When I went to Cambodia (September 1999) I expected to find a nation similar to many others. The flight took many hours and when I landed to Phnom Penh the first sensation was to stay in a very poor and dirty place. Everywhere are still visible the terrible wounds of an incredible genocide happened in Cambodia between the years 1975 and 1979. Khmer Rouge still evoke in Cambodian people minds the years of the death. Despite the horror, nobody seems to be intentioned to forget the hugeness of the cruelties suffered during the war time and many old people still show the photographs of their relatives tortured and killed by Khmer Rouge. Due the consequences of the genocide that caused the death of two millions people, this is a very young country and the middle age does not exceed 35/40 years. Unfortunately, the ghosts of the war are not definitively disappeared. Many Khmer rouge rebels and Pol Pot's followers are still hidden in the forests close to the Thailand border.!
Keep far from this area!
Dangers
If you have planned to go to Cambodia, before the departure you should collect all the necessary information about the current political situation. The best information resourse is of course the embassy or the consulate based in your country. They will give you all the updated and detailed info on how to move through the country. You should know that is not easy to move through Cambodia without a local guide. Many sites, many rural lands and some streets are still mined and every year many children remain wounded by unexploded mines hidden in the grass. You must be very careful and you should read the street signals that advice people to keep far from unexplored streets. Keep far from isolated streets also if you are in a big city.