There is more information about the Cao Đài Temple camp than other camps, most likely because it operated for a longer period. The archives of the International Committee for the Red Cross even provide an address (road 339 near the moha vithei [avenue] de la Liberté), and a description . The site measured 50 meters along the street and 100 meters deep. Its main structure was a disaffected pagoda (20x20 m). Its annexes, four wooden barracks (5x5 m), sat at the perimeter. Each was used for a different service: camp management, warehouse, infirmary (note no. 847, 7 November 1970, ICRC archives, BAG-232-042-001-03). On 8 June 1970: the population reached 4.648 persons after 1.370 newcomers joined the 3.278 persons (550 families) already living there (statistics provided by the representative of the Ministry of Social Action of South Vietnam Nguyen Van Hien to the ICRC, note no. 594, 11 June 1970, ICRC archives, BAG-232-042-001-02). On 22 September 1970: there were 1.131 refugees, with 156 having arrived the previous week. That day, a group of 1.975 refugees arrived from Kompong Thom, after enduring three months of siege. It was considered a transit camp overseen the South Vietnamese Navy. Security at the camp was managed by Lieutenant-Colonel Nguyen Thoan, M. Vi, and Captain Cuong, who served as the responsible officers. Following their visit on 22 September 1970, Dr. Bernard Liebeskind and the ICRC delegate Léonard Isler described the camp's living conditions. Tents were used to expand the living space and keep the refugees dry in the rainy season. Mats and hammocks were provided for everyone. Families cooked their own meals, using the kitchenware they had brought. Firewood was supplied as well. Since the camp closed only at night, the refugees could shop nearby. The ICRC delegates considered the food as “abundant” (rice, dry fish, vegetables, fruit). Most refugees owned just one change of clothes. Those who had none or were dressed in rags received clothing from the Cambodian Red Cross. Water points were sufficient, though latrines remained basic. The refugees’ health was satisfactory and people did not seem depressed. Minor ailments were treated by the sanitary service, and no major medical or surgical problem had occurred so far. If it happened, the hospitals in the city were opened to the refugees. Anti-cholera vaccinations were administered upon arrival. The ICRC delegates mentioned the shortage of pediatric medicine but it was a nationwide issue at the time. All refugees were Catholic, and three French missionary priests made regular visits to the camp. While the camp was basic, it met the needs for a short stay. Aid matched the situation of the refugees and the country’s capacities (note no. 1497, 6 October 1970, ICRC archives, BAG-232-042-001-02). On 23 September 1970, a total of 1.131 refugees awaited evacuation convoys. Two civil registrar officials from the South Vietnamese Delegation onsite registered the refugees and issued identification documents necessary for repatriation (see note no. 746, 23 September 1970, ICRC archives, BAG-232-042-001-02). The group was finally evacuated on 30 September 1970, but the South Vietnamese Navy ship was hit by enemy fire (mortar), killing one of the refugees and wounding 12 (AFP Saigon, 1 October 1970). On 4 November 1970: the population at the camp was 675 (133 families), from Bak Preah in Battambang province. Most had arrived in Phnom Penh on 26 October. Two thirds of them slept in the pagoda, lined up on mates on the floor in rows of fifty or sixty, with no partitions (note no. 847). In September/October 1971: the camp housed 616 refugees, mainly from Battambang province. Cambodian military guarded the camp. Refugees with valid credentials could leave during the day but had to return at night. Families lived in crowded makeshift shelters made from available materials (thatch, tin, cardboard, burlap, wood) and built on platforms about 30 centimetres above the ground. These observations come from the study mission sent to Cambodia by the General Accounting Office (GAO) following the request of Edward Kennedy, chairman of the Subcommittee to Investigate Problems Connected with Refugees and Escapees, Committee on the Judiciary US Senate. The report noted the unsanitary conditions despite adequate latrines and access to the city water system, citing pools of stagnant water around the living quarters (“Problems in the Khmer Republic (Cambodia) Concerning War, Victims, Civilian Health, and War-Related Casualties”, 2 February 1972, pp. 24-25). In April 1972: the camp housed 570 refugees (note no. 1521, 25 April 1972), ICRC archive, BAG-232-042-001-03). In September 1972: Cao Dai was the last camp with Vietnamese refugees in Phnom Penh. About 600 persons still lived there (statistics provided by the South Vietnamese embassy and the Directorate of War Victims of the Cambodian government). The study mission conducted by Donald Goodwin and D. Merrill at the request if the Acting Coordinator of the Supporting Assistance Bureau of AID visited the camp and noted that the conditions were worse than those of other refugee camps, even though only marginally. Representatives from the South Vietnamese Embassy made regular visits to the camp, dispensing vitamins, medicines, clothing, however only on a limited basis as the supplies were received by diplomatic pouch from Saigon and consisted largely of AID donated materials (“US assistance to refugees and civilian war victims in Cambodia”, Hearing before the Subcommittee to Investigate Problems Connected with Refugees and Escapees.” 93rd Congress, First Session, 16 April 1973, pp. 71-72). On 24 October 1972: a total of 609 persons still lived in the camp, according to the statistics provided by Lieutenant-Colonel Nguyen Thoan and Phan Thiên Tâm. The ICRC regularly held a polyclinic on Wednesday morning, with the mobile team of the municipal health service (note no. 1711, 1 November 1972, ICRC archives, BAG-232-042-001-03).

Refugee camp run by Vietnamese religious denomination and the South Vietnamese delegation Cao Đài is a Vietnamese monotheistic religion that blends Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, Roman Catholicism, and indigenous folk traditions. It was established in 1926 by Ngo Van Chieu, a civil servant who served as a district chief in the French colonial government. There were followers in Cambodia from the initial years of the religion. The Kim Bien Temple was completed in 1937 as an expansion of the Kim Bien House of Gratitude, the first structure founded in Phnom Penh in 1927. In the 1950s, the Cambodian government forced the relocation of the Temple in an attempt to diminish the religion’s influence. The Cao Daists managed to negotiate the purchase of a new vacant land. The construction of the new Temple began in 1955 and, in spite of tensions, was achieved by 1962. The current Temple occupies a small part of the old compound.

Phnom Penh, Kandal Province, Cambodia

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