Some visit Pol Pot's grave looking for luck

[Nagishkaw 510]

ANLONG VENG, Cambodia – He was one of the greatest mass killers of the 20th century, but that doesn't stop the hopeful from praying at Pol Pot's hillside grave for lucky lottery numbers, job promotions and beautiful brides.

Nor does it stop tourists from picking clean the bones and ashes from the Khmer Rouge leader's burial ground in this remote town in northwestern Cambodia.

The grave is among a slew of Khmer Rouge landmarks in Anlong Veng, where the movement's guerrillas made their last stand in 1998 just as Pol Pot lay dying. A $1 million tourism master plan is being finalized to preserve and protect 15 of the sites, and charge admission.

Included on the tour will be the houses and hideouts of the Khmer Rouge leaders, an execution site and places associated with Ta Mok, a brutal commander and Anlong Veng's last boss.

"People want to see the last stronghold of the Khmer Rouge and places where they committed atrocities," says Seang Sokheng, who heads the district tourism office and himself an ex-Khmer Rouge soldier.

Anlong Veng, he says, now receives about 2,000 Cambodian and 60 foreign tourists each month — a number that should jump when a casino is built by tycoons from nearby Thailand. A museum is also in the works, spearheaded by Nhem En, the chief photographer of the Khmer Rouge's S-21 torture center in Phnom Penh, a major tourist attraction for years.

"There are museums about World War II in Europe and people are still interested in Hitler. Why not about one of the world's most infamous leaders?" says Nhem En, now the deputy chief of Anlong Veng district. The museum will include his extensive photo collection and even a rice field to show visitors how people slaved under Khmer Rouge guns during their mid-1970s reign of terror.

Like virtually everyone here, he says he took no part in the atrocities but blames the top leaders.

"Pol Pot was cremated here. Please help to preserve this historical site," reads a sign next to a mound demarcated by bottles stuck into the ground and protected by a rusting, corrugated iron roof. A few wilting flowers sprout around the unguarded grave site, which officials complain has been virtually stripped of Pol Pot's cremated remains by foreign tourists.

"People come here, especially on holy days, because they believe Pol Pot's spirit is powerful," says Tith Ponlok, who served as the leader's bodyguard and lives near the burial ground.

Cambodians in the area, he says, have won an unusual number of lotteries, prompting Thais to come across the border and beseech Pol Pot to reveal winning numbers in their dreams. Government officials from Phnom Penh and others also make the pilgrimage, asking his spirit to make assorted wishes come true.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20090328...trocity_tourism

[panamania79 2]

ANLONG VENG, Cambodia – He was one of the greatest mass killers of the 20th century, but that doesn't stop the hopeful from praying at Pol Pot's hillside grave for lucky lottery numbers, job promotions and beautiful brides.

Nor does it stop tourists from picking clean the bones and ashes from the Khmer Rouge leader's burial ground in this remote town in northwestern Cambodia.

The grave is among a slew of Khmer Rouge landmarks in Anlong Veng, where the movement's guerrillas made their last stand in 1998 just as Pol Pot lay dying. A $1 million tourism master plan is being finalized to preserve and protect 15 of the sites, and charge admission.

Included on the tour will be the houses and hideouts of the Khmer Rouge leaders, an execution site and places associated with Ta Mok, a brutal commander and Anlong Veng's last boss.

"People want to see the last stronghold of the Khmer Rouge and places where they committed atrocities," says Seang Sokheng, who heads the district tourism office and himself an ex-Khmer Rouge soldier.

Anlong Veng, he says, now receives about 2,000 Cambodian and 60 foreign tourists each month — a number that should jump when a casino is built by tycoons from nearby Thailand. A museum is also in the works, spearheaded by Nhem En, the chief photographer of the Khmer Rouge's S-21 torture center in Phnom Penh, a major tourist attraction for years.

"There are museums about World War II in Europe and people are still interested in Hitler. Why not about one of the world's most infamous leaders?" says Nhem En, now the deputy chief of Anlong Veng district. The museum will include his extensive photo collection and even a rice field to show visitors how people slaved under Khmer Rouge guns during their mid-1970s reign of terror.

Like virtually everyone here, he says he took no part in the atrocities but blames the top leaders.

"Pol Pot was cremated here. Please help to preserve this historical site," reads a sign next to a mound demarcated by bottles stuck into the ground and protected by a rusting, corrugated iron roof. A few wilting flowers sprout around the unguarded grave site, which officials complain has been virtually stripped of Pol Pot's cremated remains by foreign tourists.

"People come here, especially on holy days, because they believe Pol Pot's spirit is powerful," says Tith Ponlok, who served as the leader's bodyguard and lives near the burial ground.

Cambodians in the area, he says, have won an unusual number of lotteries, prompting Thais to come across the border and beseech Pol Pot to reveal winning numbers in their dreams. Government officials from Phnom Penh and others also make the pilgrimage, asking his spirit to make assorted wishes come true.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20090328...trocity_tourism

There is something definitely wrong with that picture

Edited March 28, 2009 by panamania79

[Niels Bohr 72]

I'm not surprised.

The children for the past two decades aren't taught the history lessons between 1975-1979. A majority of them do not even know who POL POT is...The reason is that the Cambodian People Party and the Norodom Ranarith Party were in conflict. They were fighting over whether to teach the Cambodian students about the Khmer Rouge. It turned out that there's a void in the history lesson. No students were taught who POL POT is...

Although, some students learned it from their parents and grandparents.

[SuperDuper! 230]

PP is only exceeded by Mao, as the greatest killer of all time.

[Niels Bohr 72]

A little bit over 2 million people died. But, compared to WW2, the holocaust. Hitler is still up there. Just did a little research, and over 77 million people died in WW2, if not more!

[panamania79 2]

A little bit over 2 million people died. But, compared to WW2, the holocaust. Hitler is still up there. Just did a little research, and over 77 million people died in WW2, if not more!

Pol Pot was a monster so many of my friend's family members fell victim to him

[peejay 327]

PP is only exceeded by Mao, as the greatest killer of all time.

A little bit over 2 million people died. But, compared to WW2, the holocaust. Hitler is still up there. Just did a little research, and over 77 million people died in WW2, if not more!

According to these stats, Stalin is the winner in this grim contest. If you include forced abortions of the unborn and unintended starvation due to mismanagement by stupid government policy, then Mao is the winner. Hitler, while still being a prime time #######, is #3 in this rogues gallery. While not minimizing pricks like Pol Pot, these three pricks take the grand prize.

I thank God every day that my mom's parents immigrated to the USA before the Bolshevik Revolution. My grandparents' relatives that stayed behind in Belorussia suffered through revolution/civil war, 2 German occupations (WW1 & WW2), civil war and occupation by the Russian hating Polish (1920-1939), reentry into the USSR 1939-1992, and finally still live under the dictatorship of Lukashenko's Belarus today. God Bless America!