The trial against the leaders of PolPot's regime, the dictator whoexterminated 20 per cent of his peoplebetween 1975 and 1979, has recentlystarted. But how heavy is the burden of past forCambodians? Young people fear criminality morethan yesterday's phantoms. And themajority of Khmer people hardlysurvive in the impoverishedcountryside.

Cambodia Today: life in the land of Killing Fields.A Photo story by ©Stefano Torrione/LightMediation

Contact - Thierry Tinacci - LightMediation Photo Agency +33 (0)6 61 80 57 21 thierry@lightmediation.com

2344-06: Cambodia, Siem Reap, Angkor Archaeological Park. Musicians injured by landmines near Ta Prohm Khmer Temple.

2344-01: Cambodia, Siem Reap, Angkor Archaeological Park. A group of Corean tourists at Bayon KhmerTemple. A monk poses for a photo.

2344-02: Cambodia, Siem Reap, Angkor Archaeological Park. Angkor Wat Temple, a Thai Buddhist monkon a pilgrimage.

2344-03: Cambodia, Siem Reap, Angkor Archaeological Park. A Cambodian pilgrim on the bridge ofAngkor Wat Temple.

2344-04: Cambodia, Siem Reap, Angkor Archaeological Park. Wedding party at Angkor Wat Temple.

2344-15: Cambodia, province of Siem Reap. On the sacred hilltop of Phnom Kulen flows the Siem Reap River, the River of 1000 Lingams spreading out from the water. Children bathe in the riverbed.

2344-05: Cambodia, Siem Reap, Angkor Archaeological Park. Wedding party at Angkor Wat Temple. 2344-06: Cambodia, Siem Reap, Angkor Archaeological Park. Musicians injured by landmines near TaProhm Khmer Temple.

2344-07: Cambodia, Siem Reap. Aki Ra's Landmine Museum. 2344-08: Cambodia, Siem Reap, A young guardian of Kbal Spean, "Head Bridge", cooks lunch in aclearing on Kulen Hills.

2344-24: Cambodia, Anlong Veng. General Ta Mok's house is surronded by a dead forest. Its death is due to the construction of a dam by the Khmer Rouge. A fisherman protects himself from the dust produced by theconstruction of the new road.

2344-09: Cambodia, Siem Reap. Kbal Spean, "Head Bridge", is an Angkorian era site on the southwestslopes of the Kulen Hills, 30 km from Angkor. 1000 Lingams and stone carvings reproducing various Hindu

2344-10: Cambodia, Siem Reap. A Khmer farmer on her way home near Banteay Samre Temple.

2344-11: Cambodia, Siem Reap. Young girls on a bicycle in the rains of May on the road to Banteay SreyTemple.

2344-12: Cambodia, Siem Reap. Young souvenir sellers at Banteay Srey Temple shelter from the rainwith plastic bags.

2344-13: Cambodia, province of Siem Reap. Women collect alms for the pagoda along the road to thesacred mount of Phnom Kulen.

2344-14: Cambodia, province of Siem Reap. Preah Ang Thom Pagoda, with the biggest Buddha statue ofCambodia.

2344-15: Cambodia, province of Siem Reap. On the sacred hilltop of Phnom Kulen flows the Siem ReapRiver, the River of 1000 Lingams spreading out from the water. Children bathe in the riverbed.

2344-16: Cambodia, province of Siem Reap. On the sacred hilltop of Phnom Kulen flows the Siem ReapRiver, the River of 1000 Lingams spreading out from the water.

2344-04: Cambodia, Siem Reap, Angkor Archaeological Park. Wedding party at Angkor Wat Temple.

2344-17: Cambodia, Siem Reap. A truck with local visitors leaves Banteay Samre Temple. 2344-18: Cambodia, province of Siem Reap. On the sacred hilltop of Phnom Kulen flows the Siem ReapRiver, the River of 1000 Lingams spreading out from the water. A child bathes in the riverbed.

2344-19: Cambodia, Siem Reap. Traditional Shadow Theatre organized by Krousar Thmey ("New Family"in Khmer), a Cambodian no-profit foundation assisting deprived children.

2344-20: Cambodia, Anlong Veng. General Ta Mok's house, Pol Pot's right-hand man.

2344-21: Cambodia, Anlong Veng. General Ta Mok's house, Pol Pot's right-hand man. 2344-22: Cambodia, Anlong Veng. General Ta Mok's house is surronded by a dead forest. Its death isdue to the construction of a dam by the Khmer Rouge.

2344-23: Cambodia, Anlong Veng. Pol Pot's tomb, where his body was cremated. 2344-24: Cambodia, Anlong Veng. General Ta Mok's house is surronded by a dead forest. Its death is dueto the construction of a dam by the Khmer Rouge. A fisherman protects himself from the dust produced by

2344-37: Cambodia, Kulen district. Young monks from the district of Sotnikum visit the ruins of Koh Ker Temple.

2344-25: Cambodia, Anlong Veng. Two young girls look at the billboard illustrating the new buildings intown. The ancient stronghold of the Khmer Rouge has partially emerged from isolation thanks to a new

2344-26: Cambodia, Anlong Veng. General Ta Mok's house is surronded by a dead forest. Its death isdue to the construction of a dam by the Khmer Rouge.

2344-27: North Eastern Cambodia. In the center for people affected by AIDS and drug addiction on route69 near Anlong Veng, the ancient stronghold of the Khmer Rouge, on the Thai border.

2344-28: North Eastern Cambodia. In the center for people affected by AIDS and drug addiction on route69 to Preah Vihear. A young couple of victims of landmines and their little daughter.

2344-29: North Eastern Cambodia. Distribution of food to people affected by AIDS and drug addiction inthe center on route 69 near Anlong Veng, ancient stronghold of the Khmer Rouge.

2344-30: Cambodia, kulen district. In the village of Ta Keng along the road to Koh Ker.

2344-31: Cambodia, Preah Vihear. A woman selects rice in the village of Preah Vihear. 2344-32: Cambodia, Preah Vihear. Soldier Riem Roatta, works as a mine clearer in Preah Vihear.

2344-34: Cambodia, Kulen district. Farmers on their way back from fields on the road to Koh Ker.

2344-33: Cambodia, Preah Vihear province. Two children in the rain on the second level of Preah VihearTemple.

2344-34: Cambodia, Kulen district. Farmers on their way back from fields on the road to Koh Ker.

2344-35: Cambodia, Kulen district. Young women employed by Apsara, the authority that took overcontrol of the maintenance of Koh Ker Temple.

2344-36: Cambodia, Kulen district. Young monks from the district of Sotnikum visit the ruins of Koh KerTemple.

2344-49: Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Choeung Ek. 15km south of Phnom Penh, it is the best-known of thesites known as The Killing Fields, where the Khmer Rouge regime executed about 17,000 people between

2344-38: Cambodia, Kulen district. A group from the village of Sotnikum on a truck on their visit to theruins of Koh Ker Temple.

2344-39: Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. The site is a former high school whichwas used as the notorious Security Prison 21 (S-21) by the Khmer Rouge regime. A group of Buddhist

2344-40: Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. The site is a former high school whichwas used as the notorious Security Prison 21 (S-21) by the Khmer Rouge regime. A group of Buddhist

2344-46: Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. The site is a former high school which was used as the notorious Security Prison 21 (S-21) by the Khmer Rouge regime. A group of Buddhist nuns visitsthe section of the

torture rooms.

2344-41: Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. The site is a former high school whichwas used as the notorious Security Prison 21 (S-21) by the Khmer Rouge regime. A group of Buddhist

2344-42: Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. The site is a former high school whichwas used as the notorious Security Prison 21 (S-21) by the Khmer Rouge regime. The section with the

2344-43: Cambodia, Phnom Penh. Religious celebration at the Silver Pagoda. The religious festivals aredetermined by the Buddhist lunar calendar, and the believers offer fruit, flowers and light incense sticks.

2344-44: Cambodia, Phnom Penh. Religious celebration at the Silver Pagoda. The religious festivals aredetermined by the Buddhist lunar calendar, and the believers offer fruit, flowers and light incense sticks.

2344-12: Cambodia, Siem Reap. Young souvenir sellers at Banteay Srey Temple shelter from the rain with plastic bags.

2344-45: Cambodia, Phnom Penh. Religious celebration at the Silver Pagoda. The religious festivals aredetermined by the Buddhist lunar calendar, and the believers offer fruit, flowers and light incense sticks.

2344-50: Cambodia, Preah Vihear province. The highest level of Preah Vihear Temple, on the border withThailand.

2344-47: Cambodia, Phnom Penh. Religious celebration at the Silver Pagoda. The religious festivals aredetermined by the Buddhist lunar calendar, and the believers offer fruit, flowers and light incense sticks.

2344-48: Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Choeung Ek. 15km south of Phnom Penh, it is the best-known of thesites known as The Killing Fields, where the Khmer Rouge regime executed about 17,000 people between

2344-19: Cambodia, Siem Reap. Traditional Shadow Theatre organized by Krousar Thmey ("New Family" in Khmer), a Cambodian no-profit foundation assisting deprived children.

Back toCambodia.

Anlong Veng is slowing changing. Theancient stronghold of the Khmer Rougehas partially emerged from isolationthanks to a new road and it is trying tocome to a new life.

This area on the border with Thailand wasthe theatre of the last episodes of the RedKhmer history, the communistrevolutionaries who ruled Cambodia from1975 to 1979 imposing one of the cruellestregimes on earth.

On April 15th, 1998 Saloth Sar, BrotherNumber One, sadly known as Pol Pot,died here, among rice fields and bamboohouses. His death was officially due toheart failure, but there are strongsuspicions that he was poisoned by hisfellow comrades after being tried fortreason by general Ta Mok, his exright-hand man.An anonymous aluminium roof covers thetorturer's tomb, whose body was crematedon a pyre made of old tyres.

Today, thirty years after the end of theKhmer Rouge regime which wiped out onethird of the population (about 1.500.000victims) and destroyed the economy andthe culture of a whole country, five exleaders of that bloody regime are beingtried in Phnom Phen by an InternationalCourt patronized by the United Nationsand composed by Cambodian and foreignmembers.

The day of reckoning with its tragic pastbefore what has already been compared

to an Asian Nuremberg has finally come,but the present day scenario isdramatically different from the time of theKhmer Rouge regime. The InternationalCourt had a difficult start, its progresshaving lasted more than ten years, and itsexpenses are very high (apparently morethan 56 million dollars). In addition, itcannot count on the support of the rulingclass, part of which has been deeplycolluded with Pol Pot's ultra Maoist power.

Cambodian people don't know all the truthabout their sad past and the five exleaders of the "Reign of Terror" on trial arein their eighties by now, while the 80% ofthe population was born after 1987, whenthe Vietnamese troops freed the country.The lack of a historical memorylegitimated by an official sentence leavesthe near past of Khmer Rouge stillwrapped up in mystery and covered by thefear of those who witnessed the genocideof a whole nation.Cambodians have a dreadful memory ofthe Khmer Rouge period but at the sametime they harbour an atavic hatred for theirVietnamese "liberators" or "occupants"; nocelebrations for the thirtieth anniversary ofthe liberation have taken place on eitherside in fact.

Today Cambodians are slowly rebuildingtheir country along the lines of Chinesecapitalism already followed by Vietnam,but, although the GDP has constantlygrown from 2004 to 2007 thanks to foreigncapital investments (yet collapsed in 2008due to the economic crisis), the country isstill one of the poorest of all Asia.Its boundaries are open to Westernersand tourism strides forward like aneo-colonialist power, yet its youngpopulation is still suspended between adark past to be closed and an uncertainfuture to be invented.

The signs of the Khmer folly are still cleareverywhere, and in some cases they havebeen turned into places of memory likeTuol Sleng Museum of Genocide, which islocated within the former prison grounds inPhnom Penh or Choeung Ek known asThe Killing Fields.

Anlong Veng is changing; it grows like alarge, dusty town because of its dirt roadsthat get muddy during the monsoonseason. New style buildings aping westernshopping malls and blocks of flats gleamlike mirages from the billboards of thebuilding yards financed by foreign money.An anonymous hotel welcomes the rareWesterners who divert from the fixed routeof Angkor. The only tourist sign in townpoints to Ta Mok's house, a Khmer Rougegeneral whose cruelty earned him thenickname Butcher, and who was capturedby the Cambodian army and died in prisonin Phnom Penh in 2006. His two-floorhouse is on the edge of town, noostentation, only a bright colour fresco ofAngkor and a large map of DemocraticKampuchea on the upper floor.Some local visitors arrive on a pickuptruck, a few enter the abandoned cages inthe garden joking about them. Young boysrun up the stairs, look at the graffito"Assassin Ta Mok!!" that nobody daresdelete. The house faces the lake, wheregroups of children swim in a ghostly,day-after like atmosphere.The lake is actually the result of the hydrogeological upheaval caused by the insanevision of a New Country founded on aprimitive agrarian utopia. The economicreform imposed by Khieu Samphan, thepresident of Democratic Kampuchea whohad studied politics and economics inParis, turned Cambodia into a vastfarming concentration camp and drove thecountry to starvation, overwork and death.

Nhem En lives in Anlong Veng and he is alocal leader of the Cambodia People Partyheaded by Prime Minister Hun Sen.He was a photographer at Tuol Slengprison camp in Phnom Penh, formerly ahigh school, and he was in charge ofphotographing all prisoners upon theirarrival before they were tortured and killedin mass graves. Out of an estimated17,000 people imprisoned at Tuol Slengfrom 1975 to 1979, there were only sevenknown survivors. Nhem En has kept all the portraits and hewould like to create a commemorationmuseum, but he cannot find the money todisplay his uncomfortable truth. Tuol Sleng is now Tuol Sleng GenocideMuseum; in 1979, after the Khmer Rougewere driven out, Ho Van Tay, aVietnamese combat photographer, wasthe first media person to document TuolSleng to the world and everything hasbeen left intact since then, the classroomsturned into tiny prison cells, all windowscovered with iron bars and barbed wireeverywhere.

Leaving Anlong Veng behind, Route 69heads northeast towards Preah Vihear,the contended temple. Located on the theridge of Dangrek Mountains on theCambodian side of the border betweenThailand and Cambodia, the Hindu templewas included in the Unesco list of WorldHeritage in 2007. The nomination revivedthe century-long dispute between the twocountries over the ownership of thearchaeological area, which theInternational Court of Justice awarded toCambodia in 1962.Thailand doesn't want to give up and isreluctant to miss a possible source ofincome represented by the tourists whoarrive here to admire one of the jewels ofthe ancient Khmer empire. "This area wasall mined", says soldier Riem Roatta at the

mine clearing camp financed by theAustralian government. "The 90% of thelandmines have been removed and thesite is now safe", he says, proud of hiswork as a mine clearer in a countryscattered with antipersonnel mines thathave caused a dramatic number of victimsand disabled people.Preah Vihar, the border temple dedicatedto Shiva, bears the scars of time and warand takes us back to the origin of theKingdom of Kambou's Children, the greatKhmer Empire, the most powerful ofSoutheast Asian mainland in the medievalera, whose capital was the magnificentAngkor. According to the legend, Kambou(whence Kamboudja) was a Brahmanprince who arrived from India and to goback to the Khmer origins one must climbon top of the holy mountain of PhnomKulen, about 50 kilometres east of Angkor.

On this peak in 802, King Jayavarman IIdeclared himself a Hindu god-king andmarked the beginning of the Angkorperiod in Khmer history. TodayCambodians pray the giant recliningBuddha carved into the top of a 20-mboulder and bathe in the holy waters ofthe "1000 Lingam River", oval phallicsymbols for the worship of Shiva carvedinto the sandstone riverbed.Many Cambodians wrapped in theirKhmer check scarves (kramar) cross theriver and penetrate the forest followed bya cloud of mountain tobacco smoke.Observing these people neither victor norvanquished, the words of the Italian warcorrespondent Tiziano Terzani come toone's mind: "We were wrong...", he wroteat the end of the conflict betweenCambodia and Vietnam, admitting the

mistake of those who had believed thatthe Asian revolutionaries could reformsociety and create the New Man.

Captions.

2344-01: Cambodia, Siem Reap, AngkorArchaeological Park. A group of Coreantourists at Bayon Khmer Temple. A monkposes for a photo.

2344-02: Cambodia, Siem Reap, AngkorArchaeological Park. Angkor Wat Temple,a Thai Buddhist monk on a pilgrimage.

2344-03: Cambodia, Siem Reap, AngkorArchaeological Park. A Cambodian pilgrimon the bridge of Angkor Wat Temple.

2344-04: Cambodia, Siem Reap, AngkorArchaeological Park. Wedding party atAngkor Wat Temple.

2344-05: Cambodia, Siem Reap, AngkorArchaeological Park. Wedding party atAngkor Wat Temple.

2344-06: Cambodia, Siem Reap, AngkorArchaeological Park. Musicians injured bylandmines near Ta Prohm Khmer Temple.

2344-07: Cambodia, Siem Reap. Aki Ra'sLandmine Museum.

2344-08: Cambodia, Siem Reap, A youngguardian of Kbal Spean, "Head Bridge",cooks lunch in a clearing on Kulen Hills.

2344-09: Cambodia, Siem Reap. KbalSpean, "Head Bridge", is an Angkorianera site on the southwest slopes of theKulen Hills, 30 km from Angkor. 1000Lingams and stone carvings reproducingvarious Hindu mythological motifs arecarved in and around the Stung KbalSpean river.

2344-10: Cambodia, Siem Reap. A Khmer

farmer on her way home near BanteaySamre Temple.

2344-11: Cambodia, Siem Reap. Younggirls on a bicycle in the rains of May on theroad to Banteay Srey Temple.

2344-12: Cambodia, Siem Reap. Youngsouvenir sellers at Banteay Srey Templeshelter from the rain with plastic bags.

2344-13: Cambodia, province of SiemReap. Women collect alms for the pagodaalong the road to the sacred mount ofPhnom Kulen.

2344-14: Cambodia, province of SiemReap. Preah Ang Thom Pagoda, with thebiggest Buddha statue of Cambodia.

2344-15: Cambodia, province of SiemReap. On the sacred hilltop of PhnomKulen flows the Siem Reap River, theRiver of 1000 Lingams spreading out fromthe water. Children bathe in the riverbed.

2344-16: Cambodia, province of SiemReap. On the sacred hilltop of PhnomKulen flows the Siem Reap River, theRiver of 1000 Lingams spreading out fromthe water. A group of Khmer people from theprovince of Kandal, near Phnom Penh,crosses the sacred waters.

2344-17: Cambodia, Siem Reap. A truckwith local visitors leaves Banteay SamreTemple.

2344-18: Cambodia, province of SiemReap. On the sacred hilltop of PhnomKulen flows the Siem Reap River, theRiver of 1000 Lingams spreading out fromthe water. A child bathes in the riverbed.

2344-19: Cambodia, Siem Reap.

Traditional Shadow Theatre organized byKrousar Thmey ("New Family" in Khmer),a Cambodian no-profit foundationassisting deprived children.

2344-20: Cambodia, Anlong Veng.General Ta Mok's house, Pol Pot'sright-hand man.

2344-21: Cambodia, Anlong Veng.General Ta Mok's house, Pol Pot'sright-hand man.

2344-22: Cambodia, Anlong Veng.General Ta Mok's house is surronded by adead forest. Its death is due to theconstruction of a dam by the KhmerRouge.

2344-23: Cambodia, Anlong Veng. PolPot's tomb, where his body was cremated.

2344-24: Cambodia, Anlong Veng.General Ta Mok's house is surronded by adead forest. Its death is due to theconstruction of a dam by the KhmerRouge. A fisherman protects himself fromthe dust produced by the construction ofthe new road.

2344-25: Cambodia, Anlong Veng. Twoyoung girls look at the billboard illustratingthe new buildings in town. The ancientstronghold of the Khmer Rouge haspartially emerged from isolation thanks toa new road and it is coming to a new life.

2344-26: Cambodia, Anlong Veng.General Ta Mok's house is surronded by adead forest. Its death is due to theconstruction of a dam by the KhmerRouge.

2344-27: North Eastern Cambodia. In thecenter for people affected by AIDS anddrug addiction on route 69 near Anlong

Veng, the ancient stronghold of the KhmerRouge, on the Thai border.

2344-28: North Eastern Cambodia. In thecenter for people affected by AIDS anddrug addiction on route 69 to PreahVihear. A young couple of victims oflandmines and their little daughter.

2344-29: North Eastern Cambodia.Distribution of food to people affected byAIDS and drug addiction in the center onroute 69 near Anlong Veng, ancientstronghold of the Khmer Rouge.

2344-30: Cambodia, kulen district. In thevillage of Ta Keng along the road to KohKer.

2344-31: Cambodia, Preah Vihear. Awoman selects rice in the village of PreahVihear.

2344-32: Cambodia, Preah Vihear. SoldierRiem Roatta, works as a mine clearer inPreah Vihear.

2344-33: Cambodia, Preah Vihearprovince. Two children in the rain on thesecond level of Preah Vihear Temple.

2344-34: Cambodia, Kulen district.Farmers on their way back from fields onthe road to Koh Ker.

2344-35: Cambodia, Kulen district. Youngwomen employed by Apsara, the authoritythat took over control of the maintenanceof Koh Ker Temple.

2344-36: Cambodia, Kulen district. Youngmonks from the district of Sotnikum visitthe ruins of Koh Ker Temple.

2344-37: Cambodia, Kulen district. Youngmonks from the district of Sotnikum visit

the ruins of Koh Ker Temple.

2344-38: Cambodia, Kulen district. Agroup from the village of Sotnikum on atruck on their visit to the ruins of Koh KerTemple.

2344-39: Cambodia, Phnom Penh, TuolSleng Genocide Museum. The site is aformer high school which was used as thenotorious Security Prison 21 (S-21) by theKhmer Rouge regime. A group of Buddhistnuns visits the section with thephotographs of the prisoners.

2344-40: Cambodia, Phnom Penh, TuolSleng Genocide Museum. The site is aformer high school which was used as thenotorious Security Prison 21 (S-21) by theKhmer Rouge regime. A group of Buddhistnuns visits the section with thephotographs of the prisoners.

2344-41: Cambodia, Phnom Penh, TuolSleng Genocide Museum. The site is aformer high school which was used as thenotorious Security Prison 21 (S-21) by theKhmer Rouge regime. A group of Buddhistnuns visits the section with thephotographs of the prisoners.

2344-42: Cambodia, Phnom Penh, TuolSleng Genocide Museum. The site is aformer high school which was used as thenotorious Security Prison 21 (S-21) by theKhmer Rouge regime. The section withthe photographs of the prisoners.

2344-43: Cambodia, Phnom Penh.Religious celebration at the Silver Pagoda.The religious festivals are determined bythe Buddhist lunar calendar, and the

believers offer fruit, flowers and lightincense sticks.

2344-44: Cambodia, Phnom Penh.Religious celebration at the Silver Pagoda.The religious festivals are determined bythe Buddhist lunar calendar, and thebelievers offer fruit, flowers and lightincense sticks.

2344-45: Cambodia, Phnom Penh.Religious celebration at the Silver Pagoda.The religious festivals are determined bythe Buddhist lunar calendar, and thebelievers offer fruit, flowers and lightincense sticks.

2344-46: Cambodia, Phnom Penh, TuolSleng Genocide Museum. The site is aformer high school which was used as thenotorious Security Prison 21 (S-21) by theKhmer Rouge regime. A group of Buddhistnuns visits the section of the torture rooms.

2344-47: Cambodia, Phnom Penh.Religious celebration at the Silver Pagoda.The religious festivals are determined bythe Buddhist lunar calendar, and thebelievers offer fruit, flowers and lightincense sticks.

2344-48: Cambodia, Phnom Penh,Choeung Ek. 15km south of Phnom Penh,it is the best-known of the sites known asThe Killing Fields, where the KhmerRouge regime executed about 17,000people between 1975 and 1979.

2344-49: Cambodia, Phnom Penh,Choeung Ek. 15km south of Phnom Penh,it is the best-known of the sites known asThe Killing Fields, where the KhmerRouge regime executed about 17,000people between 1975 and 1979. Childrenplay cards by the fence.

2344-50: Cambodia, Preah Vihearprovince. The highest level of PreahVihear Temple, on the border withThailand.