Cambodia's Peace Day honors the country's long road from conflict to stability - one of the most remarkable recoveries in modern history. Within the span of a single generation, Cambodia survived Lon Nol's 1970 coup, five years of the Khmer Rouge's systematic genocide that killed roughly two million people, a decade of Vietnamese occupation and civil war, and the UN transitional period. The country that emerged from the 1991 Paris Peace Agreements and the 1993 elections had lost an entire generation of teachers, doctors, engineers, and artists. What has been rebuilt since is extraordinary: a functioning democracy, a growing economy, and a tourism industry anchored by the temples of Angkor - buildings that the Khmer Rouge were still fighting around when many of today's visitors to Siem Reap were born. Peace Day is observed quietly: official ceremonies at the provincial level, flag displays, and moments of reflection. In Siem Reap, the most fitting observation is a visit to the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam) archives in Phnom Penh, or a conversation with any local over the age of 60. The temples are open.
- Location
- Siem Reap