Cambodia

A native of Cambodia unleashed an attack to overthrow the government of that country, but the plot failed when only 200 supporters showed up to fight in the capital city of Phnom Phen, a prosecutor told jurors Wednesday. In his opening trial statement, Assistant U.S. Atty. Lamar Baker said defendant Yasith Chhun -- a Long Beach accountant -- was willing to risk other people's lives as part of the effort in 2000 dubbed "Operation Volcano." Baker portrayed Chhun, 52, as callous, cowardly and incompetent and promised he would take jurors inside the conspiracy with testimony from officers who led the attack and are now serving prison terms in Cambodia for their involvement.

Never Fall Down A Novel Patricia McCormick Balzer + Bray: 224 pp., $17.99, ages 14 and up When it comes to genocide, Hitler is obviously well covered. There are countless titles for young readers about the atrocities he inspired. The Khmer Rouge, which seized control of Cambodia in 1975 and, in its attempts to create an agrarian form of communism, killed millions of its own people, is less familiar territory, especially for young readers. "Never Fall Down" offers a detailed look at what it was like to live under such a cruel government from the perspective of one of its best-known survivors, Arn Chorn Pond.

Never Fall Down A Novel Patricia McCormick Balzer + Bray: 224 pp., $17.99, ages 14 and up When it comes to genocide, Hitler is obviously well covered. There are countless titles for young readers about the atrocities he inspired. The Khmer Rouge, which seized control of Cambodia in 1975 and, in its attempts to create an agrarian form of communism, killed millions of its own people, is less familiar territory, especially for young readers. "Never Fall Down" offers a detailed look at what it was like to live under such a cruel government from the perspective of one of its best-known survivors, Arn Chorn Pond.

During the Cambodian civil war from 1970 to 1998, the Khmer Rouge and other paramilitary groups began decimating that country's ancient sites in search of treasures to sell on the international art market. Along with arms dealing and drug smuggling, the looting and trafficking of artifacts became organized industries, which helped finance one of the 20th century's most notorious regimes. My colleagues and I have documented the painful scars from this plunder - desecrated tombs, beheaded statues and ransacked temples - at archaeological sites throughout Cambodia.

As an immigrant from Cambodia, I would like to comment on the column "Only a Speedy Alliance Can Stop the Butchers" (by Jeremy Stone, Commentary, Aug. 1). I think it is a great mistake for Stone, the U.S. government and some U.S. senators and representatives to think that the Hun Sen government, which was installed by Vietnam in 1980, is the best hope for Cambodia. Since the 18th Century, Vietnam has wanted to annex Cambodia. Ho Chi Minh talked about Cambodia in an Indochina under Vietnamese Communist Party control.

Pacific Delight’s eight-day Mekong River cruise from Cambodia to Vietnam aboard La Maguerite or Amalotus makes it possible for travelers to visit pagodas, shop Cai Be’s floating market, see a catfish farm and tour small villages as well as important sites and cities. Onboard are dance and musical performances, cultural discussions and themed dinners. Itinerary : Cambodia: Tonle Sap Lake to Kampong Tralach, Oudong, Chong Koh, Phnom Penh to Vietnam: Tan Chau, Sa Dec, Xeo Quyt, Cai Be and Ho Chi Minh City Dates : Departures through December Price: From $1,599 (prices rise later in the year)

If you go THE BEST WAY TO SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA From LAX, Asiana Airlines, Korean Airways and China Southern Airlines offer connecting service (change of plane) to Siem Reap. Restricted round-trip fares begin at $1,553. WHAT TO DO Journeys Within Tour Co.; (877) 454-3672, http://www.journeys-within.com , headquartered in Siem Reap with an excellent B&B. Can arrange trips to Angkor and outlying temples. The Happy Ranch Horse Farm , http://www.

C.K. Hwang and his wife, Juli, traveled to Cambodia in August to see Angkor Wat. The ancient ruins were memorable, of course, but a sunset excursion to nearby Tonle Sap Lake was an unexpected treat. "We were extremely impressed by the ruin; however, the side trip to Tonle Sap really surprised us with the beauty of the lake and the lives of the people living on the lake," Hwang said. The Capistrano Beach resident used a Nikon F5 with Kodak Portra 400 film. View past photos we've featured . To upload your own, visit our reader travel photo gallery . When you upload your photo, tell us where it was taken and when.

On business in Cambodia, budding photographer and Santa Monica resident Scott Fifer came upon this scene while exploring Angkor, an archeological site near Siem Reap known for its temples. "This young monk suddenly turned a corner, and I started snapping photos as he walked in front of me," he said. "He too was a tourist, but you could easily imagine this same image from centuries ago. " Fifer used a Canon PowerShot SD1300 IS. View past photos we've featured . To upload your own, visit our reader travel photo gallery . When you upload your photo, tell us where it was taken and when.

Cambodia might not rank among the world's brewery or beer garden capitals, but change is coming. From its setting on the banks of the Tonle Sap river, Kingdom Breweries, Phnom Penh's newest boutique producer, opened in October 2010, is gearing up to give local brands Anchor and Angkor a run for their riel , using only the best German and Czech hops, premium German malt and top-quality water to produce the brand's flagship pilsner. "Fancy one?" Chief Executive Peter Brongers asked me, offering a bottle of the brewery's first batch from his office mini-fridge.

Twenty years ago, Asia Transpacific Journeys started a tour to Vietnam , Laos and Cambodia under the unifying theme Passage to Indochina. The trip has become the company's most popular small-group tour. "We pioneered this combination of activities when these countries were just opening their borders," Marilyn Downing Staff, founder and president of Asia Transpacific, says in a statement. The Passage to Indochina trip takes 17 days to explore the region.

Federal agents have threatened to seize from Sotheby's a 10th-century Cambodian sandstone statue, alleging the auction house planned to sell it despite warnings that looters had stolen the piece from its rightful place, adorning an ancient temple in the former Khmer kingdom. Court documents filed Wednesday in New York say the Duryodhana statue -- listed as the "Defendant in rem" in the complaint -- was apparently torn from the Prasat Chen Temple in  Koh Ker in northern Cambodia sometime in the 1960s or early 1970s, when the Asian nation was engulfed in civil unrest.

C.K. Hwang and his wife, Juli, traveled to Cambodia in August to see Angkor Wat. The ancient ruins were memorable, of course, but a sunset excursion to nearby Tonle Sap Lake was an unexpected treat. "We were extremely impressed by the ruin; however, the side trip to Tonle Sap really surprised us with the beauty of the lake and the lives of the people living on the lake," Hwang said. The Capistrano Beach resident used a Nikon F5 with Kodak Portra 400 film. View past photos we've featured . To upload your own, visit our reader travel photo gallery . When you upload your photo, tell us where it was taken and when.

When Yon Meakchan isn't converting publications into electronic form for customers such as Stanford University, he pedals his bicycle 10 miles south from his office to the rural edges of this city of 2 million people to help his family, pulling weeds in rice paddies, tending to banana trees and wading into a murky river to bathe oxen. "Poor people work very hard," said Yon, the eldest of eight children who grew up in a bamboo and thatched-roof house. "If they want to buy nice clothes or a motorbike, they can't.

Three top Khmer Rouge leaders accused of helping mastermind Cambodia's "killing fields" in the 1970s went on trial in Phnom Penh on Monday as hundreds of victims and curious onlookers arrived at the court from around the country to witness the proceedings. The U.N.-backed trial is expected to take months. Furthermore, there's often been a significant delay in past tribunals between the end of testimony and the verdict. This reflects in part the highly political nature of these proceedings in a nation where feelings about that brutal period of history are still raw and many of those who served in the Khmer Rouge remain prominent in society.

If you go THE BEST WAY TO PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA From LAX, Asiana, Korean, Thai, China Airlines, EVA and China Southern offer connecting service (change of plane) to Phnom Penh. Restricted round-trip fares begin at $950, excluding taxes and fees. TELEPHONES To call the numbers below from the U.S., dial 011 (the international dialing code), 855 (country code for Cambodia) and the local number. WHAT TO DO Le Tigre de Papier cooking school, Pub Street, Siem Reap; 011-855-122-6581, http://www.letigredepapier.com/en/cooking.php . Three-hour cooking classes are $12 and include preparation of an appetizer, main course and dessert plus a visit to the local market.

  As the sun set over Angkor Wat, the temple built for King Suryavarman II in the 12th century, I nosed my Vespa out into the line of three-wheeled tuktuks, bikes and cars. In my pink crash helmet and Gucci bike goggles, I felt as frivolous as an extra in the '60s movie "Quadrophenia," but my mission was a serious one: I was planning to travel the nearly 200 miles from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh in three days, stopping on the way to sample some of the weirdest and most wonderful foods Cambodia has to offer.

  As the sun set over Angkor Wat, the temple built for King Suryavarman II in the 12th century, I nosed my Vespa out into the line of three-wheeled tuktuks, bikes and cars. In my pink crash helmet and Gucci bike goggles, I felt as frivolous as an extra in the '60s movie "Quadrophenia," but my mission was a serious one: I was planning to travel the nearly 200 miles from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh in three days, stopping on the way to sample some of the weirdest and most wonderful foods Cambodia has to offer.

Cambodia might not rank among the world's brewery or beer garden capitals, but change is coming. From its setting on the banks of the Tonle Sap river, Kingdom Breweries, Phnom Penh's newest boutique producer, opened in October 2010, is gearing up to give local brands Anchor and Angkor a run for their riel , using only the best German and Czech hops, premium German malt and top-quality water to produce the brand's flagship pilsner. "Fancy one?" Chief Executive Peter Brongers asked me, offering a bottle of the brewery's first batch from his office mini-fridge.