Carved into the walls of Cambodia’s famous Angkor temples
“Seen as a threat to Pol Pot’s regime, Kum Khmer warriors were rooted out ”
are bloody tales of the nation’s martial history. These imposing remnants of the ancient Khmer Empire tell of the principles upon which the edifice of Cambodian culture once stood: valour and honour through combat, adhered to in that near-fanatical way characteristic not just of feudal Japan and China, but of south-east Asian martial artists too. In popular cinema, the Samurai may be the more fetishised, but Khmer warriors are equally deadly.
Presently, not 10km away from Angkor Wat, a young Khmer fighter named Sarath is bleeding. Like Rocky, he’s known by his first name only. And with further similarity, he is no stranger to the odd beating. Sarath limps about the ring, shaking his head. He has lost his first bout at the opening of the new Kun Khmer fighting arena in Siem Reap, a historic town now popular with tourists, in the north-west of the country. A low-key affair by western standards, the new
