Anlong Veng ? From Khmer Rouge Stronghold to Tourism Draw?

The Council of Ministers on Friday approval a draft of a sub-decree to designate Oddar Meanchey province?s Anlong Veng district ? the last bastion of the Khmer Rouge ? a historical site to attract prospective tourists.

The government ?aims to protect, preserve and develop the last political center of Democratic Kampuchea,? according to the sub-decree, in order to help ?national and international tourist to comprehend the policies of the last genocidal leaders.?

Both Trapaing Brei and Anlong Veng communes were cited as areas for future development though details of how district would be protected and developed were not made public.

Spokesman for the council of Minister Phay Siphan said the government wants to safeguard the region?s historical significance for future generations, much in the same way it has at Toul Sleng Genocide Museum and the killing fields at the Choeung Ek Genocidal Center in Phnom Penh.

?It was the Khmer Rouge stronghold. They set it as a Khmer Rouge capital,? he said yesterday.

About 125 km north of Siem Reap province, the district has a long association with the Khmer Rouge.

Government forces seized the town in 1998, prior to which battle-hardened guerilla soldiers controlled the area, making it impossible to visit safely. Anlong Veng was also the scene of the trial and cremation of Pol Pot and is where the memorial stupa and mural-filled home of former military commander Ta Mok remain.

In the intervening years, the former communist stronghold has seen signs of development and economic growth. Citing a lack of progress, provincial authorities last year revoked permission for a museum to be built by Nhem En, who once photographed condemned detainees at the Khmer Rouge S-21 prison in Phnom Penh.

Provincial Governor Pich So khin said Anlong Veng district now counts more than 60,000 residents and has high hopes for the area, which is strategically situated between the tourist-hub Siem Reap City and the World Heritage site at Preah Vihear temple.

?We are very pleased to list Anlong Venh district as the historical tourist site,? the governor said yesterday. ?We developed this area from zero and now we have lots of buildings and roads.?

According to Mr Sokhin, the province typically sees about 40,000 visitors annually but he expected that figure to grow if the Khmer Rouge tourism plans come to fruition.

?The visitors will increase around 60 percent if we develop the area to be a historical tourist site,? he predicted.

Sourced = The Cambodia Daily