Chapter Seven
On Life in Cambodia:
As my alarm beeped at 3:50 in the morning, I questioned my desire to watch the sunrise over Angkor Wat. I quickly drank a cup of coffee with bleary eyes, and we set out to visit one of the largest religious monuments in the world. Angkor Wat, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was constructed in the 12th century in the northwest corner of Cambodia. The site is massive, and the name accurately reflects this—in Khmer, Angkor Wat translates to the “City of Temples.” Originally, Angkor Wat was constructed as a Hindu temple, but later changed to a Buddhist complex. Influences from both Hinduism and Buddhism can be seen across the Archaeological Park.
As our tour guide walks us across in bridge in total darkness, we reach the entrance of the main temple. Even before 5:00 in the morning, hundreds of visitors poured into Angkor Wat, hoping to encounter the beauty of the temples in the glow of sunrise (while simultaneously avoiding the hottest part of the day). For our visit, the sunrise was masked behind the clouds of the rainy season, but watching the temples unfold in the rising light was still a sublime experience.
Signs of Angkor Wat are ever-present throughout Cambodia. The main temple is a national symbol, showcased on the country’s flag. Remarkably, Angkor Wat sustained limited damage during the Cambodian Civil War and under the Khmer Rouge. Our tour guide pointed out several bullet holes from this period, but the real damage to Angkor Wat was through art thieves. In the late twentieth century, art thieves removed the heads from statues and sold them throughout Thailand. Several of the statues have reconstructed heads, but when visiting Angkor Wat, visitors are welcomed by the eyeless stares of beheaded statues.
Last Week at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal:
The Khmer Rouge Tribunal has quieted down slightly, as the Parties and Chambers work toward responses and decisions on the July 1st filings. However, after filing his notice of appeal, Khieu Samphân filed a Request for Extension of Time and Page Limits for his Appeal Brief. For the appeal brief, Khieu Samphân requested a page limit of 950 pages in French, and an extension of 10.5 months. Before the Khmer Rouge Tribunal appeal briefs are normally required within 60 days, or two months, of filing a notice of appeal. Documents filed to the Supreme Court are limited to 30 pages in English or French, and 60 pages in Khmer. Khieu Samphân is the codefendant in Case 002/02, and filed a notice containing over 1,800 grounds of appeal. Nuon Chea, the other codefendant in Case 002/02, has not yet filed a request for an extension of time and page limits.