Corruption in Cambodia

Transparency International rates the countries of the world according to how people perceive corruption in different areas of business, civic, and social life. TI is now rating 180 countries and Cambodia is 161 on the list. That means there is a LOT of corruption in Cambodia.

Example No. 2: Our Deaf Development Programme needs to take one of our students across the border to Thailand for medical treatment she can’t get in Cambodia.  I asked our social worker to find out about getting her a passport. The answer comes back that the Ministry of the Interior can’t give her a passport now because the minister is away and the minister has to deal with the girl because she is deaf.  What the h*** does being deaf have to do with having a passport?

The probable answer is: [1] the passport office person really is that incompetent that she thinks a deaf person needs something different to get a passport, or [2] someone in that office sees this as an opportunity to make money off a young deaf woman who needs medical care.