Stupa with guardian, Wat Phnom Yat, Pailin, Cambodia

Taken on: 3rd November, 2010. Copyright: All Rights Reserved - See travelfishery's page of Flickr

Read more about Pailin

The former Khmer Rouge stronghold of Pailin sits at the northern edge of the Cardamom Mountains, just 45 minutes' by road (on a good day) from the Thai frontier. Previously home to a number of Khmer Rouge head honchos, notably Khieu Samphan, in the past the town has traded on its notoriety with share taxi drivers offering to drive one past "Uncle Khieu's house", but aside from the humble abodes of these soon-to-be-declared war criminals, Pailin doesn't often get much attention tourism wise. It's usually just viewed through the windows of passers-by headed to or from the border, who see no reason to stop.

While there aren't many sites here per se, the area has an interesting history. Don't be surprised to hear older Pailin hands hark back to the good old days — the period from 1979 through to 1996 when the town was a Khmer Rouge stronghold. Fat through raping and pillaging the natural resources (primarily gems and lumber) that were then exported illegally to ... Read our complete Pailin travel guide

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