PAILIN CITY

Pailin Peacock Dance

    Pailin is a small municipality in the West of Cambodia very closed to the border of Thailand. The provincial capital is called Pailin City and is known to much of the world as being the area where many of the Khmer Rouge leaders came from and retreated after their fall. Until the year of 2001 Pailin was part of the Battambang Province, but was then elevated to city status and thus became a province and autonomous zone of its own.

    The city was during the 1980s and 1990s a major Khmer Rouge strongpoint and resource centre. Even after the death of their brutal leader Pol Pot in 1998, many Khmer Rouge leaders still remained there.
    Some of the leaders went into hiding in fear of punishment for their crimes, although other leaders or henchmen lived openly in the province. It is said that almost 70 percent of the area's older men were fighters for the Khmer Rouge, but unfortunately none of the regular fighters have yet been brought to justice.

    As of September 2007, Pailin's remaining Khmer Rouge leaders were being rounded up to face justice by an international tribunal, including Khieu Samphan and Nuon Chea. So after years of the governmental dump contemplation regarding the crime of the Khmer Rouge, its time for lasting enlightenment of what has happen.
    Poipet is now more and more becoming a boomtown attracting Cambodians from around the country seeking to make their fortune, or at least a better salary than back home. Pailin was the major revenue producer for the Khmer Rouge guerrillas, being a major gem producing area as well as a prime logging area.


    While gem production seems to have tapered off a bit, other business opportunities and the lifestyle have attracted prospectors to the town. Up until the surrender deal of Khmer Rouge?s number three men, Ieng Sary, in 1996, the townsfolk lived under the strict rules of the KR hierarchy, with little freedom of expression and most aspects of life being completely controlled by the paranoid regime.

    Pailin is just another Wild West town of Cambodia and like the gold-rush days of California, people seem to be everywhere in the hills sifting through mud puddles and scratching at the dirt, looking to strike it rich with the find of a nice gem. Still, there is more control of some aspects of life than in other areas of Cambodia.

    But this seems to have attracted people rather than kept them away. Several people, who had moved to Pailin from Phnom Penh, gave this as the main reason they made the move. They liked the idea that criminals did not enjoy the same impunity that they seem to enjoy in Phnom Penh. The influx of residents from other parts of the country has produced a friendlier Pailin.

    Nowadays the mixed lot of Pailin residents seem happy to see foreigners coming in for holidays and check the place out, realizing that their presence means that normalcy and revenue are arriving in Pailin.

Phnom Koy

    Even the Vietnamese residents seem to have been accepted, which is truly amazing given the hatred the Khmer Rouge have generally shown them. Pailin is worth checking out. The town is nestled in a beautiful valley with picturesque sunsets over the mountains that separate Cambodia and Thailand close by.

    Wat Gohng-Kahng is very famous and features the much-photographed landmark gate of Pailin town that you face as you arrive on the highway from Battambang. This wat is the centre of holiday festivities these days in Pailin and was the scene of the official Pailin reintegration ceremony in 1996, after the Ieng Sary faction of the Khmer Rouge worked out surrender and semi-autonomy deals with the Cambodian government.

    Phnom Koy is located in Sangkat Stung Kach, Khan Sala Krao, about 20 kilometers north of Pailin city. Phnom Koy is a national site rich in forest and big lianas. A natural stream flows down this mountain.

    Phnom Yat is a cultural and historical site located in Pailin City. It is not a holy place where people come to worship, but also the heart of Pailin City. The mountain is 60 meters high, 700 meters long, 300 meters wide and covers 30, 000 square meters. The top is accessible on foot or by vehicle. A staircase of 242 steps, each step about 25 centimeters high, was completed on Oct 13, 1998.


    The site includes an old pagoda similar to Kola pagoda. It was built on the hilltop by the Kola people in 1922. The are many ancient structures on Phnom Yat, including the big and small stupas and Asroms (the hermitage, a place for meditating). The area holds many superstitions for Pailin residents and some visitors.
    Although a wealth of gems already have been mined in Pailin, the hill is till believed to hold more. Many kiosks, or small cottages, are available for visitors to relax in on the mountaintop.

    Phnom Yat Resort, Pailin City is one of the renowned historical and cultural sites that have attracted large crowds of tourists. The first thing that one notices about this particular pagoda is that it uses a wide range of and innumerable precious stones. Previously locales and passersby were the only visitors but now with the increase in the number of tourists there are more people who go to the Phnom Yat Resort, Pailin City

    Phnom Yat Resort, Pailin City is especially well known for the Ko La style pagoda. Besides the pagoda which is the central attraction there is a stupa. The stupa is placed behind the pagoda. This has served as the cemetery for Rattanak Sambat, the father of Cambodian literary figure, Khun Niery. It is believed that their ashes are preserved here.

    There are many stories that justify the building of the Phnom Yat Resort, Pailin City. According to the legends people met a sorceress while hunting for animals in the jungle. She was called Yiey Yat or grandmother Yat and she warned them against killing her animals. If they stopped the hunting then they were promised a surprise reward near the stream on Mount Yat. The people found an otter playing on the stream. The otter opened its mouth and within it were precious gems. From ?pey? (otter?) playing or ?leng? the place Pailin got its name.

    Later a shrine was built to show due respect to Grandmother Yat. People come here to ask her to relive them of their pains. There is also a statue of the magic otter enshrined at the Phnom Yat Resort in Pailin City. Here you will also find other statues of which depict the Buddhist hell, adulterers punished by tying them to thorn trees and also show images of the liars tongues being pulled out. Today the shrine is counted as one of the important tourist attractions.

    The famous novel, Pailin Rose written by Nheck Tem gives the details of the story behind the construction of the Phnom Yat Resort, Pailin City. The story?s central character Chao Chet, an orphaned poor boy came to work for Rattanak Sambat. Eventually he fell in love with the master?s daughter. The father decided to marry his daughter to the governor of Sanker District (east of Battambang), named Balatt. Destitute and sad, Chao Chet played chauffer for Balatt and the bride. However, on their way their car broke down and robbers attacked them. Chao Chet, who sincerely loved the girl, Khun Niery saved her life and delivered her to her father. Impressed by the chivalry of Chet, Rattanak gave his daughter?s hand to Chao Chet.


    Waterfall Like all waterfalls, the rainy season is the best time to go with the water flowing best then. But there are still pools of clean water to cool off in during the dry season and the heavily forested hills provide nice scenery. Locals and folks on holiday from Battambang come here on weekends and holidays and the well-worn pathways and picnic spots are safe for your use. Hiking to the upper level brings you to more pools. Your best bet for getting out here is to take a moto-taxi or have one lead the way, as there are several turns on unmarked small roads.

    O'Tavao is located in Sangkat O'Tavao, Khan Pailin, about 5 kilometers from Pailin city. It is a natural site rich in beautiful scenery and clean water, which flows from Phnom Khieu.

Have another interesting places, such as : Bah Hoi Village, Border Crossing & Casino Area, Ceasar Casino, Goh-Ay Mountain, Kbal O'Chra, O'Eb Resort, Steung Kuy, Wat Rattanak Sopoan.....