Pol Pot’s old banger on the block
PHNOM PENH – A car once used by Pol Pot, the late chief of Cambodia’s notorious Khmer Rouge is for sale on eBay.
A listing on the online auction site reads “For sale – one classic 1973 Mercedes Benz stretch limousine … previously used by one infamous owner Pol Pot, who led the Khmer Rouge during its genocidal regime from 1975-1979.”
The ad claims the car, which is on display at the Renakse Hotel in Phnom Penh, opposite the Kings’ Royal Palace, was also used by movie star Matt Dillon when he filmed his movie “City of Ghosts” in Cambodia in 2001.
The eBay advertisement says the car was discovered by a previous editor of the Phnom Penh Post being used to transport watermelons to the Central Market.
It had attracted one bid of UKP35,000 today, 24 hours before the end of the auction.
The ad goes on, “The current owner purchased the car in 2001 and has painstakingly restored it to its current glory. Yorkshire TV filmed the restoration of the car for Channel 4.
“The car has its original 3.5L diesel engine and air conditioning has subsequently been repaired by the current owner. The car is black and the interior has been reupholstered to a high standard.
“The Khmer Rouge regime destroyed all official documents during their tenure as the de-facto government in Cambodia during the 1970’s (even blowing up the Bank of Lao and destroying all currency) and hence no official papers for the car exist.
“ It enjoys a reputation in Phnom Penh as ‘Pol Pot’s Car or PP1’.”
Part of the proceeds of the sale will be given to a Cambodian children’s charity.
Ian Jarrett
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