Charlie Dittmeier's Home Page
Politics and society in Cambodia
Tomorrow the democracy-supporting group Indivisible is having what they are calling a palooza, a community gathering with music and food and speeches to encourage the general public to stand up for democracy and the rights of us as citizens. Today volunteers for tomorrow gathered to hear from the organizers what their roles will be tomorrow.
One third of the volunteers coming for the training today were Dittmeier related, brothers and sisters, a niece, and a cousin.
“…In some host countries, migration causes fear and alarm, often fomented and exploited for political purposes. This can lead to a xenophobic mentality, as people close in on themselves, and it needs to be addressed decisively”. [40] Migrants are not seen as entitled like others to participate in the life of society, and it is forgotten that they possess the same intrinsic dignity as any person. Hence they ought to be “agents in their own redemption”. [41] No one will ever openly deny that they are human beings, yet in practice, by our decisions and the way we treat them, we can show that we consider them less worthy, less important, less human. For Christians, this way of thinking and acting is unacceptable, since it sets certain political preferences above deep convictions of our faith: the inalienable dignity of each human person regardless of origin, race or religion, and the supreme law of fraternal love.
Pope Francis
Last week my sister Jane surprised me with a framed flag of Hong Kong from the colonial era. I was living in Hong Kong in 1997 when Britain ceded control of their Hong Kong colony to China. Remembering what had happened at Tiananmen Square, thousands and thousands of Hong Kongers were fleeing to any place that would take them. The bishop asked those of us from the missionary groups to stay, to try to provide an element of stability and reassurance to a frightened people. On one of my trips home, I brought this flag and Jane had it in her basement and decided my return to Kentucky was the time to return the flag to me.
I was really impressed with the social services and community experience of Taiwan society. There is so much consideration and services for people who are not so wealthy. The Family Mart in the housing where my friends live has a variety of accommodations and services for people who are poorer.
When entering the Family Mart, it looks very similar to a 7-11 you might see in other countries.
But this convenience store also has washers and dryers for neighborhood people who can’t afford such in their homes.
And this store also has a copy machine for its customers and a mailing service and allows customers to have mail sent to the store address to be picked up there.
If people buy packaged meals or foods here, they can use the store’s microwaves to heat it up and then use the counter on the left to eat. The counter is also used for school tutoring, small meetings, and similar activities.
Cambodia has been a least developed country but the government is pushing aggressively now to move the kingdom into the moderately developed category.
There is progress but there is still a long way to go. The GDP of the United States is $85, 370 per capita. Cambodia’s GDP is $1,553 per capita although it is expected to jump significantly in 2025.
Today I finally got my Kentucky ballot finished and tomorrow morning I will take it to the embassy and they will carry it to the US and drop it into the US postal system. That is a BIG help because Cambodia doesn’t have a functioning postal system. They have restarted sending mail outside the country (there is no incoming mail unless you have a post office box) but a letter to the U.S. takes an inordinate amount of time–and may never arrive–so a really important letter must go by courier (DHL, UPS) at $40 a pop.
This evening we had a farewell reception for U.S. Ambassador Patrick Murphy and his wife Kathleen. He has been an exceptional ambassador–his terms was extended twice–and the Khmer press is crediting his tenure for real improvements in Khmer-American relations.
After greeting everyone individually, the ambassador gave his prepared remarks and they were one of the best speeches I have heard in my entire life. He was so positive and affirming and came across as so sincere.
Fr. Kevin and I have known the ambassador through our contacts at mass and were invited to the reception. Standing next to me is the Ambassador to Timor Leste who was recently appointed as dean of the ambassadors. He too comes to our weekend masses.
Some notes about our Earth (from the Morning Brew website):
