Friday, December 21, 2012

Wat Phnom Plaque

 



This plaque on the southern slope of the hill commemorates the return of the western provinces of Battambang, Siem Reap and Sisophon to Cambodia after the 1907 Franco-Siamese treaty. The three women on the right side represent the three provinces, while in the middle sits King Sisowath. The first picture is from 1931, and shows a woman by the plaque on a barren-looking hill. Nowadays the gardens receive quite a bit more attention and foliage abounds.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

US Embassy 1965





On the 26th April 1965 the US Embassy street was stormed by a mob of 20,000 Cambodian students. They hurled rocks, ink bottles and other missiles at the building and ripped down the American flag. Authorities said the demonstration was touched off by U.S. cross-border air attacks that had killed Cambodian citizens and by a slanderous article about Prince Sihanouk and his wife Monique in the April 5th issue of Newsweek magazine. The photos show the embassy, and the crowds outside in 1965. Cambodia broke off diplomatic relations with the US on the 3rd May.
The bottom pictures show the building as it is in 2012, and the USOM (United States Operations Mission) building opposite which can be seen behind the crowd in the 1965 picture. The buildings are located on 126 Street and the one which has had a recent makeover was previously posted about Here

Wat Sarawan Building





I posted the top two pictures previously, mistakenly believing they were taken at Wat Ounalom. There is a very similar building in the grounds of that pagoda, but this morning I found the right one in the grounds of nearby Wat Sarawan. The top picture by Serge Corrieras was taken in 1991. The second by Chris Watson is from 2007. The bottom two are how it appears today.


Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Pharmacy on Street 106


This building was in a decrepit state for some time and I wondered how they managed to add an extra floor to it when it was renovated. However it's obvious from the pictures that it was completely rebuilt rather than refurbished. The style of the original structure was replicated well, keeping it in tune with many of the older buildings in the neighborhood. That's a lot more than I could say for the hideous glass-fronted insurance building next door.