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By Fr. Bel R. San Luis, SVD
PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA — The annual assembly of Signis Asia took us members to Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia. Signis is an international association of Catholic broadcast communicators.
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Cambodia is famous for its Buddhist temples, the most well-known of which is Angkor Wat constructed in the 11th century by King Suryavarman II in Siem Reap some 400 kilometers from Phnom Penh.
The remnants and ruins have been reconstructed to show its pristine unique architectural beauty.
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However, Cambodia became infamous internationally because of the barbaric atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge (Khmer Communists) in 1975-79 led by Cambodia’s "butcher" Pol Pot. (Our strongman Ferdinand Marcos compared to Pol Pot would look like a Boy Scout).
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Pol Pot plunged the country to untold sufferings and misery because of his quixotic dream of transforming it into a society of equals. He closed down colleges and universities and dragged the students together with executives and professionals to work in the rice fields.
Henceforth, their schools and offices were the rice fields.
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They all had to leave the cities and towns to work in the fields and what they produced became state-owned. There were no private properties except their spoons and forks. Food was the same for all.
Rebels and critics were thrown in prison and subjected to fiendish tortures and executions.
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A former secondary school building, Tuol Sleng, was transformed into dreaded torture and death chamber.
After the Pol Pot regime, common graves of countless people were discovered now known as "killing fields."
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In 1979, Vietnamese Communists drove away the Khmer Rouge who fled to the forests, and occupied the country. People in Phnom Penh welcomed them as liberators but as years passed, they were disillusioned because they were no better than their erstwhile masters.
"Cambodia is like a truck, red color remains red, only the driver has changed," said the disillusioned people.
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Somebody bantered, "The Vietnamese meant well (in driving away the Red Khmers) but didn’t know when to get out." Thus in 1989 through the efforts of Prince Sihanouk and Prime Minister Hun Sen, a new constitution was drafted and worked for a new "State of Cambodia."
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The Vietnamese troops officially left the ravaged country on September 26, 1989.
Shortly afterwards national elections were held and massive economic and political rehabilitation had to be done. But one knowledgeable source told me, "The worst destruction was not material but mental and psychological. The minds and attitudes were irreparably damaged."
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Of the 16 million population, 60% are illiterate as a result of the nightmarish ideas of a bloody dictator and succeeding wars and political disturbances. The people had been wrenched and battered on all sides by leaders totally devoid of interests for the welfare of the people.
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These poor and simple people need a lot of encouragement, support and prayers.
By the way, on the plane for Phnom Penh I was seated beside a Filipina who had been working as a singer in some hotels in the city. She confided to me, "Cambodians look up to Filipinos as highly educated and talented."
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While we’re elated by that heartwarming impression, we should maintain the high regard by uniting together to move forward since our economy needs propping up following the recent food shortage and oil crisis.
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Likewise, Cambodia’s bitter experience should teach us to repudiate Communist ideologies. Godless leaders who’re not guided by divine and moral principles are doomed to fail.
"Unless the Lord builds the house, the laborers work in vain."
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St. Jude Novena. Tomorrow is Thursday. Join us in the novena to St. Jude, Saint of the Impossible, at the Divine Word Shrine, Christ the King Seminary Compound on E. Rodriguez Boulevard, Quezon City at 6:30 p.m.
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