Essence of Cambodia℠: Off the Beaten Path to the Last Stronghold of Khmer Rouge, Anlong Veng

Off the Beaten Path to Anlong Veng

Anlong Veng, Oddor Meanchey province is best known for two historical reasons. It was the last stronghold of the Khmer Rouge to come under government control in 1998 and the final resting place of Pol Pot.

The Dangrek Mountains were used as a base by the Khmer Rouge when they fought against the Khmer Republic led by General Lon Nol. After the end of the Vietnamese occupation of Cambodia and the withdrawal of the Vietnamese army, the Khmer Rouge rebuilt their former bases in the Dangrek Mountain range area, along the border of Cambodia.
Anlong Veng became for a while the main capital of the Khmer Rouge. In the 1990s the Khmer Rouge still controlled Anlong Veng, where there was one of the first "Killing Fields" after the fall of Democratic Kampuchea.

There is a still not excavated site in a forest with landmines in the Dangrek Mountains, located about 6 km out of Anlong Veng where 3,000 people were allegedly killed by the Khmer Rouge for having become "corrupted" as late as between 1993 and 1997. These executions were carried out during Ta Mok’s leadership in the area.

Prime Minister Hun Sen's Historical Restoration Initiative Circular (Dec 2001) called for the site at Anlong Veng to become a memorial and tourist site in time for the Visit Cambodia year in 2003. The town is seen by the government as a useful stopping point for tours from Siem Reap to the 11th-century temples at Preah Vihear. The site has had minor tourist developments including museums, hotels and a proposed casino.