Cambodia Environment

The Beauty and Darkness project provides information on the recent history of Cambodia, particulary the Khmer Rouge period. This includes materials pertaining to Cambodia, as well as information about Cambodian refugees and immigrants abroad. Articles are categorized within the menus at the top of each page. The following links might be useful starting points:

The Banyan Tree
A five-part article detailing Cambodia's recent history.

Oral Histories
A set of oral histories and biographical articles about Cambodians.

Photos
Several sets of photographs, including roughly 800 pictures from Cambodia, and from Khmer communities abroad.


Facts and Figures
Maps and basic statistical information.

Travel
Trip journals, travelogues, and general information about touring Cambodia.

General Articles
Links to many articles on various aspects of Cambodian history and culture.
Phimeanakas

Specific information can be located by using the site search page, and the most recent additions are listed on the What's New page. This site is primarily concerned with historical and cultural information. For news on current events in Cambodia, the Yahoo World News: Cambodia site and the Phnom Penh Post Online are excellent resources. For information on the Cambodia War Crimes Tribunal, see the Cambodia Tribunal Monitor.More...

BORDER CLASHES BETWEEN VIETNAM AND CAMBODIA; PROCEDURAL CLASHES BETWEEN THE PROSECUTION AND THE DEFENSE
May 25, 2009

By Laura MacDonald, Member of the New York Bar and Consultant to the Center for International Human Rights, Northwestern University School of Law

Download this blog entry as a PDF

Webcast of Trial Proceedings - Transcript
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5
Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9


Vietnam versus Cambodia

The Trial Chamber took a break from resident expert Craig Etcheson’s testimony on the structure and policies of the Khmer Rouge to hear visiting expert Nayan Chanda’s testimony on the armed conflict that waged between Vietnam and Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. Among his many qualifications, Chanda covered Indochina for the Far Eastern Economic Review during the relevant time period and later wrote a book on his findings entitled, Brother Enemy: The War After the War. He is currently the Director of Publications and the Editor of YaleGlobal Online Magazine at the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization.

Under hours of questioning from Judge Silvia Cartwright, Chanda detailed armed conflict along the Vietnam-Cambodia border – which started in 1975, slowed in 1976, and then gradually intensified from mid-1977 until January 7, 1979 when Vietnamese forces captured Phnom Penh. Chanda described battles over several islands in the Gulf of Thailand, air raids on villages on both sides of the border, and the expulsion of Vietnamese nationals and sympathizers from Cambodia. Given that thirty-plus years have passed, Chanda’s recollection of some specifics in Brother Enemy was understandably lacking; however, at moments, he was able to describe events and interviews vividly. Chanda recalled a March 1978 visit to a Vietnamese border town about which he still has nightmares. He said the village looked like it had been “hit by a storm” and the bodies of civilian men, women, and children lined the streets. In a mud hut, he saw the words “this is our land” scribbled in Khmer.

Chanda explained that the international community was ill-informed during the early years of the conflict because both Vietnamese and Cambodian officials sought to keep the hostilities secret. Despite attacks on Vietnamese soil in the beginning, the Vietnamese were careful not to anger the Khmer Rouge as they did not want a full-scale war. In mid-1977, however, the Khmer Rouge severed diplomatic relations with Vietnam and denounced the country publicly. Shortly thereafter, the Vietnamese commenced major attacks on Cambodian territory.

The judges and the prosecution spent much time questioning Chanda about the rationale and origins of the conflict. In short, Chanda explained that Vietnam sought a “special relationship” with Laos and Cambodia believing the three countries should cooperate to protect their sovereignty and social systems. When Pol Pot came to power, he decided and made known that his party was something original, not in any way related to Vietnam. Chanda discussed “racist” Khmer Rouge propaganda describing all Vietnamese people as brutal, aggressive, and expansionist. This party line made anyone with sympathy for or relations with the Vietnamese an enemy of Cambodia. While territorial disputes were the flashpoints of the conflict, Chanda tried to illuminate the long, complex history behind them.

The Accused Person, Kaing Guek Eav (Duch), does not contest the existence of an armed conflict. He claims that he heard about the conflict, but never in detail. Duch noted today that he had confidence that Pol Pot would maintain the sovereignty of Cambodia.

Civil Law versus Common Law

After the prosecution had questioned Chanda for an hour or so, international defense counsel Francois Roux rose to his feet in passionate objection. Roux argued that the prosecution’s common law-style cross-examination of Chanda was completely unnecessary and a “waste of time” in this civil law context where over a year of investigation had been done and the judges had thoroughly questioned the witness. Roux further suggested the prosecution was unfairly using this witness to build evidence against Ieng Sary and Khieu Samphan, other indicted Khmer Rouge officials whose names had been mentioned during Chanda’s testimony.

International co-prosecutor Alex Bates responded that Roux’s objections were the waste of time and that he would not dignify the other accusations with a response. Bates noted that Chanda was not heard during the investigation phase of this case and, therefore, the prosecution was seeking to establish his expertise and allow him to express his knowledge of Cambodian and Vietnamese policies.

Each of the four civil party groups spoke in support of the prosecution, including civil party lawyer Silke Studzinksy who insisted that everyone has heard Roux’s impressions about the common law and civil law systems and they need not be repeated. The Chamber ruled Roux’s objection “ungrounded” and allowed the prosecution to continue questioning Chanda.

Chanda will return tomorrow to finish his testimony on armed conflict. More...

Every year the Khmer New Year is celebrated around April 14-16, and it is the most important holiday in the Cambodian calendar. For other holidays, people tend to come to Phnom Penh to celebrate, but for this festival everyone goes home to the province where they grew up and Phnom Penh is relatively deserted. The government this year put out flags along many streets and this one is in front of the Maryknoll office.




The Royal Palace is suitably decorated for all big public holidays. This structure is a royal viewing standing, overlooking the river. The only time it is used is during the boat races for the Water Festival when the king presides.



This year the city government put out thousands of small flags along many streets. There does not seem to be any pattern for which streets get them and which ones don't, or how many flags are allocated to one block. Some houses have three or four in front of them while other streets may have only two or three flags for the whole block.

For major holidays and celebrations, the waterfront is crowded with onlookers. There are now some of these toilets permanently situated near the river, but before the new year celebration more were brought in.

The city beautifies the city for the three-day new year celebration and flower vendors like these sell the flowers that are traditional for each household.

Cambodia has international airports at Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.

Direct flights connect Phnom Penh International Airport [4] (previously Pochentong International Airport) with China (Guangzhou Hong Kong Shanghai), Laos (Vientiane), Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Singapore, South Korea (Incheon/Seoul), Taiwan (Taipei), Thailand (Bangkok) and Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City).

Direct flights connect Siem Reap - Angkor International Airport [5] with Laos (Pakse Vientiane), Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Singapore, South Korea (Incheon/Seoul), Taiwan (Kaohsiung Taipei), Thailand (Bangkok U-Tapao (Sattahip/Pattaya)) and Vietnam (Hanoi Ho Chi Minh City).

Travellers going specifically to visit the Angkor temple ruins may prefer to use Siem Reap as it's only a few minutes away from the main sites; however as Bangkok Airways has a monopoly on direct flights between Bangkok and Siem Reap, it's a lot cheaper to fly to Phnom Penh and to take the bus (or cross overland from Bangkok).

Low-cost carrier Air Asia [6] has introduced flights from Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok to Phnom Penh and Kuala Lumpur to Siem Reap, while Jetstar Asia [7] has begun flying from Singapore to Siem Reap and Phnom Penh.

Other airlines operating flights to/from Cambodia include Asiana Airlines [8], Bangkok Airways [9], China Southern Airlines [10], Dragonair [11], Eva Airways [12], Korean Air [13], Lao Airlines [14], Malaysia Airlines (MAS) [15], Shanghai Airlines [16], Siem Reap Airways [17] (a subsidiary of Bangkok Airways), SilkAir [18], Singapore Airlines [19], Thai Airways International [20], and Vietnam Airlines [21].

Warning: if arriving to or exiting Cambodia through China, you are now required to purchase a Chinese Visa, $130 for US Citizens, with a 4 day processing time. This is a new rule (April '08) based on the bilateral cost for a Chinese citizen obtaining a visa to visit the US. Consider this when booking your flight, and either have the Visa prior to departure, or better yet, come in through Thailand or another country.

e-Visa fees are collected by a Malaysian company called CINET Sdn Bhd operated by Mr Hong, TY Thong and Adrian Phang. All the fees are paid into Mr TY Thong's Paypal personal account.

All visitors, except (as of February 2009) citizens of Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Laos and Vietnam need a visa to enter Cambodia. The official price for a tourist visa is US$20, and US$25 for a business visa - but expect much higher prices (US$30 or more for the tourist visa) to be demanded at land border crossings.

Visas can be obtained at any Cambodian embassy or consulate overseas. Visas are also available "on arrival" at both international airports, all six international border crossings with Thailand, some international border crossings with Vietnam, and at the main border crossing with Laos.

Tourist visa: when applied for in advance, these are valid for 90 days (ie must be used within 3 months), and good for a 30 day entry permit stamp which can be extended once only for a further 30 days in Phnom Penh (or elsewhere via agencies) at a cost of US$15.
Business visa: the best choice for stays over two months and/or multiple entries, as they can be extended indefinitely (approx US$140 per 6 month extension) and have multiple entry status when extended. Most Phnom Penh travel agencies process the extensions.
To apply for a visa, you will need one or two (depending on where you apply) passport-size photo(s) (although when applying on arrival, the fee for not having one is usually only US$1-2), a passport which is valid for at least 6 months and has at least one completely blank visa page remaining, passport photocopies when applying at some embassies/consulates (not needed if applying on arrival), and clean US$ notes with which to pay the fee (expect to pay a substantially higher price if paying in a local currency).

e-Visa scam?

The original provider of the e-Visa service was kicked out in murky circumstances, and their site [2] now rails against the evils of the new provider. However, travellers who have obtained e-Visas with the new system report no problems using them.


Alternatively, citizens of most nations can now apply for an e-Visa [3] online. The cost is US$25 (US$20 + US$5 processing charge) instead of the normal US$20, and you get the visa by e-mail in 3 business days. For the e-visa you will need one photograph of yourself. You can scan your passport photo (into .jpg format, please!) or take a passport photograph of yourself with a digital camera.

With the e-visa you will breeze through immigration. The e-visa will come back as a PDF file. You will then need to print out two copies (one for the entry and one for the exit). After printing out your two copies, cut out the e-visa part and put both copies into your passport.

For those entering by air, the e-Visa is valid at both Phnom Penh and Siem Reap airports. It's cheaper to get your visa on arrival at either airport. However if you get a visa in advance (online or from an embassy/consulate) you do get to skip two lines at the airport: the line to apply for the visa, and the line at the cashier to pay the fee. Of course, if you checked luggage, you'll probably have to spend the saved time waiting for your bag.

For those entering overland, do note that overland e-Visa entries are restricted to just three border crossings: Bavet (Svay Rieng) from Moc Bai (Tay Ninh Province, Vietnam); Koh Kong (from Hat Lek / Trat, Thailand); and Poipet (from Aranyaprathet, Thailand). However getting a visa in advance (online or from an embassy/consulate) is definitely the way to go in order to avoid the common scam of visa overpricing at border crossings (see Scam alert).

If you are a foreign national, be aware that you will have to pay an airport departure tax when you leave Cambodia through the airports, about $25 for international flights, it is about $4-6 for internal flights between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.

The two pillars of Cambodia's newly-stable economy are textiles and tourism. The latter has grown rapidly with over 1.7 million visitors arriving in 2006. The long-term development of the economy after decades of war remains a daunting challenge, as the population (more than half under 27 years of age) lacks education and productive skills, particularly in the poverty-ridden countryside, which suffers from an almost total lack of basic infrastructure. 80% of the population still gets by on subsistence farming. On the brighter side, the government is addressing these issues - plus government corruption - with assistance from bilateral and multilateral donors.