A name. Gabriel is on do. Ill just either new york. Ah. Hello there. This is al jazeera and these are the headlines. The u. S. And chinese president s have held more than 2 hours of talks and whats being described as a tense phone call on the subject of taiwan. Children being warned joe biden not to quite play with finance. Young ukraine says Russian Forces have launched a missile attack on the cave region. The 1st time in weeks, the Regional Governor says a settlement about 20 kilometers from the cap. The center of the capitol was hit, Russian Troops withdrew from the area, months ago, after failing to capture it. The u. S. Economy has contracted for a 2nd straight quarter, but the Biden Administration insists it is not in recession. G d p fell 0. 9 percent in a 3 months from april to june. The family of nodded Al Jazeera John mystery and has demanded accountability during talks with the u. S. Secretary of state in washington, they say anthony bringing promised transparency and to keep them informed but didnt make any further guarantees. Any family of the us citizen who is skilled abroad expects their government to put its resources behind an investigation. This is the very least the by the Administration Must do. They cannot rely on israels word. War criminals cannot investigate their own crimes. To many palestinian families suffer every day as our families suffering now. They all deserve to live in safety with their families. They all deserve justice. They all deserve freedom. Protests again, skinny as military agent, have brought the Capital Concrete to a standstill. Organize a se one. Demonstration was killed in confrontations with security forces. The unrest began just before the head of the regional block eco was said, military rule is a revised stand timetable for a transition to civilian rule from 3 down to 2 years. But theres been no confirmation of this from the opposition. M. P. s have heckled, peruse, president , calling him corrupt as he delivered a speech mocking the end of his 1st year in office. Hedrick and fear has survived true impeachment votes and faces allegations of corruption. While those are the headlines, rob will have much more news for you here on al jazeera after the war, hotels. How and why did become so obsessed . With this law, we were giving them a tool to hold corrupt individuals and human rights abusers accountable. Theyre gonna rip this deal apart if they take the white house in point 25. What is the world hearing when were talking about fi american today we take on us politics and society. Thats the bottom line. Blue tub royal, which later became, was renamed a hotel upon it was really the center of information for the earth was a corner worn the come air rouge had taken anything of value out of the whole truck. It was a haven from the world. Ready ah ah ah ah ah, ah ah ah, i love the planes or the rivers on the indo chinese mainland, the southeast asia, many buildings and the capital loan pun reflected French Colonial past, including this hotel. Ah, the cambodian o command and pot dominated the whole region a 1000 years ago. And visitors still come to marvel at the ankle watts temple. The largest religious complex in the world. But in the 20th century war raged in indo china for nearly 30 years. Of the cambodian civil war led to a genocides now world famous for its killing field. When journalists arrived to cover the conflict, they stayed at this imposing old hotel i was posted to cambodia to the capital city. Non penn, in the beginning of may 1972 and i stayed in the hotel royal, which later became, was renamed the hotel, not by the new government. I hotel looked gnome became a media hub. But it was also home from home for a host of reporters, photographers, camera, men, and local fix. Big hotel, colonial style, french hotel, wonderful renewal style, building with a beautiful garden in the back with a swing pool, high ceilinged, all the antique. And it was service a great place to relax in when one to come back from the front lines of cambodia when, when war ready got going on. John swain came, jumping on pen to cover the civil war. But you understand cambodia, then you have to look back to its independence from france in 1953 soon after independence war broke out in neighboring viet nam, between the communist north, supported by china on the soviet union and the government of the self backed by the United States. At 1st the cambodian king cnu chose neutrality. But in 1963, he did a deal with the north vietnamese to allow them to station troops in cambodia. This ultimately led to the u. S. Bombing cambodia for 4 years from 969 to 973 kings cnu los power, and a qu secretly backed by the us in 1970. His replacement Prime Minister law, no headed the right wing pro us command republic. In revenge, the deposed king in exile supported his former enemies, the communist commit. Headed by paul paul. This triggered the ferocious civil war, which pictured the command ruge on the exiled print, see a new National Front against low knolls, Government Forces. This was when west and journalist began to cover cambodia as well as viet nam, and lou y l rename does look gnome became cambodians war town. Nbc jim laurie was also posted to pen. I initially went to cambodia in 1970 less than a month after i had arrived in saigon at that time, president Richard Nixon launched an invasion of cambodia in april of 1970. I got to up to put our pen. Once again, i was too poor to stay at the luxury royal hotel, which changed his name later to the the panel because the government that was installed was empty, royalist ah, asked the crew and removal of c. A new can. 970 cambodia became a huge battleground, long nose Government Forces attacked and massacred ethnic vietnamese and cambodians, who supported the communist commit ruge. At the same time the communists under their lead, a whole part gained more support and responded with equal fun. Journalists were increasingly vulnerable whenever they left the sanctuary of love to nome ventured out to the front line k web from United Press International was kidnapped by the crimea rouge, a few dead, but reappeared 23 days later. As i said, it was a haven haven from the already and it was a joy to come back that we would ideally, we would find all our colleagues back. They would be alive and well. But sometimes, as i said, weve come back and wed find that 5 or 6 colleagues hadnt returned in a 2 month period when i was 20 german us more than 20 jonas were killed or miss went missing and theyre upset dead by being ambushed by the rouge 2 journalists were killed by the command ruge crossing the notorious route to on the 28th of october, 970. I can recall the terrible incident when gentleness school frank for she worked for United Press International, disappeared with 30 famous japanese, put a surprise winning photographer, a guy where she saw other, and they were both ambushed down the road and felt gymnast limojonahs on with you United Press International k 12, whos also very famous. She, she had to identify franks body. She couldnt write the story for you. She was too upset to righteous and a wonderful man reporter for Associated Press called john wheeler, who was in competition with her. Because he worked for the associate press, she worked for United Press International, he wrote the story for her for you p i and put her name on it. The civil war gradually intensified as the committee a ruse gained ground at the expense of Government Forces. When the paris peace accords was signed in january 973. 00, ending the vietnam war law, no announced a unilateral cease but the command rouge ignored it and prestone towards the pen. So the United States ramped up the Bombing Campaign operation, freedom deal. And its last days, us planes dropped over 250000 tons of bond killing thousands of command rouge fight. And one of the few journalists able to get in to cambodia at that time was a young french photographer who went on to take the most iconic pictures of the fall of the pen was a friend together. We in 1973. I mean, we decide to fly to come by and see firsthand what was what is working into was on. So eventually we arrive in a summer in implant and, and just in time to see the last, the b 52 carpet bombing. Oh, its not simpler when you get into a country, i do have to figure out you have to find where are the other reporters, i mean, where you need the formation and you need to really kind of understand whats going on. And in fact, sure enough, i mean there was one place in non benway where you could get all that stuff done. And that was the hotel for the senior correspondent. And i, it was really the center of the formation for the, for the world war 3974 and into 975. The commit rouge move closer to plough pen and began to lay siege to the city. While the count bodie and army blocked the main roads into the capital. Living conditions deteriorated as food and Water Supplies were disrupted. On the 3rd of march, 1975, the command rouge shell put on pan and punch in tongue airport indiscriminately killing many civilian this rocket attack. Outside the monro hotel, killed 11 people and look gnome also fell on defiance. I do remember when rock were floating around, youre telling me we had, you know, the rules that were firing rockets from about 5 to 10 miles away outside of the city. And everybody rushing back and forth that, you know, they said, well thats, you know, that had around the reception area to, to, to, to be safe. You know, as a committee, a ruse tightened its grip on the capital. Prime minister law, no fled to indonesia. While jim lorry came back to pen, i returned to cambodia again in 1975. I arrived and covered the final days of the, of the, basically a very sad decline of any chance that the cambodians had to withstand the conveyor rouge. As the communists advanced, the u. S. Launch to dramatic air lift operation. Eagle pool began on the 12th of april, 975. 00, and the americans evacuated hundreds of their own citizens and cambodians from the country. Meanwhile, the mood inside look, gnome grew more tense. For both the cambodian stuff and the journalist the last time i really had the breakfast in not in comp and then was that the that and that was on the day, january can evacuation. It was kind of a secret as being passed on to the jewelry and some ive been told ok, you want to leave patio sing and go to the embassy. There was a danger by saying because the committee had asked it was for us to leave. And the thing, so we were being warned that we had to leave them in in a way. So ive ad decided to stay. Jim laurie and many other foreign correspondents, however, decided it was time to leave. Lori filmed his journey on an 8 millimeter camera. Why left on the 12th of april, 1975 on a helicopter from been on ben off into the gulf of thailand, onto the u. S. S. Okay, our one of a number of american ships that were there for the cambodians evacuation, who were then later repositioned for the vietnam, evacuation journalist shuttle between vietnam and cambodia. Despite warnings of the impending danger, john swayne arrived back in pen. I arrived to the hotel plum and i immediately bumped into sydney shamburger the New York Times our rock of freelance photographer who done a lot of work for sydney the New York Times and said in his interpreter to prom. So he teamed up as a band and covered the the last days of non pen as the carriage moved and o as the siege got tighter. In the last 3 or 4 days, refugees started crowding around the hotel because they felt safer in the presence of westerners. And the red cross took over the hotel and declared as an international zone. And then started letting cambodians in who wanted to shelter. And so the hotel suddenly, the grounds, very spacious grounds, were occupied by a mass of people. Here, though its out of the way they decide to make it up for everybody. So the refugee location that ill be in the middle of this, that was a scottish medical team working for the red cross. One of my visit memories for that period was going into see them and talked to them and they were operating on a very badly wounded conveyed in soldier who had been brought in and died on, on the table. I mean, that was not an operating table at all. It was just her table with, with a sheet over it and he and he and he died, but they were doing the best. They were upsetting. Everyone was doing their best to help everyone else really in a walk. By the way, you know, was a wednesday afternoon and those very few foot over there. Like a few stuff. And the refugees were like scattered into the garden and near the food and everything there was it was very quiet, really, very quiet. This was when photograph the mass exodus from known pen on the boulevard outside the hotel in the command room claimed the americans were about to bomb the city and ordered every one to leave many thousands of cambodians who left that day never returned to their home on the last then everybody was pulling into town. Im in all the people i mean leaving around the edge of knob and were pulling into town or skipping the firefight and my pitcher evening. You know what my, the longest to tell you is black and white. People are full of people, you know, just not knowing where to go. All foreigners in non pen, were being told to go to the French Embassy. If so, we rushed back to the hotel, which was in a chaotic scene as i remember that the cambodians had been refugees, hooping sheltering. There were also leaving because the cameras had ordered the everyone in the city to move on to the countryside. They were evacuating the city. John swayne, sidney schoenberg, l rock, coffin, depth, prime, spent that night in the post office near the hotel. We came back to the hotel early in the morning to re atmosphere area where people were very frightened. They knew the convergence. They knew who was living in the hotel and also a can 1000000000 stuff. They knew that the city was falling, that the commercial roof could arrive at any time. The last miss i spent so we spent in the hotel ready very distressing because we were, we were leaving the hotel, which would be home for 5 years, 5 human shoes, ears when wed seen lots of things. But weve also had a lot of fun and weve grown to know and love the stuff. And it was with terrible sense of abandonment. And the stuff touching us imploring us not to leave. And suddenly we were turning the back on it serves. It was, it was a difficult time to leave, but that isnt, you know, we had to go and we couldnt take them with us and you dip into these countries and do you can leave, but you leave people behind. So the command room gave everyone in the hotel just half an hour to leave roll on nova was already of the French Embassy. Whats up in the 7th in the fighting stock . Very, very early on that day. Like around 4 oclock in the morning. It was the last fighting or around the embassy. And we saw the 1st command was walking to the up an area, i think around 9 oclock in the morning. Never took these dramatic pictures of the fall of pen swain. Shun, grow coffin . Did the crime . Join the nearly 600 other people taking refuge in the French Embassy. The command rouge ordered all the combo dns to leave. This primes life was at stake. His friends tried to save him by forging one of john swayne spare passports. I had a 2nd passport, capricious passport, and so i thought that was the trend that he was napoli, hes and we said he could have a bush passport us and i could eat. So we changed my name around and he stripped off my photograph and the passport, and he had a picture, a mug shot himself, so he stuck that over. And then tron decided, well, he would take his chances and just leave it was best for him and he didnt want to be the last cambodian to leave. So he left was one of the last groups. It was very emotional. Sidney broke down. I think i broke down, we will hunt each other. And he walked out through the gates of the embassy into the unknown and disappeared for that spot a full years later. Oh, dear friend, spent those 4 years in command rouge, labor camps, before escaping to thailand. In 1979 where he was were united with sydney shomberg, and the 2 went to the us together or death. Crime died there in 2008. Sidney shomberg won the Pulitzer Prize for his cambodia coverage in 1976 and died in 2016. But they in their story, along with john swain and al rankoff were immortalized in the 1984 oscar winning film, the killing fields. 2 weeks after pron left, the journalist and the French Embassy were evacuated to tylen hotel look, gnome fell into disrepair and remain closed for several years. Jim lorry returned to cambodia in 1979. Look noma become the base for several International Relief agencies. And laurie took these rare pictures of the hotel, he still cold look, why are i happened to be among the 1st journalists to arrive in cambodia after the vietnamese had expelled the canal rouge. In january of 1979, i arrived in april of 979, and i stayed for the 1st time at the royal hotel in put our pen. It was a mess. The can here rouge had taken anything, a value out of the hotel. They even removed the mirrors, the water was not working. We had to go down to the Swimming Pool area to get water to bathe. The vietnamese military had taken over the hotel. They were using the Swimming Pool, and they would stock the pool with fish. So we had fresh fish to eat in the evening at the hotel by this time. Ah, they decide to change the name of hotel one more time. And they called it the summer key hotel which can air meant solidarity between cambodia and vietnam. It was only in the 1990 s that the royal hotel was returned to its former splendor when it was totally renovated by his singapore and for ah, it took cambodia years to recover from the cruel legacy at the command ruge and over one and a half 1000000 people are buried in these killing field. Pen was gradually rebuilt. People return to live, the 99