Inside Cambodia’s Political Doomsday Sect
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Not far from the tourist city of Siem Reap in northwestern Cambodia, roughly a thousand devotees gather around a picturesque pond. They are there to listen to the words of their guru, Khem Veasna, whom they believe has descended from the realm of Brahma in human form. His mission: to teach them the true way of Buddha and save them from the coming apocalypse. These disciples have abandoned their former lives, journeying from as far as South Korea, the United States, and Canada, drawn by the promise of a new beginning in the shadow of Cambodia’s sacred Mount Kulen.
Over the past few years, Veasna’s followers have dedicated themselves to building a sustainable, egalitarian community. It is a place of tranquility, where children can play freely without fear of crime, where money is obsolete, and vices like alcohol and gambling are relics of the past. Images of their spiritual leader adorn nearly every wall, and followers credit him with supernatural insights.
“He knows why Israel is fighting Palestine. He knows why Russia invaded Ukraine. He knows why the Earth rotates,” says Net, one of Veasna’s followers. “He is a representative of the Buddha.” Another adds, “He can read your mind.”
While charismatic leaders starting isolated spiritual movements are nothing new, Khem Veasna is more than just a guru, and this is no ordinary spiritual gathering. Veasna’s followers refer to themselves as members of the League for Democracy Party (LDP), which won five percent of the national vote in the 2018 Cambodian general election, placing third out of 20 competing parties. Veasna is one of the most outspoken and well-known critics of the current government, reaching tens of thousands of listeners through online speeches broadcast freely within the country.
Community members insist that they have not transformed from a political party into a religion. Rather, they told The Diplomat, Veasna has consistently pursued the same goal, adapting his methods to effectively convey his teachings. “I took political party members and turned them into real humans,” Khem Veasna said in a rare interview at his compound, which was conducted in front of an assembly of followers. “It is the same movement.”
He said that though the LDP was still active, he had ceased political activities to focus on raising consciousness in light of the impending magnetic pole shift, which he says will occur in the next four months.
“Everybody will be lost,” Veasna said, teaching that the hottest parts of the world will become the coldest and vice versa, and that like an airplane that loses GPS, humans will lose their ability to function.
“They are already lost now,” he clarified. “They are thinking about making money.”
Content retrieved from: https://thediplomat.com/2025/04/inside-cambodias-political-doomsday-sect/.
