PALACE DOWNFALL - ROYAL DEATHS

Buddhist stupas and memorials in the royal palace

I'm continuing my visit to the Phnom Penh's royal palace. This luxurious compound was best known as the home of King Sihanouk, Cambodia's most famous monarch.

Passing through a palace gateway, my view is filled with a whole new courtyard filled with memorials and Buddhist structures. Interspersed between carefully manicured trees, are numerous pagodas, Buddhist temples and shrines. At a few of them, Cambodians and monks in bright orange robes are praying. 

At the center of this peaceful courtyard, is the silver pagoda. This houses numerous statues of Buddha, made not only of silver, but also gold. Some are encrusted with diamonds. It’s a small miracle that these weren’t looted by the Khmer Rouge when they took over the palace; these must have been hidden away during those dark years. Many other treasures were taken away by them though. 

Controversial ex-King Sihanouk (photo: Wikipedia)

Some of these memorial stupas, are for deceased royalty, but the final resting places for many of Sihanouk’s own royal family remain unknown to this day. That was due to the King's complicated, and failed, relationship with the communist Khmer Rouge. 

It was Sihanouk who years back, coined the term ‘Khmer Rouge’, which meant ‘Red Khmers’. Nobody could have known then, that the Khmer Rouge would eventually become the most murderous communists in world history.

Way back in the 1960's, the communist movement that grew in neighboring Vietnam crossed the border into Sihanouk’s own kingdom. As the US war in Vietnam escalated, Sihanouk publicly declared Cambodia to be neutral in that conflict. Meanwhile, he did little to stop the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army, who had almost free range of Cambodia’s eastern provinces, moving troops and arms down the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Sihanouk's refusal to confront the Vietnamese communists, greatly frustrated the US government who were fighting them at the time.

While Cambodia stayed out of the Vietnam conflict, Khmer communists began to appear on the scene. In those early years, they didn’t pose a serious threat to the country, and the king and his security forces fought to keep them down. Sihanouk was far more popular with the people than the communists, who brought with them some strange foreign political ideology imported from Vietnam and China. 

Gardens surround the royal memorials

As the wars raged next door in Vietnam and Laos, Sihanouk turned away from politics and began to spend his time on another occupation: film making! He became a movie director, making movies in Cambodia. He also took a major interest in jazz music. Given the growing crisis in Cambodia, Sihanouk was appearing increasingly out of touch with what was happening within his own nation’s borders. 

Finally in 1970, while Sihanouk was out of the country, he was ousted in a coup. The putch was led by a general named Lon Nol, amid rumors of American involvement.

Sihanouk stayed in exile, where the monarch made another move that few would have expected.

The king allied himself with the Khmer Rouge! Joining his former enemies, Sihanouk soon made radio broadcasts urging his subjects to also join up with the radical communist rebels.

If there was any American involvement in the coup which had forced out Sihanouk, it had backfired. Thousands of Khmer men from all across Cambodia left for the countryside to join the rebellion. These young men new little about communism; they had joined the KR to fight for their king.

Later after the Khmer Rouge victory, Sihanouk was declared head of state. Still in exile in China, he begged the Khmer Rouge leadership to allow him to return to Phnom Penh. The KR leaders eventually allowed it, but Sihanouk would soon regret coming back at all.

Palace murals were ruined by weathering and neglect

The king became a prisoner right here, in his own palace. Stripped of all power, he was still technically head of state, but he was only a figurehead. The Khmer Rouge central committee held all the power. Sihanouk had been used by the Khmer Rouge, and now he was powerless to help his people, or himself. 

Ending his life of privilege, the KR took away all of his royal servants. His wife and son Sihamoni had to take over the cooking and cleaning of the palace residence. The former queen and humbled prince, were now their own housekeepers.

Many still wonder why Sihanouk made such a foolish political move. When he was still Prime Minister, his security forces had killed more than 1,500 Khmer Rouge. Did he really think that the KR leaders would forgive him, trust him, and make him a full partner? Was it arrogance, or was it just plain stupidity? Like so many men who who were hungry for power, Sihanouk had tried to hang onto power for too long.

Many palace buildings are restored

Once the Khmer Rouge won power, they went to work eliminating their remaining rivals. So they executed many Khmer princes and princesses - Sihanouk's own relatives. They would have killed King Sihanouk as well. But due to pressure from their main patrons, the Chinese government, the KR never went through with it.

As I'm about to leave the palace, I pass a traditional Khmer percussion band, playing drums, gongs, and xylophone-like instruments. Given the luxurious buildings I’ve just seen, I can’t help but notice the immense contrast to the world outside. The king and the rest of the elite continue to live in luxury, while the people of Cambodia remain among the poorest in Asia.

Outside the palace walls are two of the King’s royal guards, standing attentively at yellow guard shacks. I’m surprised at their uniform though. They wear fancy white dress coats, with old American style helmets, also painted white. Their trousers are blue, and they wear US style combat boots. I hold back a snicker as I notice that the coat on one guard, looks to be at least two sizes too big for him.

Both sentinels stand guard holding old American M-16s, with fixed bayonets. Neither have ammunition clips in their rifles. If this old palace is ever attacked again, the best these two could do is try to stab someone! It’s a good metaphor for the present monarchy itself. These days, kings in Cambodia have no real political power. Although impressive looking, they are outdated.

Palace royal guards, with unloaded weapons

When the communist years ended and the monarchy was revived in the 1990's, Sihanouk was declared king once again. However by that time, the old monarch was more of an adviser than power player. His days at the peak of Khmer power were long over. A democratic election, and later a coup, would determine the country’s real leadership.

In 2004, after being in and out of the Cambodian political scene for most of his life, the old king did the unexpected again. 

He abdicated! 

To succeed him, his son the prince was chosen, the present King Sihamoni. The new king had been an ambassador, and a dance teacher in Europe. 

Sihanouk finally died in 2012 at the ripe old age of 89. Despite his failures, many Khmers remained faithful to him to the end. Others despised him for leading the country into death and destruction under the Khmer Rouge. 

He remains the most controversial political figure in Cambodia's history. 

MAGNIFICENT PALACE OF CAMBODIA'S KING

The impressive throne room in the King's Palace, Phnom Penh

Back when I was in Vietnam, I saw what little remained of their pre-colonial royal kingdom. There were only the meager remains of a palace in Hue, and that had been destroyed years ago.  

Over in Laos, the last king's residence in Luang Prabang was a palace in name only. It was really only a cheap wooden substitute.  

Here in Phnom Penh, the king has a palace that Laos and Vietnam can only envy. Today I’m entering his palace, for a view of Cambodia’s royal world. 

Despite years of war and political instability in Cambodia, the monarchy still survives. Under the current constitution, Cambodia is a ‘kingdom’, (with some semblance of democracy.) Although no longer powerful, the king of the Khmers still has official ceremonial functions, and remains an integral part of traditional Cambodian life. 

Only a block from the river, I walk in the gate, and I’m awed. The royal palace complex is certainly the most elaborate and luxurious looking place in all of the captial. I’m surrounded by glorious buildings, as though transported to an ancient Asian past. Fantastic Khmer architecture is decorated with gold trim. Rooftops are peaked with stupa like towers. Colorful gardens are meticulously trimmed. Stylish French streetlights line the pathways. 

Old photo of King Sihanouk on palace platform, where king reviews parades

The first palace on this site was built in the 1400’s, with the present layout finished in 1870. About a third of the royal palace grounds are open to visitors like me, with the current king and his entourage occupying the rest. I gaze around at this magnificent site, the stuff of dreams. 

Approaching one of the larger buildings, I’m looking at what may be the most fantastic looking edifice in all of Cambodia. This may not be as well known as Angkor Wat, but it looks more spectacular. This is the throne room, a place of ceremonies and royal traditions. One of the larger palace buildings, this is where the current Cambodian king and those before him, had their coronation ceremonies. It shows the glory of traditional Khmer architecture, although it was rebuilt in the early 20th century. 

Khmer style towers, reach high into the sky, narrowing to pointed spires. The center tower has a large white face built into it, as if the spire is a tall ceremonial hat. Reaching to 180 feet high, I wonder whose face it is; probably the face of Buddha, or a Khmer king. Thin white pillars stretch around the long building. Golden snake-like naga heads rise from every corner of numerous rooftop layers. I’ve never seen that many nagas on one building. I can count 29, and that’s only from this side of the structure. Fanciful colors of gold, yellow, red, white, and green, present an image of royal grandeur. 

Workers lacking safety lines renovate palace building

Inside sits the golden throne of Cambodia’s current monarch. In addition to the rare coronation ceremonies, the king accepts the credentials of foreign diplomats from this throne, one of his official ceremonial duties. 

The throne room was finished in 1919 during French rule, when King Sisowath was the Khmer puppet ruler. An older wooden throne room built here before on this site,  wasn’t holding up to the tropical weather, or the aging process. 

Walking to the far side of the immense building, I’m surprised to see repairs underway by workmen on scaffolding, scraping away old paint. Scaffolding is a relative term; they are standing on bamboo poles lashed together, with few platforms for stability. All of the workers, men and women, wore neither safety harnesses, nor hard hats. Some wore the traditional red Khmer scarf wrapped around their heads like turbans. More worked on levels above, even from the towers on the roof. There were no harnesses at all. 

As they labored above, I wondered how often there were accidents on these sites from the lack of safety precautions. If these workers fell, how much, (or how little) would they receive for disability?

Many buildings need renovations

Repairs on this old palace complex have been going on for years. In fact, the palace and the previous king only barely survived the communist Khmer Rouge era. That monarch, Cambodia’s most famous leader, was known throughout the world as King Sihanouk. 

Born as a prince during the colonial era, Norodom Sihanouk was small of stature, with a notably high pitched voice. Handpicked by the French, they installed him as a figurehead king at the young age of 19. The colonials thought that his youth and inexperience would make him a fitting puppet king that they could easily control. 

They were wrong. 

Instead, Sihanouk became the country’s greatest advocate for independence. He eventually led Cambodia to freedom from French rule, not through violent rebellion, but through political maneuvering and peaceful negotiations. Cambodia became independent from France in 1953, even before Vietnam did. It was freedom from the French without communist revolution, and the Khmers adored him. Sihanouk soon became Prime Minister, and he would lead Cambodia for 17 years.

The popular king led his country on a peaceful path for as long as he could. But Cambodia and its king would later be overwhelmed by events far beyond his control. The Vietnam War would soon spill over its borders, bringing the king and his country down with it. 

King Sihanouk on visit to China (Archive photo)

SWEDISH PIRATE IN CAMBODIA

Media pirate Gotfrid (photo:Wikipedia)

I’m having lunch in a riverside restaurant bar; one of the more expensive places that caters to foreigners in Phnom Penh. Despite the pricey menu and atmosphere, a small cockroach runs across my table. 

Well, they don’t have regular health inspections in Cambodian restaurants, so it’s no surprise really. Rather than kill it, I take a deep breath, and blow it off the table onto the floor. Maybe these peaceful Buddhists here are starting to rub off on me. 

As I eat my sandwich, in walks a very white European, with a long, uneven red beard. A young guy, he looks like he’s still in his 20’s. Taking a seat at the bar, the American bartender and owner walks up to greet him. 

“I saw you on CNN,” he says shaking the bearded one's hand. Upon hearing that my ears perk up; I figure he must have an interesting story to tell. I’m not disappointed.  

This fair skinned young man is Gotfrid Svartholm, and he had just flown in from Sweden this morning. He also happens to be one of the founders of an infamous internet website, by the name of ‘The Pirate Bay’. Following in the tradition of Napster, Gotfrid and his friends had created a file sharing site for exchanging and downloading movies and music, for free. 

Their website became so popular providing free digital entertainment, that it was soon targeted by American media companies. Since his website brought no royalties for the movie and music companies, it violated the copyright laws of numerous countries. Their offices were eventually raided by Swedish police, and shut down. 

“They filed a $15 million dollar lawsuit,” Gotfrid told me. Their case had been all over the news. 

I'd heard Cambodia was one of the few countries in the world, where fugitives from the law had come to hide out, and now I'd met one! But I wasn't expecting a fugitive to be as personable as Gotfrid. He’s a friendly, pleasant guy. Except for his teeth, he certainly doesn’t seem like a pirate, 

He's not living life under the radar either, he opened an IT company here in Phnom Penh, “I’m glad that copyright laws are not enforced in Cambodia,” he tells me. 

Finishing his lunch, he says goodbye to me. He has to go get some sleep after his long flight. I think I would have a hard time sleeping, if I was facing a $15 million dollar lawsuit. 

Sometime later, I learned that Gotfrid was arrested, and extradited back to Sweden. He and three others were found guilty of collaborating to violate copyright law. They were sentenced to one year in prison, and collectively fined $3.6 million. 

Apparently foreign fugitives are no longer welcome in Cambodia. 

JACKIE KENNEDY ONASSIS DRANK HERE

Elephant walks in traffic in downtown Phnom Penh!

Walking out of a riverfront café, I’m confronted by an unusual sight: an elephant standing on the street corner before me. That’s right, a full grown Asian elephant, looking just as though he stepped out of the pages of the Jungle Book. I’ve seen these in more appropriate Southeast Asian locales, but what’s an elephant doing in downtown Phom Penh? 

The great animal had nobody riding him, and looking him over, I saw no saddle or adornments. The only extras that he wore, were circular wooden plates strapped to his soles. These kept his feet from burning on the hot pavement. 

Nobody except me seemed to even notice his presence. His only company was his Khmer handler, standing by his side. Dwarfed by the heavy beast, I watched as the handler prodded him with a pole. Following his command, the out of place pachyderm curled up his trunk, stepped off the sidewalk, and headed off into busy downtown traffic. He didn’t even gather a crowd. While motorbikes and cars passed the massive animal, their drivers didn’t even pause to look. The handler and elephant got as much attention, as a boy out walking his dog. This elephant was just another slow moving vehicle in downtown Phnom Penh.

Looking to escape the downtown myself, I scan the streets for a ride. Rather than a beast of burden, I choose a more common means of local transport, a tuk-tuk. This half-bred vehicle is a cross between a motorcycle in front, and golf cart in the back. Here these take the place of taxis; a rarity in poverty stricken Cambodia. 

Overweight monkey eats at Wat Phnom in the city

The driver hops in front, the undersized engine sputters, and we’re off into the downtown maze. Like everything else in Phnom Penh, city traffic has gone through several revolutions. On my first visit here a few years ago, noisy motorbikes ruled the streets. Back then downtown boulevards at rush hour were so thick with buzzing little motos, that crossing the street was a frightening experience. But automobiles have slowly come back, and are more common these days. Predictably, larger vehicles mean worse traffic. Toyotas are taking over the roads, along with the odd Mercedes driven by the elite. 

Taking me to the northern side of Phnom Penh, my tuk-tuk driver weaves through afternoon traffic, on a road curving around the city’s highest hill. It’s this hill that gave the city it’s name centuries ago. 'Phnom' translates as ‘hill’, and local legend says that a Madame 'Penh' once found four Buddhist statues over by the Mekong River, and placed them up on this overlook. There’s been a Buddhist temple (called a 'wat') up there ever since. 

Turning away from Wat Phnom onto Street 92, I’m on my way to another icon from the city’s past. Arriving out front, I approach the archways of a hotel. As I walk through the entrance, I feel like I’ve just stepped back in time. 

Jackie Kennedy visited in 1967(photo:Wikipedia)

The doorman greets me, wearing the traditional costume of a Khmer royal servant. Wearing a smart white coat, his ensemble is topped by a golden hat with a pointed spire at the peak. A musical trio entertains in the lobby; the flute, clarinet and cello play soft music from a bygone era. A European gentleman with a bushy moustache and silver handled cane, reads documents at a nearby table. The décor and architecture are all French. Much like in Laos and Vietnam, the influence of the former colonial masters is evident. It was as though I've just walked into a movie from Cambodia’s French colonial period, while the trio plays the movie soundtrack. At $300 a night, you too can have the colonial experience.

The Hotel Le Royal first opened in 1929, and is Phnom Penh’s oldest surviving hotel. It was also it’s much prestigious. This is where the rich, famous and powerful stayed in the capital. Silent film star Charlie Chaplin stayed here, along with the famed writer W. Somerset Maugham. Seeking more history, I enter the Elephant Bar – perhaps named for the elephant figures woven into the carpeting. Taking a seat at the bar, I glance around. The Elephant Bar is not especially grand, but hotel bars never are. I’m searching for the aura of notalgia, but there’s not much colonial feel in here anymore, except for the wicker chairs. 

I order a draught beer, from the same bar that once made Jackie Kennedy a champagne cocktail. The famous former First Lady stayed here in 1967, when she was on her way to Angor Wat. Word is that they kept the champagne glass that she had drank from here for years; complete with her red lipstick marks. 

Where rich and famous stayed, Le Royal is city's oldest surviving hotel (photo:Wikipedia)

As the years passed and the war in Vietnam spilled across the border into Cambodia, this bar became the place to be for expats looking for inside information. Diplomats, journalists, spies and the usual suspects used to meet here during the early 70’s, reporting on the ebbs and flows of the conflict. Information exchanged here led to headlines around the world. Pulitzer Prize winner Sidney Shanberg spent time here, and his experiences with his local fixer Dith Pran later become a book and movie. “The Killing Fields” brought the world’s attention to the genocide wrought upon the Cambodian people. 

Shanberg’s buddy John Swain wrote his book, “River of Time”, about the last days of this hotel before the city fell to the Khmer Rouge. As time grew short and rebels encircled the city, rooms on the top floor were available for only $5 a night. The cheap rate was only available because the Khmer Rouge were rocketing and shelling the city, so nobody wanted to sleep under a rooftop. Anyone sleeping on the top floor was the most likely to get killed during those final turbulent days. 

Back when the rebels took the capital in 1975, Le Royale was shut down., and Khmer Rouge troops moved in. What had once been the most glorious lodging in the land, had become the barracks for Khmer Rouge Battalion 310. Eventual peace and the return of foreigners saw the hotel reopened years later. After several name changes, renovations in 1997 sought to restore Le Royale to its former colonial glory. It’s now owned by the same company that owns the famed 'Raffles Hotel' in Singapore. 

There aren’t many foreign reporters in Cambodia anymore, but with the US embassy just down the street, diplomats still stay here. While seated at the bar, I spot a pair of them sitting nearby: two American government officials meeting with Cambodians. I start eavesdropping on their conversation, and I catch the phrase, “The US government does not” – but I miss what the diplomat says next. I wonder how he finished that sentence. Listening further, I learn their conversation is nothing secret; they’re only talking about an education project. Still, given the history of this Phnom Penh hotel, I wonder how many times that very phrase has been said in this bar before... 

I finish my beer at the bar, and head back out into Phnom Penh traffic. There's still much to see in this intriguing city. 

PHNOM PENH RUINS & NIGHTMARE EVACUATION

Crumbling French colonial building with collapsed ceiling in Phnom Penh

Stepping out for a walk around today’s Phnom Penh, I find a vibrant city, humming with commerce. Strolling through the old downtown, I spot a group of French tourists also out for a stroll. I’m surprised I’ve seen so many French in Southeast Asia. These countries used to be their colonies, and they had lost them. There weren’t many Americans around, except me. 

The French certainly feel at home with the surroundings, as French architecture is still dominant. Familiar French shutters, ornate mouldings, and neoclassical designs leave a hint of romance for the colonial days. 

Yet the years of neglect and tropical weather have taken their toll. All over the city, these old colonial shells are crumbling. 

Unlike in Vietnam, only a small percentage of Cambodia’s French colonial buildings survive in excellent condition. The former French Embassy – gone. The Notre Dame Cathedral – also gone, destroyed by the atheist Khmer Rouge. With so many decades of poverty and war in Cambodia, survival had to take precedence over the maintenance of old buildings. 

Vacant ex-colonial government building

Continuing my walk on Samdech Sothearos Boulevard, I pause before a faded gem of a structure. A former French colonial government building, it’s glory days are but a memory. Romanesque pillars hold up sagging ceilings. Shutters have been looted, leaving gaping holes for windows. The yellow colonial paint has weathered away, leaving a dark bare underside. 

What should be an architectural treasure, is totally vacant. This is prime real estate downtown, and nobody is living there. It sits empty of life. There was a time, when all of Phom Penh was as empty as this old building. 

It wasn’t so long ago, when Phnom Penh was a ghost town. 

When the radical communists known as the Khmer Rouge captured the capital on April 17th, 1975, Cambodia’s long civil war had finally ended. The people of Phnom Penh were hoping for a peaceful transition. They hoped that the Khmer Rouge would be reasonable. They were wrong.

And none of them could have predicted what was about to happen next. The victorious Khmer Rouge immediately forced everyone out of the city that same day. 

Everyone. Without exception. 

Upon entering the capital the Khmer Rouge soldiers, some not even teenagers yet, ordered the entire population of the city to immediately evacuate Phnom Penh. Blaring orders over truck borne loudspeakers, they announced the ludicrous claim that “the Americans are coming to bomb the city”. 

Anyone who resisted the order was killed. More than 10,000 people were murdered that fateful day, including many high officials of the former US backed government that had peacefully surrendered. The people of Phnom Penh quickly learned that the end of the long civil war, had only meant the beginning of a whole new nightmare. 

#51950509 Phnom Penh citizens forced to leave the city in 1975. / gettyimages.com

At the point of a gun, Phnom Penh’s city folk were forced to walk for days out into the countryside. Families were separated, many never to see each other again. Everyone was forced to live in rural communist work camps and agrarian communes. City folk were instantly converted to farmers. They had became slave labor, working rice fields for the Khmer Rouge in their ‘communist paradise’. 

Individual freedoms, private business, and even money were outlawed. Any resistance brought beatings, or death. The brutal Khmer Rouge leadership officially declared this new beginning as, ‘Year Zero'. For nearly three years, ALL of the apartments, shops, hotels and offices that I see around me in Phnom Penh, were totally vacant. The city’s empty streets saw only the passing of a rare Khmer Rouge patrol. 

Phnom Penh became a ghost town after the Khmer Rouge takeover (museum photo)

Today as I look around at all the Khmers going about their daily business here, one undeniable truth exists for everyone I see that's over 30 years of age. Anyone in Phnom Penh old enough to remember that time, has a heartbreaking personal history. Absolutely EVERYONE was left traumatized from those horrific years. All can tell you shocking tales of relatives that were tortured, and killed. Others are still missing, having disappeared long ago. These Khmers survived years of repression, slave labor, and famine. And that’s just the beginning of the horrors that they went through, the list goes on. The only thing good that can be said of those awful years, is that they’re over. 

These Khmers are true survivors.