Pol Pot artefacts attract 'ghost' bid

The Phnom Penh Post
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/

Written by Sam Rith
Thursday, 21 May 2009

A PHNOM Penh man has bid for a pair of Pol Pot's purported shoes and two cameras put on sale by former Tuol Sleng prison Nhem En - offering US$790,000 in imitation "ghost" money.

Nhem En had originally requested $500,000 for the items, but Pok Leak Reasey said he offered $790,000 to symbolise the fall of the Khmer Rouge in 1979. "And the reason why I've offered the money in ghost notes is because I want to say that all material remaining from the regime is worth nothing," he said.

In many parts of Asia, ghost money is used during funeral rites to offer the dead.

Pok Leak Reasey, who lost eight members of his family - including his father, grandparents, siblings and other relatives to the regime - says he has fashioned toilet seats and ashtrays in the form of Khieu Samphan and Pol Pot's faces as a way of relieving his anger.

Nhem En said he was not angry with the offer, but that he was still offering the KR artefacts with a starting price of $1 million. He added: "From now on, if any foreigner wants to meet me, I will charge them $500 per hour."