Ta Mok's House

Takeo Province's most notorious native son, Ta Mok - AKA 'The Butcher' - served as the Khmer Rouge's chief-of-staff in the 1960s and was later commander of the Southwestern Zone, where he presided over horrific atrocities. Paranoid about his personal security, he had an elaborate house built in the middle of the lake and, it is said, had the architects and builders executed upon completion of each floor, which included hidden rooms and escape passages.

Today, Ta Mok's House - about 1km north of town at the end of a causeway - is occupied by a police training facility but can be viewed from the outside. Ta Mok, who had two more residences near Anlong Veng, died in prison in mid-2006 awaiting trial for genocide and crimes against humanity.