Comments on: Why Angkor Kingdom Collapsed and Modern Cambodian Corruption

By: Phnom Penh Resident

Phnom Penh Resident — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:03:46 +0000

I have lived in Cambodia in the past 2 or so years. After visiting Angkor Wat last month, I saw a pitiful paradise of the Indian culture (not Khmer at any rate). It would seem that after the whittling down of the Kingdom, nobody in the empire with that kind of civilization was left. What we have is master gangsterism and kleptocracy. Perhaps those people we see driving huge cars on the two main boulevards of PP are descendants of those responsible for the undermined collapse of the brilliant Angkhorian Dynasty. They certainly have the skills to destroy.
Talking about the revenues collected at the gates of the temples ($20 from foreign visitors and $20 from foreigners permanently living in Cambodia…. (imagine)) goes straight to the pockets of no more than 15 top dogs of CPP. A helicopter flies every evening from Siem Reap to deliver the hard cash. Small wonder a huge ‘home’ is coming up near the Independence monument, along Hun Sen Park belonging to one man by the same name.
In the meantime, Khmers have long gone back to open defecation with no sanitation and are bereft of hope. No one cares about them. The only leadership they see is when they are ordered out of their residences to be dumped 25km away from the city.
In short, we don’t need to look too much to the past to know why the Angkor Kingdom could not survive. Greed, self aggrandizement, thuggery and all trickery in the book of backward disrepute.

By: Sabine

Sabine — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 03:55:37 +0000

It’s a catch 22 for Cambodia. They need the tourists and their money to maintain the ruins and at the same time the masses of people visiting destroy (unintentionally) it in the long run.

Maybe one day they will go the same way as China, giving out only a limited amount of visitor passes to the temples.

By: Wednesday Rojak #40 | SEAArch - The Southeast Asian Archaeology Newsblog

Wednesday Rojak #40 | SEAArch - The Southeast Asian Archaeology Newsblog — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 07:28:23 +0000

[...] Does the collapse of Angkor have any parallels with modern corruption in Cambodia? The Road Less Travelled features a documentary by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation investigating The Double Mystery of Angkor [...]

By: Ling

Ling — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 06:23:09 +0000

Its a complex issue, and you need to also take into considertion that Cambodia has a right to its share of tourist dollars, same as any other country. This is like telling Brazil not to cut down the rain forests while the Western World doesn’t have any forests of its own left to cut down. Has to be some way to help Cambodia keep the tourists, while preserving the heritage at the same time.

EDITOR: Cambodia definitely has a right to Tourism revenue, the problem is that most of it is going to corrupt officials and their corporate cronies

By: alex

alex — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:01:06 +0000

I made a trip out to Siem Reap in Spring of 2006. Truly one of the most breathtaking expansive structures I’ve laid my eyes on. I would advise going very early in the day as there are less people and it’s not as hot.

I went at 6am with my girlfriend to see the sunrise. Quite a memory.

By: Brian

Brian — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 09:58:16 +0000

The problem of how to let people see wonderful sites like the Angkor Wat, yet keep them it a preserved condition is common around the world. If travellers respected the areas they visited and considered the many others who would like to see these places then the task would be easy. But many tourists and locals only want to grab a piece of history to either sell on or lock away hidden.

Great site by the way, just found you