One of the best admirable memories I accept of Cambodia aback I alternate to the country in 1992 to assignment for UNTAC was seeing the ocean and the amaranthine albino bank of Sihanoukville.
This was my aboriginal cruise to that boondocks on the Abysm of Thailand, renamed afterwards King Norodom Sihanouk in 1958. Amid the civilian war and the Khmer Rouge administration in the 1970s, I had never had a adventitious to go there.
As a adolescent growing up in Phnom Penh in the 1960s, the alone continued cruise I had fabricated was activity to appointment one of my grandmothers who lived in Battambang City. We had gone by alternation to accommodated this actual avant-garde grandmother, who wore architecture and served us attic ambrosia fabricated dejected and blush with aliment coloring.
Then came the Khmer Rouge’s rule, my beat the country to a refugee affected in Thailand and assuredly casual to the United States.
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But in 1992, afterwards the Cambodian government and political factions had active the Paris Peace Agreement in 1991, I was aback in my home country, confined as an all-embracing polling base administrator with UNTAC—the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia. I accustomed in Sihanoukville by helicopter, and saw for the aboriginal time this admirable bank on the Abysm of Thailand that I had not alike accepted existed in my country.
Over the years, I would go aback abounding times to Sihanoukville, which abounding Cambodians still alarm Kampong Som. But recently, due to abounding factors, and abnormally the COVID-19 pandemic, I had not been to Sihanoukville for about two years. So to mark the altogether of the backward King Norodom Sihanouk – he was built-in on October 31, 1922 – which is additionally a civic holiday, I afresh fabricated the 225-kilometer cruise from Phnom Penh.
The Sihanoukville I saw was no best the burghal I already knew. Actuality were streets lined with high-rises, abounding acclimated as hotels and casinos and others abandoned or beneath construction.
And yet, the acropolis I had climbed on my aboriginal appointment those abounding years ago to bigger see the bank and the sea had not been altered.
But first, let me go aback to the Sihanoukville I apparent 29 years ago.
Discovering a Lovely Boondocks by the Sea
My aboriginal appointment to Sihanoukville was wonderful, I would alike say magical, starting with the Russian pilot who was so aflame that he flew low abundant over the abysm for the helicopter’s auto to burst water.
The town’s citizenry was about 15,000 bodies in the 1960s. And on that day of September 1992, all we could see was a baby boondocks with a huge, continued beach. The ocean was abysmal blue, the sky dejected – It was like heaven. Activity up that abundance and seeing this admirable landscape, you acquainted on top of the world. And cipher was there.
After this aboriginal visit, I went to Sihanoukville by car. As an balloter administrator assigned to Kampong Speu Province – I formed for UNTAC until the end of the U.N. mission in September 1993 – I got acclimated to biking by road.
Youk Chhhang in his road-trip accessory as UNTAC balloter officer. Traveling by agent in the country above-mentioned to the 1993 civic elections was risky. Photo: Vutha.
One of the problems at the time was the Khmer Rouge aggravating to agitate cartage and communications. Afterwards signing the Paris Peace Agreement in October 1991, Khmer Rouge leaders had burst it and were bent to agitate the elections. They attempted to alarm people, blocking anchorage and so on, to anticipate them from voting. But they would abort spectacularly: In May 1993, about 90 percent of those advantaged to vote would casting their ballots.
When I travelled for UNTAC, I had to go on specific canicule so they could accommodate us with security, allowance the anchorage in advance. But civilians did not accept admission to such casework aback they were off duty.
Still, on a weekend or some anniversary afterwards my aboriginal visit, I absitively to go to Sihanoukville by car. As I expected, we were chock-full by the Khmer Rouge. Aback then, bodies were cutting uniforms to abuse UNTAC employees. Sometimes they looked like Khmer Rouge; sometimes they looked like government soldiers. Whoever they were, they would ask for money. Speaking the language, I was able to accommodate and got through.
As a adolescent active in Phnom Penh, I had alone heard of Sihanoukville in cartography books at primary school. Beside that one agitative alternation cruise to Battambang City, I had alone travelled to Takeo Province to see my added grandmother.
Moreover, the alley amid Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville had been beneath architecture for years in the 1960s. And then, the war had started in the backward 1960s and aboriginal 1970s.
But it was alone 30 years after that I accomplished how little I had apparent of my country. Aback then, best Cambodians were not touring their own homeland. Due to abounding factors – the bread-and-butter situation, active conditions, busline – they were not able to analyze their country. We did not apperceive abundant about Angkor or the coastline. Like abounding added Cambodians, I had alone heard of Sihanoukville through music and songs.
A Harsh Admonition of the Khmer Rouge Genocide
In the decades that followed, I would generally acknowledgment to Sihanoukville, at times authoritative this a weekend or anniversary airing for my aggregation at the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam).
One appointment in 1997 became a admonition that the abhorrence the Khmer Rouge aggressive was still actual present in the country.
For the anniversary weekend of October 31, appearance the altogether of King Sihanouk, I had absitively to booty my ancestors to Sihanoukville. Aback I accustomed in Sihanoukville, there were no bodies around. At the hotel, the administrator told us that a government official was expected. Soldiers and badge admiral had basically shut bottomward the boondocks for his arrival.
The administrator additionally told us that I could not get the apartment I had reserved, alike admitting I had had paid in advance. This was the best auberge at the time and the administrator could not say no to government officials. The auberge had maybe 10 apartment and they had aloof them all. So, the administrator offered to let us break with the auberge agents associates in their baby rooms.
I larboard my sister and mother at the auberge and went out on an errand. Aback I alleged my sister after on, she was so afraid she could hardly speak. She was abashed on the phone. I asked her what was wrong.
“The Khmer Rouge are here,” she said. “The Khmer Rouge are at the hotel.”
It was Ieng Sary, the above Khmer Rouge baton who had defected and abutting the Cambodian government in 1996. And my sister was afraid for me because I was investigating the Khmer Rouge at DC-Cam. As for me, I was apprehensive why they were aggravation my sister. Did the Khmer Rouge still appetite to abuse my sister and mother, who were their victims?
When I came aback to the hotel, there were bodyguards all over but aback abounding knew who I was, they let me in. I went to assure my mother and sister. We acquainted like we were in a Khmer Rouge bastille again.
Later in the day, I beatific Ieng Sary a note, allurement to account him apropos some abstracts of the Khmer Rouge regime. At 10 p.m., his abettor Continued Narin told me to appear to his room, which I did. We talked for a while. He told me the abstracts seemed appropriate and arrive me to appear to Pailin, an breadth in the western allotment of Cambodia that was beneath Sary’s control.
That night, I couldn’t sleep. I capital to accomplish abiding cipher agape on the door. It was a accustomed activity from the Khmer Rouge time – be able to abide and fight. I told myself I would not let annihilation appear to me again. I would not let the Khmer Rouge blow us.
In the meantime, I wrote bottomward the capacity of the appointment and beatific this to The Cambodia Daily newspaper, whose civic editor I knew personally. I aloof capital to let him what had happened, as a precaution.
I got up at 5:00 a.m. and went downstairs, but the antechamber was empty. I had been larboard a note, which I after anesthetized on to the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), additionally referred to as Khmer Rouge Tribunal.
In the note, Sary said he would accomplish time for me later. Being so young, he questioned how I dared to analysis the Khmer Rouge administration of Democratic Kampuchea – but if I capital to do so, I should appear to Pailin. It was about two or three lines. I apprehend that bulletin 10 times, aggravating to adjudge if it was a letter of allurement or a threat.
With them gone, it was as if we had aloof appear out of the Khmer Rouge again. Bodies in the auberge were smiling, adequate now that the Khmer Rouge were gone.
On my way aback to Phnom Penh, I got abounding calls from reporters: They capital to get capacity of my appointment with Ieng Sary. The Cambodia Daily had absolutely appear the letter I had beatific as a precaution.
Then I got a alarm from a Cambodian in United States who said, “Coward, why didn’t you annihilate Ieng Sary? You should accept attempt him.” The man said he had absent his mother and several ancestors associates during the Khmer Rouge regime. I told him that, aboriginal of all, I did not backpack a gun, and secondly, I advocated a action of justice: I did not appetite to do to Ieng Sary what he did to us.
Ieng Sary would after be approved at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal for crimes adjoin humanity; he died in apprehension in 2013 afore the adjudication was rendered.
The Bank Belonged to Cambodians
In the 2000s and the aboriginal 2010s, I generally went to Sihanoukville.
Like added NGOs and businesses, I would booty my accomplished agents there for holidays, for anniversary meetings. I put them on a big bounded baiter to go to the islands off the bank so we could analyze them. We swam in the average of the ocean. And afresh we would watch the dusk abandon into the gulf.
We consistently backward there at atomic two nights, the accomplished staff. It’s so beautiful; I capital my agents to absolutely apperceive the sight. And by then, there were abounding bargain places to stay.
As abounding Cambodians started activity to Sihanoukville, you could see affluence tellers by the ocean, kids affairs papayas or pineapples, and adults affairs crafts.
Cambodians abstruse about swimwear and demography continued walks on the beach, all those things that two decades of war and conflicts in the 1970s and 1980s had prevented them from doing. The bank belonged to them. You could see the change. Sellers started to backpack bank clothes and merchandize that would address to a Cambodian audience and not alone to visitors.
Then the authorities began to allocution of befitting the bank clean, accepting the aliment outlets some ambit from the water. A bus account started.
I accept consistently encouraged my agents to get to apperceive their own country so they can accept the adventuresomeness to assure it – alike admitting it’s a claiming at times – because it is so beautiful.
As anon as the COVID-19 biking restrictions were aerial and bodies could biking again, I started sending agents associates to assorted locations. I acquaint them: You charge see your own country because it is YOUR country, you know.
By the backward 2000s and 2010s, Cambodians had become accustomed with all the sports and activities to be enjoyed off and on baptize at the beach. Photo from the DC-Cam Archives, 2014.
A few weeks ago, in October 2021, I absitively to go to Sihanoukville with some of my agents to see the changes I had heard had taken abode in and about the city. Due mainly to the pandemic, I had not been there aback 2019.
When I arrived, I acquainted so empty. I could not breathe. What I knew of Sihanoukville no best existed. I couldn’t feel the breeze.
I was disoriented, aggravating to amount out what that circle was, area this artery led. Every move was a catechism for me to answer. Afresh I got fed up with myself: Why am I allurement so abounding questions? This is Sihanoukville.
Most of the barrio we saw were amateurish and empty. Bodies told me that, due to COVID-19, the investors – mostly Chinese – had larboard but were now advancing aback one by one.
The barrio that were accomplished were mainly hotels and casinos. No banks, bunch or business barrio – at atomic that I could see.
Sihanoukville acquainted abandoned in animosity of all these barrio – abandoned in the way that one loses one’s faculty of belonging. It looks like about else, not Cambodia. The artery does not accord to Cambodians any longer.
Still, the new builders seemed to be application the old masterplan of the city, which goes aback to the 1960s. They accept aloof widened the streets to about-face abounding into boulevards.
At a auberge restaurant, the Chinese seemed to break amid themselves. One affiliate of my agents who speaks Chinese was built-in in the Chinese section, while we were after put in another. The Chinese use their own articles – there was no Kampot pepper or added Cambodian supplies. Alike toothpicks and napkins were alien from China. Maybe this is premature, and they will eventually use Cambodian products, but this is an affair that charge be raised.
As for the accessible beach, there still is one area bodies can swim, but it is further away. We were absolutely told that that accessible bank had been awash and that the aggregation owning it may eventually about-face it private.
But these were rumors. Let’s accept that the Cambodian government has fabricated abiding there will consistently be a accessible bank in Sihanoukville, and that Cambodians will accept the adventitious to adore it.
At the auberge area we stayed, abounding agents associates had appear from abroad in the country to work, accepting absent their jobs due to the pandemic. Their dream today has become survival. Based on what we heard, there was little or no training at hotels as guests who came to action alone crave basal service.
One aliment server kept attractive at the gulf, mesmerized. Aback I asked her about it, she told me she was from Pursat Province and had never apparent the ocean.
Sihanoukville today, a mural of auberge and bank high-rises. Photo by Youk Chhang, October 30, 2021.
What the Future Will Hold for Sihanoukville
While I formed as an acclamation administrator for UNTAC, I met Ted Ngoy, who had launched the Free Development Republican Party. He was a Cambodian who had lived through the Khmer Rouge regime, accustomed as a refugee in the United States in 1985, fabricated a affluence with a donut chain, absent it gambling, and yet had sponsored added than 100 Cambodian refugee families to the United States in the backward 1980s. A documentary blur on him advantaged “The Donut King: the rags to abundance adventure of a poor immigrant that afflicted the world” was appear in the United States in 2020 and is accessible online.
During the balloter attack in 1993, Ted would say that, if he was elected, he would about-face Sihanoukville into addition Hong Kong, one of the better centers for bread-and-butter advance in Southeast Asia.
Because of Ted Ngoy and his dream, because of Ieng Sary and the fears he had instantly brought back, and because of the adorableness that had taken my animation abroad aback I aboriginal saw its bank in 1992, Sihanoukville is a mix of adverse memories and animosity for me.
And as I saw recently, it now is yet addition world, one that has yet to be defined.
Still, I was able to acquisition the alley up that abundance area I had gone on my aboriginal appointment as a UNTAC balloter officer. It’s still untouched, that mountain. It now stands in the average of the city, but it has not been altered.
Note: Information on Sihanoukville in the 1950s and 1960s can be begin in the Queen Mother Library that was set up by DC-Cam in 2020 with the abutment of the U.S. Embassy and USAID in Cambodia. Located a abbreviate ambit from Independence Monument off Artery 19, it contains a ample cardinal of files of and about King Norodom Sihanouk over several decades.
How To Write Khmer Numbers – How To Write Khmer Numbers
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