmer Rouge and closely identifying with the genocide, Prime Minister Hun Sen wanted to prevent the prosecution of his fellow Khmer Rouge comrades and declared that in the name of national reconciliation it would be best to bury the past and let the Khmer Rouge generals live freely until an old age has taken them. If it weren’t for strong international pressure, neither Ta Mok, nor Duch would have gone to prison. Yet the only reason Hun Sen decided to please the international community was so it continues supporting his corrupt government with billions of dollars from taxes of western taxpayers. In his undying selfishness and greed, he agreed with imprisonment of his Khmer Rouge comrades. But prosecution and sentences are still being delayed.

Duch has been a bit of a pain in the neck for Hun Sen and his corrupt government as of late, though. Stating that he feels sorry for his deeds as a leader of S-21 Tuol Sleng prison camp he is determined to go all out, dusting off a bunch of closeted skeletons with a tell-all. These types of confessions could bring the likes of Nuon Chea – second in command and Pol Pot’s right hand – into a spotlight, for ordering Duch to kill US citizens Michael Scott Deeds and James Clark along with six other westerners and burn their bodies with tires so there are no bones left.

Nuon Chea

Unwilling to prosecute Nuon Chea, Prime Minister Hun Sen agreed to forsake the prosecution of this man who’s known for having been the second worst Khmer Rouge. Nuon Chea was allowed to live freely after his atrocities until 2007 when as a result of international pressure, he was charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity. Just as it goes in Cambodia, no sentences have been handed down in his case. Meanwhile, the genocide continues.

Ieng Sary

Ieng Sary was also granted freedom until 2007 when international community put too much pressure on Cambodia for not prosecuting the Khmer Rouge criminals. Considered to be one of Khmer Rouge’s worst, Ieng Sary was sentenced to death in absentia along with Pol Pot after the overthrow of Khmer Rouge in 1979. Jokingly enough, he was pardoned by Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk in 1996.

Khieu Samphan

Even though Pol Pot was officially the leader with executive power over Khmer Rouge, Khieu Samphan bore the title of the president of the state presidium of Democratic Kampuchea. That would make him the leader on paper, but in reality the real leader was Pol Pot. He enjoyed undisturbed freedom until 2007 and made his first appearance at Cambodia’s genocide tribunal in April, 2008 in which his defence lawyer claimed his client was never directly responsible for the genocide.

Pol Pot

As the leader of Khmer Rouge, Pol Pot was directly responsible for the Genocide in Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. Estimated 1.7 to 2.5 million people died as Pol Pot’s people tried to cleanse Cambodia according to the Maoist ideologies. After the invasion of Cambodia by the Vietnamese army lead by the Khmer Rouge traitor, current Cambodia’s prime minister Hun Sen, Pol Pot fled to the jungles near the border with Thailand and operated Khmer Rouge from there. Up until 1997, Khmer Rouge was recognized by the United Nations as the rightful government of Cambodia. Pol Pot died a year later, on April 15, 1998 in his home while under house arrest, but lived to be a mass murderer until the end of his days. Son Sen, life-long right-hand of Pol Pot and eleven members of his family were executed upon Pol Pot’s orders on June 10, 1997 following the speculations that Son Sen was trying to make a settlement with current Cambodian government.

Hun Sen

Perhaps the most notable Khmer Rouge henchmen, especially considerable for being still alive and still in control of Cambodia is Hun Sen. This mass murderer has blood of more than million people on his hands and an overall horrible human rights track record. Under his rule, the genocide in Cambodia is still ongoing, only now it took a sneakier, more sophisticated form. Hun Sen removes everyone in his path and strengthens his grip on power with the use of power. He is one of the most dangerous criminals in the world today but his genocide is so clever, instead of facing international condemnation, he enjoys international aid that amounts to billion US dollars a year. This money, which comes from the pockets of western taxpayers is sent to Cambodia to help weak economy but ends up laundered in the pockets of Hun Sen and people close to him. Meanwhile, direct opposers of Hun Sen are silenced while millions of Cambodians live on less than $1 a day, completely deprived of health care and education.

Khmer Rouge Today

Khmer Rouge is dead – on paper. But thousands of henchmen recruited as children to kill dozens of people on daily basis are now in their 40’s and 50’s and are all over Cambodia. These people still possess military grade weapons and explosives that float around Cambodia uncontrolled and unregulated. With the police force being as corrupt as the government that controls them, crimes don’t get investigated, unless it somehow affects the senior officials. The Khmer Rouge henchmen are out there, all over Cambodia ready to off anyone for $50. Or for free, if you piss them off or get in their way. Your body would be thrown in the jungle where wild dogs would eat it to the bone. Noone will ever hear from you again and noone in Cambodia will care. After you have been offed, the Khmer Rouge assassin that murdered you will wait around for his next $50 job.

Photo: Used to Kill from an Early Age, These Young Khmer Rouge Henchmen Are Now Middle-aged Men and Women
Photo: Used to Kill from an Early Age, These Young Khmer Rouge Henchmen Are Now Middle-aged Men and Women

Interpol’s Most Wanted Fugitives

More than a hundred of Interpol’s Most Wanted Fugitives are former Khmer Rouge killing machines who are allowed to roam Cambodia freely and call it home after their government refused to bring them to justice. Thousands more call this country their home and just as their “Most Wanted” comrades, they are as dangerous and as used to kill and get away with it. They’ve been killing since they were 14 and never faced any repercussions for any life they took. Do you think much has changed now that they are 45?

Dangerous Cambodia

Cambodia remains one of the most dangerous countries in the world. Judiciary system is corrupt, the police force is a joke and only installed to shelter the illegal activities of their government. All that while serial killers with millions of guns available to them hang around in all areas.

Khmer Rouge is dead – on paper – but don’t let its demise fool you. The genocide in Cambodia continues unhindered with armed, middle-aged men pulling their weapons out when they don’t get their way. To give false perception of a safe country so the influx of hard currency that tourists bring doesn’t stop, the corrupt government skews the crime statistics and it does seem to be working. No one would dare to travel to Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge years, yet even now, more than 30 years later the country remains as dangerous as it was in the late 70’s. Violence is still part of the nation’s culture, only since the fall of Khmer Rouge, it hasn’t been making international headlines.

Rich Cambodians

While 12 million Cambodian live on less than $1 a day, a handful of people are extremely rich. There is no middle class in Cambodia – only too many extremely poor and a few extremely rich. The Rich Cambodians are richer than can be explained in words. Prime Minister Hun Sen, who took control over Cambodia by mercilessly removing anyone standing in his path became the youngest and wealthiest premier in the world when he was only 33 years old. After killing more than million people, Hun Sen is right up there with world’s most vicious dictators, second only to Adolf Hitler or Joseph Stalin.

By privatizing Angkor Archaeological Park to keep near a billion US dollars in direct revenue it generates a year for themselves, and by illigal logging and further exploitation of country’s natural resources to keep billions of dollars these generate for themselves, the corrupt government of Cambodia strips their own people of any share in wealth historical, cultural and natural resources of Cambodia provide. These resources should and do belong to all Cambodians, yet the revenue, even though it’s more than one could fathom ends up in pockets of the rich. In a country of estimated 14 million people, a few dozen are extremely rich and extremely powerful. The rest are either barely scraping it or completely unable to make ends meet. Let’s take a closer look at rich Cambodians:

British “The Sunday Times” recently published an article on children of rich Cambodians and high lifestyles they get to live. Their parents are the senior officials of the world’s most corrupt government with pockets so fat they don’t know what to do with all that money, so their children get to spend it. And as is obvious from the article, they do enjoy the privileges of wealth and are not afraid to flaunt it. You can check out the full article on the following link:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article7023700.ece

There are two countries in Cambodia. One is real Cambodia – full of underprivileged and impoverished people whose first thought of the day is the worry about whether they will have enough rice to feed the family with today. In this Cambodia, 8% of children die before the age of 5 deprived of medical care and any real chance to live decent lives.

The other Cambodia is the country of the rich. It houses a handful of people who keep billions of dollars generated by illegal logging, smuggling, land grabbing and corruption for themselves. Through systematic exploitation of historical and natural resources which should benefit all of Cambodians, this handful of people strips the public of any share of the profits their resources generated and finance their super high lifestyles with it. These rich Cambodians made themselves untouchable as military, police and justice system are all controlled by them to do as they are told.

Children of Rich Cambodians are sent to study at prestigious foreign universities and are given all the money in the world to enjoy themselves any way they please. They wear military VIP stickers on their car’s dashboards which gives them complete immunity. The police won’t touch them and if they get involved in an accident or other dispute, it will always be that other party’s fault.

The life of Rich Cambodians is sweet. Living in heavily guarded Tuol Kuok district in Phnom Penh, rich Cambodians have all the money in the world and keep the power tightly among themselves. Meanwhile, foreign governments keep sending more and more funds which Cambodian government relies on when planning their annual budgets. Why would they bother including money generated by Angkor Archaeological Park or extensive deforestation into the budget? Foreign governments blindly send them money, so they can keep profits from Angkor and illegal logging for themselves. Afterall, their children like to drive half million dollar cars and go on exotic vacations countless times a year.

Cambodia has vast gas and oil deposits but has not started exploiting those yet. Oil rich economy could send a wrong signal to foreign governments that the country makes enough money and doesn’t need donations to plan out a budget anymore. Whereas by keeping the majority of its population below the poverty line by stripping them of the profits generated by their historical and cultural resources, Cambodia appears poor with slow economy so leaders of western countries spinelessly send support funds to strengthen the Hun Sen’s iron grip over the country.

Hun Sen doesn’t have any formal education, yet he’s planned this one out well. Khmer Rouge is dead, but his new, modern version of it with complete control over a nation including merciless removal of any and all opponents puts Khmer Rouge to shame. And while Hun Sen’s opponents are being silenced, his loyalists grow richer by the hour. Ordinary Cambodians have no chance at real freedom for as long as this corrupt government is in power. But with their firm grip over country’s military with all generals being close allies of the prime minister, it would take international military intervention to remove this totalitarian government from power. However, seeing how Hun Sen has it all well played out, it’s not gonna happen anytime soon. He keeps 3/4 of his populace extremely poor so foreign countries feel sympathy and instead of coming with force to remove the dictator, they send annual fundings that reached one billion US dollars in 2009.

Meanwhile, ordinary Cambodians are driven from their lands at gunpoint by government controlled soldiers or military police. Rich Cambodians have it all, the rest of the population has nothing at all. I wonder how much will foreign donations grow into by 2010. Yet the saddest part is – chunk of my own taxes will be in it!

Cambodia – Illegal Logging and Deforestation

Aside from ripping the people of Cambodia off by giving control over Angkor Archaeological Park to a private company, the corrupt government of Cambodia lead by the extremely dangerous dictator Hun Sen also rips people off by excessive deforestation and illegal logging. Angkor Archaeological Park attracts millions of foreigners to Cambodia, resulting in near billion dollars in direct revenue, yet most of it gets lost in a black hole controlled by the corrupt senior officials. Angkor is a historical and cultural heritage of all Cambodians, yet ordinary people do not see a penny out of the money it generates. Through Sokimex, private company with close ties to the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), Angkor was privatized, taking the heritage away from the people and into the hands of the elite.

Likewise, Cambodian rainforest which is the largest remaining lowland evergreen forest in mainland Southeast Asia is a natural resource of all Cambodians, yet through illegal logging the corrupt government of Cambodia ensures that ordinary people don’t reap any benefits from their rich natural resources.

Photo: As an Environmentalist, The Abuse of Cambodian Trees Makes Me Very Sad
Photo: As an Environmentalist, The Abuse of Cambodian Trees Makes Me Very Sad

The deforestation in Cambodia continues at unprecedented rate that has no match anywhere in the world. This deforestation continues while foreign governments, which sent upwards of one billion of taxpayer’s dollars to Cambodia in donations each year, do absolutely nothing to intervene.

Illegal logging is part of a large scale asset-stripping operation pulled on the people of Cambodia by their own, corrupt government. While Cambodian forests continue to get ransacked, small group of people keeps the profits leaving ordinary people with no improvement in quality of their lives, even though the forest also belongs to them. However from my own standpoint, from a standpoint of a Canadian taxpayer whose taxes are in part used to support this corrupt government instead of imposing sanctions on it for ongoing destruction of fragile Cambodian environment – I’m pissed.

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimates, Cambodia lost 29% of its tropical forest between 2000 and 2005. International experts tend to agree that illegal logging took even faster pace after 2005, when Global Witness – the London, UK based activist organization which monitored Cambodian forest for 12 years was expelled from the country. Global Witness accused Cambodian government of excessive deforestation when permits and licenses to cut trees were given to friends and relatives of high Cambodian officials. As a result, they were driven out of the country.

Cambodian government, the most corrupt government in the world only cares about themselves and their own bank accounts. They are willing and ready to exploit any and all of the resources the country has without using any fraction of it to help ordinary people. And what do the foreign governments do about it? Give them more money, money of their own taxpayers so Cambodian elite can strengthen their grip on the economy and further slow the alleviation of poverty and protection of the environment.

As I’m writing this, dozens of Cambodian trees were mowed down to satisfy the greed of the Cambodian elite. Illegal logging and excessive deforestation are here to stay and will not stop unless this government is stripped of power. Sadly, they will not let go without a bloodshed.

Government Corruption in Cambodia

The roots of the political and government corruption in Cambodia go deep. In its purest form, the world’s most corrupt governments exploit country’s natural and historical resources for their private benefits. Resources of each country should be used to benefit all of the country’s citizens but instead they are used to fund exclusive lifestyles and power-grips of the select few while ordinary people are abandoned to living in poverty. The government of Cambodia took the idea of corruption a whole step further and aside from feeding their own bank accounts at the expense of the people, it also uses the poverty instituted and maintained by their own corruption as a store front that attracts donations from developed countries.

Corrupt Cambodian Leader

Dictator Hun Sen, the prime minister of Cambodia and one of the most dangerous criminals on this planet responsible for torture and deaths of thousands of people surrounded himself with personal allies who stuff money that should go to the treasury to provide for the people, into their own, deep pockets. Hun Sen has been murdering people since his young age and has no problem living with blood on his hands. Everyone daring to oppose him is removed, while his closest compatriots reap the benefit of billions of dollars Cambodia generates every year. The economy is purposefully kept stagnant so the people remain poor, while select few enjoy lifestyles beyond imagining, staying completely and entirely untouchable by law.

Millions of Victims

Dictator Hun Sen and his Cambodian People’s Party have more blood on their hands than just blood of those killed directly upon Hun Sen’s command. There are millions of lives lost to Hun Sen’s greed by the extent to which Cambodian corrupt government diverts revenues away from the people. Cambodian public is deprived of health clinics and educational resources keeping them in the dark about the diseases and their possible prevention. As a result, millions of Cambodians who are not part of the elite die way before their time. According to the demographic statistics from the CIA World Factbook, marginal age in Cambodia is 22.1 years (21.4 years for males and 22.8 years for females) based on the data from 2009. CIA World Factbook also ranks the degree of risk of major infectious diseases in Cambodia as “very high”. It is because Cambodian government is the most corrupt in the world and only cares about their own pockets, not public health so people die way too young.

Estimated 12 million Cambodians live below the line of poverty. One by one they will die, indirectly by the hand of their corrupt government that deprives them of basic health care and availability of safe food and water. During the course of my stay in Cambodia I had made valuable friends, but our friendships didn’t even last until my departure. They died before I could move on.

Western Sponsorship of Cambodian Corruption

In 2009, Cambodian government received $1 Billion in donations from western governments. This money which comes from taxes paid by people like you and me was given to the Cambodian government as funds for reconstruction of the country and alleviation of poverty. After decades of such yearly donations, the efforts to alleviate poverty and accelerate the development of Cambodia have failed. Corrupt Cambodian government receives the money, but it is laundered (usually via dubious property purchases) to make it impossible to trace and once safely untraceable, it ends up in the bank accounts of corrupt senior officials close to Hun Sen. All efforts to alleviate poverty in Cambodia are thus hindered, completely wasting tax-payers money.

Exploitation of Resources

Through its cultural and historical heritage at Angkor Archaeological Park Cambodia attracts millions of dollars in easy revenue. Through the use of country’s natural resources, billions more are earned. If there were no corruption in Cambodian government, and if the government utilized the monies it collects through tax programs, customs and its historical and natural resources, reforms could be implemented that would vastly improve country’s economy and alleviate much poverty even without foreign monetary assistance. For now, deforestation continues at a rate not seen anywhere else in the world while all of the proceeds are kept by the corrupt Cambodian elite.

Unfortunately, at present time, funds from international donors are not used to help the people in Cambodia, but are instead diverted to the pockets of the Cambodian elite close to the prime minister Hun Sen. Cambodian leaders are plain and simple stealing from the people of Cambodia and even though most ordinary people are well aware of it, the riches accumulated by the senior officials as well as their firm grip of Cambodian military forces makes any real chance of change nonexistent. All opposition, people who dared to point fingers at Hun Sen or any of his close men were silenced, imprisoned, assassinated or simply disappeared without a trace. Uprisings are suppressed with military force to send a clear message that the power is firmly in the hands of Hun Sen and anyone looking to take it away from him will face the barrel of a gun.

Corrupt Cambodian Judges

The corrupt government of Cambodia likes how untouchable they are and enjoys their unlimited and undisputed power their positions provide. Judiciary system of Cambodia is not independent. It is owned and controlled by the government. Judges are appointed based on their political affiliations. Corruption can be found in all walks of life in Cambodia, but with the justice being part of the corrupt government, nobody has any real chance at freedom or justice and no signed contracts or land titles have any value as it’s always and only he who has better connections that wins the case.

Corruption Office

To add insult to injury, there is an anti corruption office on Monivong Boulevard in Phnom Penh, nation’s capital city. I can only imagine what the purpose of an anti corruption office would be – to decide who is going to be fined and who will not be touched, based again on connections of the person who is complained against. Fighting corruption with corruption must be the biggest joke and the biggest insult ever. People running the anti-corruption office are appointed by the government based on their political affiliations. They are owned and controlled by the corrupt Cambodian government and are clearly there only to ensure that there appears to be an institution that fights corruption, but their decisions are the decisions of the government. Would you dare to report corrupt senior elite member to such anti-corruption office?

Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index

According to the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index, Cambodia remains one of the world’s most corrupt countries yet over the last few years, the ratings of the country rose a little bit. People behind the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index must have missed something or got bewildered by skewed statistics or sweet talking of the Cambodian government. Nothing has changed about Cambodia. The government here is as corrupt as ever – actually no! It’s more corrupt. It’s stronghold gets mightier every day as does its grip of the military and its accumulated riches. This government is so corrupt, thinking that after all the murders and abuse they would magically turn around and become nice officials willing to give the power to the people is laughable.

Corruption Law

One more thing about the government corruption in Cambodia. Due to international pressure, the government has approved what they call the “corruption law”. This came 15 years after it was first proposed, but if you ask any Cambodian who’s not a member of the ruling elite, they will tell you that there is a reason why it is called the “corruption law” – it is because it’s not meant to be an “anti-corruption law”. As something that could be expected from the world’s most corrupt government, the Cambodian corruption law is intended to iron net and protect corruption, not fight or eliminate it. Just as is the case with already existing anti corruption office in Phnom Penh, since it’s not an independent institution, but rather a government controlled body, the effectiveness of their actions is bound to be a joke. And so is the “corruption law”. After 15 years of building up the world’s most corrupt government but facing international pressure for it, Hun Sen came with an idea of introducing a law that will buy him extra time, while changing nothing about the way he manipulates the country. The corruption law will not address corruption in Cambodia, it will only make it more difficult to pinpoint and fight.

Dictator Hun Sen and Cambodian People Party

Ever since dictator Hun Sen’s Cambodian People Party (CPP) seized control over Cambodia in a bloody coup d’etat in 1997, the country has been topping the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index year after year for being run by the most corrupt government in the world. While Pol Pot, the leader of Khmer Rouge ordered to kill millions of people to secure his spot in the dictator’s heaven, Hun Sen took much more sophisticated approach and even though there is little difference between the results of his and Pol Pot’s actions, instead of causing international outrage, Hun Sen receives international aid.

For the likes of Hun Sen, killing people is business. He’s one of countless Cambodians who joined Khmer Rouge to torture and kill undesired individuals and for a few years he did just that. Little did Khmer Rouge know at the time that Hun Sen is a sneaky, self focused little bastard who will backstab his supporters and comrades for his own benefit. He went to Vietnam and started lobbying for backing to overthrow the regime he was part, but not a leader of.

After the Vietnam backed overthrow of Khmer Rouge, Hun Sen was appointed as Cambodia’s (at the time called Kampuchea) Foreign Minister. Even though not a full-on dictator yet, Hun Sen’s political career was already full of murder and torture. In 1987, Hun Sen’s led Cambodian Government was accused by Amnesty International of merciless torture of political prisoners. Thousands of Cambodians were treated with electric shocks, application of hot irons and brought on the brink of suffocation with plastic bags – following Hun Sen’s orders.

Power tripping Hun Sen continued to strengthen his position as a sole leader and dictator of Cambodia and managed to get the military commanders to join Cambodian People Party and ultimately become his ass-kissers. There was certain rivalry between the heir to the throne – Prince Norodom Ranariddh who was the First Prime Minister from 1993 until 1998 and Hun Sen who was his Co-Prime Minister resulting in bloody coup launched by Hun Sen to get rid of his rival.

Hun Sen’s coup d’etat resulted in deaths of at least 60 people and caused damage to Cambodian economy exceeding $76 million but the goal was accomplished. Through continuous and persistent removal of his opponents, Hun Sen sent himself on his merry way to become the sole leader and undisputed dictator of Cambodia with everybody else being his puppets on a string (either that, or systematically removed). Nearly 100 of Hun Sen’s opponents were murdered, tortured or never seen or heard of again within nine months of his military coup. Hundreds of others managed to flee Cambodia before they could be taken care of.

Hun Sen solidified his grasp on power and full control over Cambodia in 1998 with rigged elections, turning Cambodian People Party into the leading party with opposition suppressed or completely silenced. He’s been ruling Cambodia since, systematically strengthening his grasp over the nation, supported by US$5 billion in aid granted to Cambodia by western governments from the money of the taxpayers like me and you. In return, Hun Sen and his Cambodian People Party exploit natural and historical resources rights over which are given to private parties with close ties to his corrupt government.

Removal of Hun Sen’s opponents is ongoing. After topping his first premier Pen Sovann, Hun Sen then arranged to have Premier Chan Si offed in a Moscow hospital. Police General Heng Pov, also known for being the most corrupt police officer in Cambodia (being the most corrupt cop in the most corrupt country must be quite something) used to be Hun Sen’s advisor but after his fallout, he found himself in Cambodian jail where he sits without disturbing any more of Hun Sen’s peace. Heng Pov’s henchman Hok Lundi was killed in a dubious helicopter crash that was never investigated.

Hun Sen has become the world’s worst dictator and human rights abuser but his dictatorship is modern and sophisticated. Khmer Rouge took the wrong route and enraged international community. Cambodian People Party is like Khmer Rouge – it continues to kill its own people, but not by direct bullet in the head, rather by depriving them of education, healthcare and justice. Dumbed down, sick and morally exhausted population can’t threaten the position of a dictator, but it brings billions of dollars in humanitarian aid. Works well for Hun Sen. Khmer Rouge is outdated, Cambodian People Party is much more advanced version of it which instead of attracting condemnation of the international communities, attracts free money. Keep economy purposefully slow by giving all real money making opportunities to your supporters, it will keep the majority of the people deprived from any real chance to make it, allow their poverty and poor living standards be seen and then just watch foreign money roll in. While millions of your own people out there starve on less than $.50 a day, you and a handful of your close allies will drive a new $500,000 car each year while enjoying five star vacations in world’s poshiest resorts at least once a month.

This is real Cambodia and every single dollar you donate ends up in already unimaginably fat bank accounts of Hun Sen and his supporters. After decades of sending billions of dollars to elevate poverty in Cambodia, not one family has seen improvement in their living standards. The only living standards that continuously increase are those of Hun Sen and his approved few who have so much money they don’t know what to do with it anymore.

How is it possible that Cambodia makes billions of dollars from being home to Angkor Wat, additional billions of dollars as a result of excessive deforestation and mining, topped up with billions of dollars donated by western governments for government and administrative expenses, yet according to CIA world factbook, Cambodia’s external debts reached $4.127 in 2008? How is it possible that of 38,093 km of Cambodian roadways, only 2,977 are paved with infrastructure rebuilding taking near forever (Siem Reap to Poipet road took 8 years to finish. The road is 142 km long)? Yet military expenditures reach 3% of GDP.

Instead of allocating some of the resources generated by Cambodia to help alleviate poverty, dictator Hun Sen chooses to outsource mining and deforestation to foreign corporation in exchange for huge cuts from profits for himself. Thus natural resources which should belong to all Cambodians benefit only the elite lead by Hun Sen. Despite billions of dollars flowing in to Cambodia each year, living conditions for vast majority of Cambodians have not improved. Hun Sen is the prime minister and a sole dictator of Cambodia. If living standards of average people are the reflection of country’s leadership, then Hun Sen is a poor leader. Even after decades of his rule the poverty in Cambodia is as alarming as ever. So if Hun Sen is such incapable country leader, then why is he still prime minister? It’s because he’s a dictator. And as other dictators of modern times (Saddam Hussein, for example) he should be tried and have justice served upon him.

Angkor Entrance Guards and Scam by the Sokimex Group Cambodia

At last I got through the hoards of tireless hustlers who will do and say anything and everything just to get you open your wallet and spend money, and there I was stepping up the stone steps leading to a causeway that follows across the entire Angkor Wat. There was however one more local I thought was also a tout I had to go through at the beginning of the causeway. Armed to ignore all locals who approach me asking for something, I ignored this guy too but soon came to realize that he’s one and only exception to the crowds of peddlers who are solely after my money. This was an entrance guard stationed at Angkor Wat to ensure everyone who enters the temple itself has a valid pass.

I thought buying a ticket at the ticketing booth and showing it to the guards at the beginning of the road leading to Angkor was good enough but Sokimex Group Cambodia, company that makes millions of dollars collecting entrance fees from foreigners also stations their inspectors at entrances to all main temples as a secondary line of ticket inspection just in case a foreigner somehow snuck into the Angkor Archaeological Park.

To avoid scam Angkor area was riddled with before, all authorised guards wear light blue shirts on which they have a badge with their inspector number and around their neck a lanyard with Sokimex ID bearing their name and photograph that identifies them as rightful entrance guards. They are also armed with wireless radios and frequently communicate with each other.

Photo: One of The Ticket Inspectors at Angkor Wat - Wearing Light Blue Shirt, Badge and Photo ID on a Lanyard
Photo: One of The Ticket Inspectors at Angkor Wat - Wearing Light Blue Shirt, Badge and Photo ID on a Lanyard

From what I was told, scam that consisted of anyone and everyone pretending to be an authorised guard to collect entrance fees from foreigners was virtually entirely eliminated using this approach. At least now when you pay your entrance fee, it does help the temples, not some scammer pretending to collect fees on behalf of Apsara Authority, right? Wrong!

Sokimex Group Co. LTD is a company with close ties to the CPP – Cambodian People’s Party, the ruling party of Cambodia. The CPP is well known for being one of the most corrupt governments in the world and has a very bad human rights record. Prime Minister Hun Sen, leader of the CPP has no problem threatening those who oppose him with use of force or military action. Ordinary Cambodians who are not part of the Cambodian elite approved by Hun Sen have no chance of real freedom.

In April 1999, Cambodian People’s Party gave Sokimex Group full control over the Angkor Archaeological Park entrance ticket concession sales. This was done without any input from the public or Cambodian opposition. Angkor, which is the cultural heritage of all Cambodians was taken away from them by their corrupt government and given to the private company to financially benefit from its worldwide popularity while ordinary people get nothing. The deal required Sokimex Group (Owners of Sokha Hotels chain) to pay the government One Million Dollars per year with all excess kept by the company.

Photo: Angkor Archaeological Park Entrance Ticket Bears Sokha Hotels Co. LTD Name To Show Who Controls the Temples
Photo: Angkor Archaeological Park Entrance Ticket Bears Sokha Hotels Co. LTD Name To Show Who Controls the Temples

Due to strong opposition, the agreement between the CPP and Sokimex was amended a bit, but Sokimex Group still remains in full control over ticket concessions at Angkor and keeps a large part of the profits. To further benefit the company that supports the government, the CPP also commissions Sokimex Group to supply uniforms, food and medicine for Cambodian military, as well as the gasoline for the governmental agencies which is run through well performing voucher scam.

Apsara Authority, governmental body responsible for preservation, maintenance and protection of Angkor Archaeological Park gets small part of the profits, however being CPP controlled, Apsara Authority is also a dubious organization with shady practices violating the poor. There have been many cases of large groups of Apsara enforcers coming to villages with guns to threaten the villagers who “dared” to modernize their “traditional homes”. Many people have been evicted and had their property repossessed by Apsara Authority with all rights removed and no voice to stand by them (all voices that oppose the practices of Cambodian People’s Party get silenced).

Welcome to real Cambodia, one of the most corrupt countries in the world.