CAMBODIA: Virtual Tour

The magnificent temple ruins found in the country of Cambodia are considered to be one of the ancient wonders of the world.

Dating back to around 1200 AD, the amazing architecture, engineering and craftsmanship represented in these structures speak of a civilization that was powerful, wealthy and highly sophisticated, far advanced from many other cultures of that time period.

These advancements however, were totally eradicated during the centuries of war that followed.

Like the ruins that were left behind, the amazing culture of the ancient Khmer civilization has been lost, abandoned, destroyed.

With the rise of the Khmer Rouge In 1975, a man who had taken the name of Pol Pot led the rabble group of Khmer Rouge soldiers into the capitol city of Phnom Penh. Closing the nation off to the rest of the world, Pol Pot immediately began a brutal campaign of killing. Political figures, civil authorities, religious leaders, doctors, and school teachers were the first to be murdered.

Eventually, simply having the ability to read was enough to earn a death sentence. All religious institutions were destroyed, currency was banned, and most modern technologies were abandoned. Families were separated and forced to work long days in the rice fields with very little to eat.

It is estimated that during the next three years over one million people were murdered and an additional two million starved to death in the work camps.

In 1978, the takeover of the country by the Vietnamese brought an end to the work camps and the killing but did little to relieve the suffering of the living.

The Pol Pot regime had totally devastated the country, leaving the surviving people without leadership, skilled labor, organized religion, an educational system, a medical institution, or a civil structure.

Even today, the results of this devastation are recognizable everywhere. The children who survived the genocide of the "killing fields" of Pol Pot were rarely able to benefit from the knowledge of their parents or village elders

In many villages, traditional knowledge of health and disease, agricultural practices, and skilled trades and crafts, have all been lost. Illiteracy rates in Cambodia are among the highest in the world. With no way to make an income, parents have no way to provide even the basic necessities for their children. Living at absolute subsistence levels, a large percentage of the population faces starvation every year during the dry season.

While the political environment in Cambodia is stabilizing, the local government can do little, on it's own, to meet the overwhelming problems that face the nation.

It is only as other countries of the world reach out with financial aid, human resources, and technological assistance that Cambodia will ever be able to recover from its tragic history.

With the kind assistance of many nations, Cambodia is on a road to recovery and the people have renewed hope for the future.

Still, much of the work to develop the country is done by hand. As seen here, the staple food in Cambodia is rice and much of the industry of the people centers around its production.

Water buffalos help reduce the load.

Modern science is helping to introduce new varieties of high yielding rice that is helping to reduce starvation.

Over 50% of the population of Cambodia is under the age of 20.

With assistance in health and nutrition, education and industry, these young people may be restored to their lost heritage.

Thank you for visiting Cambodia!