The War Museum Cambodia is an astonishing museum. Over two hectares of lush green grounds, bathed in the sound of birdsong, an impressive number of war machines of all kinds are amassed.
From Kalashnikovs to tanks and Russian Migs, all these artefacts from the not-so-distant past were involved in a bloody civil war that lasted for three decades. Far from being an apology for war and weapons of all kinds, this museum aims to highlight the harshness and lethality of the fighting that shook Cambodia.
A unique collection
Despite the heat and sweltering sun, many visitors crowd around the rusting behemoths. They run their hands over the armour, take photos of the most emblematic pieces, linger while reading the multitude of explanatory signs, and reflect on the means used to transport such machines, which sometimes weigh in excess of 30 tonnes, to the site. It's a challenge made possible by a partnership with the government, which is responsible for transporting the artefacts, some of which have been found in the heart of the jungle, to the museum.
Many of the tanks, lorries, amphibious vehicles and artillery pieces on display here almost disappeared from the foundries. In the countryside after the war, there was a veritable competition for machines that could be traded for up to $400 in the case of a tank. Many of these metallic giants were butchered, making the pieces kept by the museum all the more precious.
The upkeep of such equipment is also a headache for every museum curator: in addition to the drastic cost to the budget, there is the question of how the collections should look. Should they be left as they are, with their film of rust and twisted metal, or should they be given a proper appearance? A major conservation project was launched in 2015, enabling some items to be returned to their original condition, while leaving others to their role as witnesses damaged by time, riddled with shell holes or pierced by mine explosions.
Irreplaceable testimonies
Weapons in all their forms are not the only attractions of the museum: a large number of posters, uniforms and photographs complete the collections. But more than the contemplation of these military objects, it is the testimonies of the guides that alone justify a visit to the site. All of them, to varying degrees, were involved in this tragic period of history. Moun Sinarth, who has worked at the site since it opened in 2001, bears the scars of the conflict in her flesh. He has a prosthetic leg, a shattered bone that caused him to lose the use of an eye, and bullet wounds of every calibre.
This former soldier admits to having escaped death more than a dozen times, hence his nickname, "The Cat", who, for his part, only has nine lives.
Travelling the 38 kilometres to the museum every day by motorbike, the veteran confesses to suffering from increasingly frequent leg pains. Sinarth is the only guide to have remained active since the museum was founded. His other colleagues, one of whom fought alongside the Khmer Rouge, have gradually retired. Nevertheless, Sinarth tirelessly repeats his story to groups of visitors every day, "so that the memory will live on and to illustrate just how awful war is". Some of his comrades in arms perished in the very carcasses that haunt the museum's lawns.
From civil war to total war
The presence of foreign equipment clearly illustrates the international stakes of conflicts whose implications went beyond Cambodia's borders. The provenance of the weapons on display clearly demonstrates the support given to the belligerents by third countries. The wars that shook Cambodia from the late 1960s to the 1990s took place in an explosive international context, pitting not only the Eastern bloc against the Western bloc, but also antagonistic regional powers.
The inventory of these devices of death, whose inscriptions are still visible and whose origins can be determined, is as instructive as a lesson in geopolitics.
In the museum, for example, you can see Chinese mines intended for Angkar forces, while Lon Nol's regular army was supplied with American equipment. China, an ally of the Khmer Rouge regime, took advantage of the conflict to fight indirectly against the USSR, which supported the Vietnamese side. Hence the profusion of equipment used during these conflicts, reflecting support that varied over time: while weapons at the cutting edge of technology were provided, other contributions attest to a flagging motivation. What can we make of this antique Russian anti-aircraft gun, produced in 1935 and used in the Second World War, which was finally destroyed in 1999 in the Anlong Veng district?
Information for a better understanding
The background to the conflict is clearly explained by the guides and the countless signs that cover every aspect of the war. Visitors will spend a long time reading, learning not only about Cambodia's recent history, but also about the protagonists and the living conditions during this troubled period. Dozens of explanatory panels are devoted to soldiers from both sides, forced labourers, detainees, expatriates and refugees in camps on the Thai border. There are also pages devoted to the Cambodian community living in France, one of the largest branches of the Khmer diaspora with a registered population of 80,000.
In the course of these readings, little-known facts emerge, such as these descriptions of life in the refugee camps dominated by unscrupulous clan chiefs who indulge in black-marketing with the starving population.
Having become lawless zones governed by armed groups, these enclaves have been the scene of terrible internal wars for the control of power and humanitarian resources.
The panels describing the hell of S-21, a detention centre in the heart of Phnom Penh, give a glimpse of the horror of this appalling machine designed to crush people before hurling them to their deaths. Among the 20,000 detainees who passed through the centre were Cambodians, but also Vietnamese, Thais, Indians and Pakistanis... as well as 3 French nationals arrested in Siem Reap and presumably executed shortly after their transfer to S-21.
Moving, unsettling, but essential
This mass of information, in addition to the testimonies given by the guides, inevitably shakes the hundred or so people who visit the museum every day. Cindy and Majid, who are only spending two days in Siem Reap, were nevertheless keen to make the visit. For these French tourists, the shock was similar to that experienced at Choeung Ek:
"We had very little information about this conflict, apart from the few paragraphs devoted to it in our travel guide. We learnt an enormous amount by coming here, an understanding supported by the sight of all this equipment deployed for a single purpose: to kill".
For Jean, one of a group of tourists who came by bus, it was the scale of the bombing that came as the biggest surprise: "I would never have guessed that Cambodia had received even more American bombs than Vietnam and Laos", says the retired man, waving his hand at the photo of a B-52 on a sign. Others don't seem so moved. Although they are in the minority, some visitors succumb to the contentious pleasure of having their photo taken with their weapon in hand, wearing an unconcealed smile for the camera. However, most visitors are moved by a sense of respect and contemplation, as they come face to face with a reality made tangible by contemplating the objects on display.
Learning from the past is a lesson for the future
The regular presence of these visitors ensures the survival of a museum that lives solely on the income from its admissions. In 2008, a massive drop in visitor numbers - from 100 a day to just 20 - almost led to the museum's closure. A certificate of excellence on Trip Advisor and partnerships forged with tour operators helped turn the situation around.
What's more, new exhibition rooms are currently being fitted out to house equipment that was lying dormant in the storerooms. All of which should bolster the museum's 25-strong workforce. The only drawback is that very few Cambodians visit the museum, as one of the guides deplores. While the entrance fee is set at $5 for foreigners, the $1 charge for locals does not seem to be particularly attractive.
No school visits are organised, and the period occupies very little teaching space. This certainly explains the lack of interest in a recent past that is little-known and that we would prefer to forget. Yet the information provided by the museum is important for understanding the past, for everyday life (an entire room is devoted to mines and the danger they still represent) and for the future. Stopping for a long moment in front of photos showing child soldiers, Sinarth explains the process of brainwashing to which they were subjected.
The veteran warns against a practice that is still being used: "You think that these cases of child soldiers are rare and belong to another era. Well, they're not: young people aged 12, 10 or even younger are still fighting today in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria or alongside Boko-haram. Anti-personnel mines are still being laid every day in conflict zones. If a visit to this museum can make someone hate war and its consequences, then my mission will have been accomplished.
War Museum Cambodia,
Kaksekam Village, Sra Nge Commune
Siem Reap
Open daily from 8 am to 5.30 pm.
Admission: $5 for foreign visitors, $1 for Cambodian visitors
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