The Khmer Rouge tribunal delivered its final verdict in its landmark first case against Kaing Guek Eav, alias Duch, the former chief of the S-21 prison, known to present-day visitors as Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, but which in the late 1970s housed the torture center responsible for the deaths of more than 12,000 people. In July 2010 a sentence of 35 years was handed down to Duch, with an expectation that he would serve 19 years with deductions for time served and illegal detention. That verdict caused uproar amongst the Cambodian public and was appealed by all parties, either seeking an acquittal by his defence team, or a life sentence from the prosecutors.
At today’s session, the trial chamber judge announced that the original sentence would in fact be increased, to a life sentence. The verdict determined that Duch trained, ordered and supervised his staff to conduct “systematic torture and execution of prisoners” and he showed “dedication to refining the operations of S-21, which was the factory of death.” The high number of deaths under Duch’s command “undoubtedly place this case among the gravest before international criminal tribunals.”
It was a verdict that met with the approval of many in the packed courthouse. Kulikar Sotho, the executive director of Hanuman who lost her own uncle at S-21, was present to hear the announcement. “For me, it was a satisfactory verdict. I was nervous beforehand, I didn’t know which way the verdict would go, so to hear that he would be in prison for the rest of his life, was a satisfying result. I must admit that the way the court announces its decisions is confusing for the older generations of Cambodian people that were present, as the court doesn’t use their everyday language, but when they heard that Duch would remain in prison for his life, they couldn’t help themselves from clapping and cheering in the courtroom. This result gives me more hope and optimism that we will see justice in the second case against the former Khmer Rouge leaders.”
The annual Wat Phu festival in southern Laos attracts thousands of visitors each year to the region and will begin in two days time, on 5 February. The three day festival coincides with the new moon of the lunar calendar and is one of the holiest days for Buddhists who come from far and wide to attend the celebrations.
The stunning Khmer temple of Wat Phu, set under the shadow of Lingaparvata Mountain, overlooks the mighty Mekong River. A UNESCO World Heritage site, its exact origins are shrouded in mystery, but it is believed to have been sacred to early animist cultures. Constructed progressively between the 6th and 13th centuries, the sandstone and brick sanctuaries are built in tiers up the hillside, each level featuring barays, pavillions and sacred ponds. There are fantastic views from the upper terraces. It is a magical place, rich in the spirituality of animism, Hinduism and Buddhism, the fusion religion which predominates in Laos today.
Processions, recitals, and chants take place during the three days of the festival. Boats races and games like volleyball and petanque are also held. For this year’s festival, on 7 February, young female dancers from the Samdech Preah Ream Buppha Devi Dance School in Banteay Srei, near Siem Reap, have been invited to perform a very sacred dance ritual to celebrate Meak Bochea day. They will also perform classical and traditional folk dances later that same evening.
Hanuman is honoured to have hosted a number of high profile television personalities in Cambodia in recent times. All of them have returned home with fantastic memories of the country, all of which have been recorded on popular television programmes for the American and British public.
Cambodian Living Arts offer a glimpse into the country’s artistic communities.
For anyone itching to get closer to the unique Cambodian artistic heritage that is embodied by the teachers and students of Cambodian Living Arts, you now have an opportunity to do just that. CLA have developed a range of tours that will take you to schools, classes and rehearsal rooms, where you can experience such arts as folkdance, opera, Smot chanting, traditional ensembles and large shadow puppets as they are taught to eager students.
These tours provide an insight into CLA’s mission to empower and transform individuals and communities through the arts and creating a sustainable model where artists can earn an income from their work. They are aimed at an international audience and take place in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. In the capital, you can engage with master teachers and students in the 2-stringed guitar Chapei Dang Weng, with it’s famously improvised lyrics, or the pinpeat music ensemble, the passion of Khmer folkdance or the dramatic opera style of Yike. A trip into the rural countryside will take you to the home of a wedding ensemble and Smot, a traditional style of poetry chanting. In the temple-town of Siem Reap, you can learn about the art of traditional funeral music of Kantaoming, wedding music or witness the rehearsals of a troupe of large shadow puppet students at Wat Bo pagoda.
Cambodian Living Arts are also looking to extend the existing once a week show by the Children of Bassac, held every Thursday in the grounds of the National Museum in Phnom Penh. This hour-long performance is a fantastic introduction to the classical and traditional dance performances by these talented artists and well worth investing your time whilst in the capital. They hope to increase the frequency of the shows beginning at the end of this year. In the meantime, CLA are also offering a dinner and show package, with a set meal at the exotic Romdeng restaurant at 5.30pm before a remork ride to the dance performance beginning at 7pm. Well worth considering in our view.
For more details of what Cambodian Living Arts are offering in Cambodia, or if you want to book one of their tours, or the weekly performance of the Children of Bassac, contact the Hanuman team at sales@hanumantourism.com.
Learn about the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek and their role in the Khmer Rouge genocide with a poignant audio tour
Visitors to the Killing Fields can now explore the site at their own pace with an audio handset. The broadcast is superbly produced and comes with an accompanying map of the site. Hanuman suggest using this audio tour in conjunction with your local tour guide for the best experience. Let your tour guide introduce the site and share some of their own experiences of the Khmer Rouge with you before commencing the audio tour.
The tour begins with a general history of the Khmer Rouge rise to power and takeover on 17 April 1975. It continues with an intense interview with Chief Tuol Sleng interrogator Him Huy recounting his actions at the prison. Other sections deal with mas grave sites around the site and the foundation of key buildings that existed at that time. The podcast includes some harrowing survivor stories, including a lucid account from Youk Chhang, the Cambodian-American Director of the Documentation Centre of Cambodia (DC-Cam).
It is possible to listen to highlighted sections of the tour and complete the moving experience in about 30 minutes. Visitors who choose to listen to the complete audio tour will need to set aside about one hour. It is possible to pause and rewind at any time if you want to hear something again or share some thoughts with a partner or friend. The audio tour includes music from renowned Cambodian composer Him Sophy.
Hanuman recommends this audio tour as an impressive addition to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek experience.
Sister company Hanuman Films is pleased to announce the launch of its new website at www.hanumanfilms.com
Hanuman Films new website
Unique locations. Original settings. Accessible treasures. Unfettered landscapes. Affordable accommodation. Reliable transport. Experienced personnel. Creative solutions. Flexible approaches. Transparent budgets. Hassle-free permissions. Endless possibilities. Ensure a successful shoot in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam with Hanuman Films.
Hanuman Films is the most experienced production servicing company in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Hanuman Films has been in operation since 2000, that’s more than a decade, and has worked on more than 100 productions large and small. If you are interested in Indochina or fancy meandering down the Mekong on a location scout, then contact Hanuman Films to plan your shoot.
Based in Cambodia, Hanuman Films was the servicing company that brought Tomb Raider to Cambodia in 2000, starring Angelina Jolie and Daniel Craig. Lara Croft and 007, now that was a lively combination. On the television side, Hanuman is proud to be an official vendor to the BBC and has worked on countless productions for the Beeb. Among our best known credits are the Top Gear Vietnam special, Around the World in 80 Treasures, Timewatch: Pol Pot and Horizon Pandemic. For the fuller flavour of our credit list check out the extensive Credits pages:
Hanuman has also worked on major productions for National Geographic, Discovery, Animal Planet, Travel Channel, Syfy Channel and many more. Celebrities we have hosted over the years include Gordon Ramsay, Charley Boorman and Jeremy Clarkson, as well as well-known directors such as Jean-Jacques Annaud and Oliver Stone. We have also looked after famous shows such as Locked Up Abroad and Worlds Apart.
It doesn’t matter what your genre – feature film, documentary, commercial, reality TV, corporate or stills shoot – Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam can now deliver. Visit www.hanumanfilms.com to discovery what awaits the adventurous filmmaker in the Mekong region. So if you are contacted by a television or film production company regarding a shoot in the Mekong region, you know where to come for experienced advice.
Hanuman Travel TV is now live on Youtube with travel videos, hotel promotions and more
Hanuman is now producing its own travel videos in conjunction with sister company Hanuman Films. We are pleased to announce the launch of our own Youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/HanumanTourism?feature=watch. Check out the link and subscribe for updates on new videos as and when they are uploaded. In the coming months, we will be adding short videos from Laos and Vietnam, as well as specific videos for new products or existing unique experiences.
The current selection of videos is already up to 16 and counting. Some of the highlights include:
Tuol Sleng artist Vann Nath’s funeral poignantly captured on film
We do hope you enjoy the videos. We will be uploading many more in the coming months. Please do not hesitate to get in touch if there are particular products or experiences that you would like to see added sooner than later and we will add it to our schedule. Forthcoming films include our signature Temple Safari, Halong Bay cruises and some iconic hotels.
We are very pleased to announce that the Hanuman website is now fully available in the French language to complement the existing English language version. You can access the French language version by clicking the French flag on the right-hand side of the home page at www.hanuman.travel.
Nous sommes heureux de vous informer que le site internet de Hanuman est désormais accessible en français, en complément de la version anglaise originale. Vous n’aurez qu’à cliquer sur le drapeau français situé sur le côté droit de la page d’accueil pour accéder à cette nouvelle version.
Sleepy Laos is scheduled for a ramp-up this year, with 2.8 million visitors expected to arrive and sample its gracious beauty, captured perfectly in Luang Prabang and everywhere else in this bequiling country. Tourist infrastructure is fast improving with major hotel chains chomping at the bit to invest, while new airports, roads and bridges are penciled into the development plans of Luang Prabang, Vientiane, Savannakhet and Champasak. Other developments are afoot in the capital Vientiane, including an expansion of the airport so it can double its current capacity to handle 1,000 passengers per day. Elsewhere, land for three new airports has also been earmarked. New airlines have registered interest in launching flights such as German charter carrier Condor and Jin Air, which already operates charters from South Korea, is intending to mount regular services. National carrier Lao Airlines has deployed its new Airbus A320s on its thrice-weekly Singapore-Vientiane flights launched last November. Guangzhou, Seoul and Tokyo are next destinations on the airline’s radar.
