Haunted Cambodia

I have never placed boots-on-the-ground in Cambodia, but I flew over Cambodia, when I was leaving Bangkok, Thailand. As I was looking at the rice fields of Cambodia from my plane going home, I couldn’t help but think on how haunted Cambodia must be. Cambodia has a lot of history, a lot of horrific history. Over two million people died in the Killing Fields during the Khmer Rouge Regime.

Cambodians have a strong belief in ghosts, in fact they will leave Spirit Boxes next to their front door. They will fill the Spirit Box with food and drink for wandering spirits that are hungry and thirsty. The food and drink for the spirits are to appease the spirits and allow them to keep on wandering and not enter their home. Cambodians have a holiday called Pchum Ben and that is when the Pchum Ben ghosts come out. The Pchum Ben Ghosts will arrive on the Pchum Ben holiday and hang out for 7 days. The Pchum Ben ghosts are recognized, due to their pinhole mouths.

TINSEL MAN
Charya, a Cambodian lady says that she actually encountered a Pchum Ben Ghost in which she calls Tinsel Man. Charya encountered the ghost in 1994 on the Pchum Ben holiday. She describes it as having a pinhole mouth and wearing an outfit that seemed to be made up of tinsel. Tinsel Man followed her around and then finally vanished. Two years later, Charya encounters Tinsel Man again, but this time at her home. Tinsel Man was sitting on her recliner chair. Tinsel Man got up and placed his pinhole mouth on her neck and then vanished. Charya looked in the mirror and saw that there was a pin hole mark on her neck and blood was running down her neck. Charya went to her Buddhist Church for guidance and has not been bothered again by Tinsel Man.

Locals say that many spirits roam the countryside. Many people have witnessed apparitions in the fields. Legend has it that there are many lost souls in the countryside. The belief of Cambodians is that spirits are unable to crossover if they died a violent death, suicide or lived sinful lives. These spirits cannot go into the light. Since genocide was practiced by the Khmer Rouge Regime, many of the victims in the fields died horrible deaths.

PHNOM PENH HIGH SCHOOL SPIRITS
In Cambodia if you practice sorcery or dabble in black magic, you could lose your life. In 2014, a man was butchered for practicing black magic and in 1985, a woman was murdered for practicing sorcery. At Phnom Penh High School during the Khmer Rouge Regime the high school was used as a prison camp, it was called Security Prison 21. There were 20,000 prisoners and only 7 survived. The ones that died were brutally tortured by the Khmer Rouge Regime. Witnesses to the ghosts of Phnom Penh High School have seen objects being violently slammed to the floor.  Witnesses have also heard high pitched screaming.

MACHETE MAN
As a ghost hunter, sometimes I get silly questions.  Recently, a ghost hunting enthusiast asked me if I felt the Winchester Mansion was the most haunted place on Earth?  My answer was absolutely NO!  How can you compare the Winchester Mansion to various places in the world, where thousands or even millions of people died?  How can you compare the Winchester Mansion with the Killing Fields of Cambodia or the Winchester Mansion with the atrocities that occurred at the Bridge over River Kwai? (Special Note: Yes, when I was in Thailand, I visited this place – Paul).  Borey from Cambodia tells me that when he left Sacramento to visit his family in Cambodia, he paid his respects at the Killing Fields, a place where he lost his uncle, aunt and nephew.  Borey had a paranormal experience in the Killing Fields, he encountered the Machete Man.  From a distance he saw a man in a military uniform and his eyes were glaring with hatred as he gazed upon Borey.  Borey was scared and knew this was either an angry ghost or a demon.  Machete Man started to walk swiftly over to Borey and when he reached Borey he took his machete and took a swing at Borey.  Borey could feel the hot sting of the machete and fell back.  Borey took a while to recover and when he did the Machete Man was gone and he had a red mark across his chest, but there was no cuts.  Borey will never forget this paranormal moment in his life.