DPA
Phnom Penh - Hundreds of Cambodian villagers dug up a newly discovered Khmer Rouge-era mass grave in the hopes of discovering gold and other valuables, police said on Tuesday.
Khean Sokhon, Chhuk Meas district police chief from the southern coastal province of Kampot, said the mass grave was discovered at the weekend by Vietnamese authorities seeking the remains of Vietnamese soldiers missing in action.
"They didn't find any Vietnamese remains, but after they found the grave, hundreds of Cambodians just arrived and started digging," Sokhon said by telephone. "There were too many of them to stop."
"They found a gold ring but very little else," he said. "Police warned them to stop, and some did, but most only stopped digging when they were exhausted and discouraged."
The mass grave was discovered on state land. The police ordered local authorities to gather the exhumed bones and the remains were expected to be taken to a Buddhist pagoda for safekeeping and blessing, he added.
The Khmer Rouge ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. Under its bloody Democratic Kampuchea regime, up to 2 million Cambodians, or more than a quarter of its population, died. The country is still littered with their mass graves.
Cambodians normally treat these graves with great respect, but police speculated that rumours that the victims were rich and had been buried with their gold led to mass hysteria among impoverished villagers.
Khean Sokhon, Chhuk Meas district police chief from the southern coastal province of Kampot, said the mass grave was discovered at the weekend by Vietnamese authorities seeking the remains of Vietnamese soldiers missing in action.
"They didn't find any Vietnamese remains, but after they found the grave, hundreds of Cambodians just arrived and started digging," Sokhon said by telephone. "There were too many of them to stop."
"They found a gold ring but very little else," he said. "Police warned them to stop, and some did, but most only stopped digging when they were exhausted and discouraged."
The mass grave was discovered on state land. The police ordered local authorities to gather the exhumed bones and the remains were expected to be taken to a Buddhist pagoda for safekeeping and blessing, he added.
The Khmer Rouge ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. Under its bloody Democratic Kampuchea regime, up to 2 million Cambodians, or more than a quarter of its population, died. The country is still littered with their mass graves.
Cambodians normally treat these graves with great respect, but police speculated that rumours that the victims were rich and had been buried with their gold led to mass hysteria among impoverished villagers.
