A window for those trapped in the spirit world

On the day of the Pchum Ben Festival, the climax of the 15-day period, all the approximately 4,000 pagodas in the country are crowded with the faithful in their finery and bearing offerings of rice, candles and incense dedicated to the souls of their dead relatives. The faithful will also bring cakes which they share among themselves as a community of believers.

These Cambodian offerings at Pchum Ben are unlike the offerings during the Hungry Ghosts Festival in Singapore and Malaysia where the dearly departed are annually pampered with increasingly sophisticated paper replicas of the latest models of Mercedes Benzes, Nokia handphones, IBM lap tops and other luxuries to help them live well in their world.

Another notable difference is that in Singapore and Malaysia, prayers for the hungry ghosts may be offered in different places - in temples, associations and guilds. In some instances, offerings of food and white rice are placed at street corners and roadsides to appease the spirits and to dissuade them from entering their homes and causing disturbances in their households.

Cambodia's celebration of the Pchum Ben Festival this year presented another opportunity for the international community to remember those poor souls who suffered and died under Pol Pot and to ensure that the Khmer Rouge Tribunal will take place as scheduled in Phnom Penh so that there may be justice for the dead and a proper closure for the living.