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Phnom Penh (see p. 83 for more on the<br />
trials). It remains a controversial process,<br />
since many see it as too little too late and as<br />
a token and cosmetic attempt to address<br />
only the superficial issues, while ignoring<br />
the realities <strong>of</strong> ordinary people in living<br />
with the Khmer Rouge legacy in the country<br />
as a whole. Others see it entirely differently<br />
as a process providing genuine justice<br />
even if it is so many years on. <strong>The</strong> issues<br />
remain fraught with controversy to this day.<br />
EARLY YEARS<br />
<strong>The</strong> history <strong>of</strong> what is now <strong>Cambodia</strong> is<br />
largely about the roller-coaster sweep <strong>of</strong><br />
empire across the whole <strong>of</strong> the region<br />
including Thailand, <strong>Laos</strong>, and Vietnam.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y are all related.<br />
<strong>The</strong> earliest recognizable national entity<br />
in what is now <strong>Cambodia</strong> was the Indianized<br />
kingdom <strong>of</strong> Funan. This trading<br />
nation flourished from the 1st to the 6th<br />
century a.d. and probably existed between<br />
Prey Veng Province in <strong>Cambodia</strong> and<br />
Kien Giang Province in Vietnam. As most<br />
Khmers will tell you, they still regard<br />
southern Vietnam, or “Kampuchea<br />
Krom,” as rightfully <strong>Cambodia</strong>n and historically<br />
they have a pretty strong case.<br />
Although <strong>Cambodia</strong> was at the time a<br />
patchwork <strong>of</strong> small fiefdoms sometimes at<br />
peace and sometimes at war with one<br />
another, it was through its position as a<br />
major seaport that Funan imported the<br />
Indian religion and culture that would be<br />
so important in shaping the future <strong>of</strong> the<br />
region. At its height Funan and its related<br />
states stretched across Vietnam, <strong>Laos</strong>, and<br />
as far as the Malay Peninsula. <strong>The</strong> kingdom<br />
is said to have employed Indians in<br />
the administration <strong>of</strong> the state. Sanskrit<br />
was the court language, and the Funanese<br />
advocated initially Hindu and, after the<br />
5th century, Buddhist religious practice.<br />
Hindu deities Shiva and Vishnu were the<br />
2 LOOKING BACK<br />
<strong>Cambodia</strong> may be booming, vibrant,<br />
and heading toward the future in one way.<br />
It may remain vulnerable, troubled, and<br />
traumatized in another. It is always complicated.<br />
Sometimes it is infuriating, exhilarating,<br />
and occasionally horrifying. One<br />
thing that it never can be is boring.<br />
Whichever side <strong>of</strong> it you may wish to<br />
emphasize, <strong>Cambodia</strong> remains one <strong>of</strong> the<br />
world’s most compelling destinations.<br />
focus <strong>of</strong> worship and the Lingam (or<br />
Indian phallic totem and temple focus)<br />
seems to have played a central role in religious<br />
practice.<br />
By the 6th century, Funan was weakening<br />
as trade diminished due to historical<br />
shifts in faraway places. <strong>The</strong> population<br />
largely shifted from the coastal areas<br />
inland to the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers,<br />
moving from oceangoing trade to wet<br />
rice production. Power shifted from the<br />
Kingdom <strong>of</strong> Funan to the more specifically<br />
Khmer rebel entity <strong>of</strong> Chenla. Chenla<br />
later divided into separate north and<br />
south, referred to by contemporary Chinese<br />
sources as “Chenla <strong>of</strong> the Land” and<br />
“Chenla <strong>of</strong> the Sea,” respectively. What is<br />
now Champasak in <strong>Laos</strong> was the center <strong>of</strong><br />
the north, while the lands around the<br />
Mekong Delta and the coast belonged to<br />
the south. By the 8th century, Chenla too<br />
was weakening as various vassal states<br />
broke away.<br />
THE RISE OF ANGKOR<br />
Jayavarman I was the first king <strong>of</strong> what<br />
historians consider to have been the<br />
Khmer empire. It emerged from the Kingdom<br />
<strong>of</strong> Kambuja, after which <strong>Cambodia</strong><br />
is named. He ruled from approximately<br />
657 to 681 but died without an heir. Over<br />
the course <strong>of</strong> his reign, he consolidated<br />
power over the lands around him. However,<br />
Jayavarman left no male heirs, which<br />
11<br />
CAMBODIA IN DEPTH 2<br />
LOOKING BACK