The Five Most Haunted Places in South-East Asia

Wars, natural disasters, sudden deaths and ancientrailway Company was turned into a gruesome
mysteries are commonly believed to create hauntedinterrogation center by the Japanese secret police in
places. Places were tragedy often struck, and saw1942. Thousands of Indonesians and Dutch, were
human nature at its worse. There are thousands oftortured to death by the Kempeitai, and today few
places throughout South-East Asia, which could bepeople dare to venture near the building after dark.
classed as haunted, but these are just a few of them.Currently the building is being renovated, and is a
1. Phnom Pehn, (City of Ghosts) Cambodiamuseum.
Phnom Penh fell to the Khmer Rouge in the mid 1970's,4. Tunnels of Vietnam
signaling the first ending of the Indochina war inDuring the Vietnam war, underground tunnels were
Cambodia. The city was 'evacuated," after the Khmerconstructed by the liberation armies of North Vietnam.
Rouge took control, and became a killing ground,These tunnels often were the scene of the most
where thousands were executed or left to die as thetragic chapters of the war, were US carpet bombings
city emptied,. Many of those who were "evacuated"of the areas killed thousands, and savage hand to
died in the four year genocide, and many Asians namehand fighting created the grisly legend of the tunnels.
Phnom Penh as the tragic "City of Ghosts."The spirits of the fallen are said to frequent these
2. Plain of Jars- Laostunnels and the surrounding areas- and many were not
A vast, mysterious plain in this little known country haseven soldiers.
huge ancient jars buried into the earth, and no one5. Old Kota,(Old City) Jakarta- Indonesia
knows Why?. On eerie, misty evenings residents andOld Kota, is the former colonial area of the vast mega
visitors in this area, often hear strange sounds, andcity of Jakarta, with crumbling usually abandoned Dutch
rarely dare to venture onto the plain.style buildings, and eerily empty streets late at night.
The plain itself is the scene of thousands of years ofSome say the spirits of the former Dutch colonials
ancient battles, whilst during the Indochina War, the plainreturn at night, others the ghosts of those who died
of jars was heavily bombed by the US air force, andduring the Japanese occupation during World War
yet none of the jars were ever damaged, addingTwo. Newer Ghosts could be the returning victims of
further fuel to the mystery of the area. Where manythe areas riots of 1998. Few people still choose to live
say the lost legends of ghost armies, and fallen pilotsin old kota, despite the recent beautification of the
frequent the area at night.area.
3. Gedung Lawang Sewu (The house with a thousandMany places which are reputed to be haunted can be
doors)- Semarang, Indonesiaeasily visited, if you are in South-East Asia. The most
The old port City of Semarang, is split into two parts.inaccessible is the Plain of Jars in Laos, because of the
The old Dutch quarter, and the new city afterplains remote location, but the other locations are much
Independence. Gedung Lawang Sewu, still dominateseasier to visit. Old Kota is in the center of the city, so is
the central part of this bustling trading city, and isGedung Lawang Sewu. Phnom Penh is a growing
reputed to be haunted. In English the building is calledpopular tourist destination, whilst the tunnels of Vietnam
the "house with a thousand doors," and is the mostare a popular place to visit for both local Vietnamese,
tragic of buildings.and visitors.
The former headquarters of the Dutch East Indies