While Brother number 2, Noun Chea, is on trial in Phnom Penh, I had a chance to travel 600 kilometers to see his bigger brother's court room. It was exactly here more than ten years ago where Pol Pot was sitting and listening to a court's sentence on his guilt.
Now the wooden room has gone and left only a few pillars standing to welcome visitors. It seems abandoned even by its villagers. A guiding billboard with "Pol Pot was sentenced here" text might remind passers-by but it could not compete with the losing interest of the locals. Though, it is still useful for outsiders, for example, like me.
Right next to the site, there is a small market and a Cambodian-Thai border checkpoint just a several meters away. I could observe from the location why Khmer Rouge related matters are buried and forgotten here. It is all about business and livelihoods.
People tend to care more about the conflict between Cambodia and Thailand and the current flooding status in Bangkok. They are the two issues that impact the residents here more directly. And I agree. "They are the two main topics of conversations here," a few villagers confirmed me.
Whatever the history and results from the international court of Khmer Rouge, the ECCC, Cambodians need to move forward. This is what I learned from this trip. There might be a much bigger sign saying "Top Khmer Rouge leaders were executed here" next to the current ECCC's building, but hopefully there won't be big casinos next to it. We do not want to move forward that way. Pagoda might be an ideal building!
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