Cover Story

From the show trials of 1979 to the current Khmer Rouge Tribunal is the legal process bringing truth and justice to the traumatised victims of the Khmer Rouge? Words by Nora Lindstrom. Phung-Guth Sunthary has been a daily attendee at the tribunal since public hearings began. A civil party at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal (ECCC), her father, professor Phung Thon, perished at S-21 when the camp was under the command of his former student, Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch. Sunthary wants to know the truth about what happened to her father, a respected professor of international public law. Her qu…

It has been a long time coming, but soon sentence will be passed on Kang Guek Eav (better known as Duch) the former head of S-21 detention centre. Reporter Luke Hunt has been following the case of the first man to stand trial at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal from its outset. He provides the background on the case and what we should expect to follow. Ever since Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen went to the United Nations more than 11 years ago and asked for an international war crimes tribunal, incompetence and corruption have reared and political brinkmanship has flourished.The result was a painful …

Beauty is as beauty does, they say, but with rising disposable income in Cambodia, the demand for treatments to augment nature’s endowments are on the rise. However, due to a largely unregulated market those seeking beautification may get more than they bargained for. Words by Nora Lindstrom. The Cambodian beauty industry is growing. Where services a decade ago were limited to small roadside barbers with basic equipment, today those with the cash to afford it can get anything from high-end hair cuts through botox injections to quality breast implants. Dermatologist Dr. Em Sam Ol of Derma-Care …

Time was when the Kingdom’s tennis playing elite was feared across the region. After decades of neglect, is the sport set for a rally? Words by Zoe Daniel. The history of Cambodian tennis reads like a history of the country. A powerhouse in the region in the 1950s and 60s, it fell to pieces during the years of the Khmer Rouge. Elite athletes were seen as part of the French influenced bourgeoisie. They were either killed or hid their talent. At least 37 top players died during those dire years, the rest worked their racquet hands to the bone in the fields like everyone else. The sport is only j…

Phnom Penh’s music scene is back from the dead. A weekend in late November saw no less than eight gigs in the capital, three by internationally known acts. Compare that to a year before, when the biggest thing to hit the country was still considered to be Ronan Keating in 2007, and gigs by struggling local bands were few and far between. Now both musicians and their audiences speak of a surge in live music, but is the scene here to stay? Words by Nora Lindstrom. Phnom Penh attracts all sorts, yet surprisingly few musicians seem to find their way to the city. Recently, that’s started to change…