Beneath the remains of a ruined house in the middle of the forest there is a silent underground house with the loud, sweet sound of bats as well as the sound of a waterfall. The house now in ruins, is that of the now dead Cambodian Democratic leader, Ta Mok.

Hidden in the Dangrek Mountains in the middle of a forest 20km north of Anlong Veng town abutting the Thai border is a row of derelict houses of former Pol Pot regime leaders such as; Pol Pot himself, Ieng Sary, Kieu Samphan, Ta Mok, and Noun Chea

At dawn, with mist all around in the woods, we can hardly see each other as we follow our guide, a dark, curly-haired man who is an ex-Khmer Rouge soldier serving since he was 12. He used to be close to Ta Mok and say, ‘The tourists always visit here. Most of them want to visit Ta Mok’s house at Kbal Tansoung and want to see the dark underground chamber and swimming place’. In the past Ta Mok’s underground house was a meeting hall for high leaders and was also a safe place for money. Nowadays the house is in ruins as the villagers, despite warnings, devastated the property after the Khmer Rouge collapsed.

Close by is a cottage which can be accessed from the underground rooms by travelling about 100m, then follow a path past the waterfall which was an escape route to Thailand. During the Pol Pot era Khmer Rouge soldiers could freely enter nearby Thailand.

We see a large field and a lot of old stables and our guide tells us that Ta Mok had hundreds of cattle which he gave away to poorer families. To those that did not get cows he offered 5,000 Thai Baht to open a business.

The Provincial Head of Tourism explains there are 15 sites of the former leaders of Democratic Kampuchea which will be renovated for foreign and local tourists alike, ‘We want to show the younger generation what Pol Pot did in the past’. He goes on, ‘we will protect this original area… which will be reconstructed in the original style. It is the last killing field of the Khmer Rouge regime and we want to keep it so the younger generations don’t forget about the sufferings of their parents and relatives’.

For information of tours to Anlong Veng and the surrounding area please email info@asia-adventures.com

Adapted from Cambodia Life (March 08)