Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The last Khmer Rouge hold-outs, including Ta Mok, were not defeated until the capture
of Anlong Veng and Prasat Preah Vihear by government forces in the spring of 1998. Pol
Pot cheated justice by dying a sorry death near Anlong Veng during that year, and was
cremated on a pile of old tyres.
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People & Culture
Population
Nearly 15 million people live in Cambodia. With a rapid growth rate of about 2% a year,
the population is predicted to reach 20 million by 2025. More than 40% of the population
is under the age of 16. According to official statistics, around 96% of the people are ethnic
Khmers, making the country the most homogeneous in Southeast Asia, but in reality any-
where between 10% and 20% of the population is of Cham, Chinese or Vietnamese origin.
Cambodia's diverse Khmer Leu (Upper Khmer) or Chunchiet (minorities), who live in the
country's mountainous regions, probably number between 75,000 and 100,000.
The official language is Khmer, spoken by 95% of the population. English has taken
over from French as the second language of choice, although Chinese is growing in pop-
ularity. Life expectancy is currently 62 years.
Lifestyle
For many older Cambodians, life is centred on faith, family and food, an existence that
has stayed the same for centuries. Faith is a rock in the lives of many older Cambodians,
and Buddhism helped them to survive the terrible years and then rebuild their lives after
the Khmer Rouge. Family is more than the nuclear family we now know in the West; it's
the extended family of third cousins and obscure aunts - as long as there is a bloodline,
there is a bond. Families stick together, solve problems collectively, listen to the wisdom
of the elders and pool resources. The extended family comes together during times of
trouble and times of joy, celebrating festivals and successes, mourning deaths and disap-
pointments. Whether the Cambodian house is big or small, there will be a lot of people
living inside.
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