Cambodian Government: Corrupt, Incompetent

The scale and pervasiveness of corruption and incompetence in the Cambodian government is really staggering.  The Kingdom of Wonder indeed.  An outsider would have a hard time understanding how bad things are.  To help such an outsider grasp the enormity of the situation here, look at these selections from articles in two editions of The Cambodia Daily this week.  To me it is really interesting that the government seems to ignore what the Daily prints.  The government regularly intimidates, threatens, imprisons, beats, shoots, kills critics and opposition people and yet the English newspapers seem to get away printing some really strong—truthful–articles that paint the government in a most obvious bad light.

Wednesday, 9 August 2017

Thursday, 10 August 2017

  • Ministry Vows to Stop Illegal Thai Border Crossings
  • Authorities, Village Residents Set for Clash in Angkor Park
  • Court Upholds ‘Espionage’ Charge for Australian Filmmaker
  • Cambodia Urges Patience in Making ASEAN, N Korea Statements
  • Indigenous Groups Call for Respect, Land Titles on UN Day
  • Gov’t Officials, Plainclothes Police Crash Village Protest Meeting

 

A Small Number of Giant Birds

The giant ibis is Cambodia’s national bird but it is not always respected.  Rather it is the victim of deforestation, illegal hunting, and human encroachment.  There are only about 200 adult ibises left in Cambodia and so researchers were pleased recently when they discovered nineteen ibis nests in two wildlife sanctuaries in the north near the Thailand border.  There is a program to hire community members to guard the nests until the eggs are hatched, protecting them from predators and poachers.

One-size-fits-all Insurance

                                                                                               [Photo by Chor Sokunthea of the Khmer Times]
A new insurance law is being proposed for Cambodia where there currently is no required vehicle insurance.  The photo above suggests why insurance might be advisable.  An average of four to six people a day are killed in Cambodian traffic.

Under the new law–which probably will not be passed and implemented for at least five years–motorcycles would pay a premium of $17 per year, small cars $70, and large cars $80.  If there is an accident with injuries, there will be a payout of $580.  If there is a death, $3,000.  That’s about all that has been proposed so far and leaves many questions, for example, what if there is an accident with no injuries?  No payout?

Motorcycle Loads #232

Sometimes backwards is best.  When you’re carrying something really bulky on the back of a motorcycle sometimes the only way is for the rider to ride backwards with the load in her or his lap.  I had to do that once when I was carrying a new monitor in a big box to one of our offices.

Siobhan Miles

Siobhan Miles died unexpectedly a year ago and today there was a simple ceremony dedicating a library in an NGO in Phnom Penh in her honor.  She and her husband Glenn and their daughters Zoe, Hannah, and Sarah used to come to our Maryknoll Wednesday liturgy and dinner until they moved back to Wales.  While here, Siobhan worked with the NGO Chab Dai which seeks to strengthen protections for children at risk.

Glenn and Hannah and Sarah came to Phnom Penh for the dedication of the Chab Dai library in memory of Siobhan, and Glenn unveiled the memorial plaque on the wall.
Then there was a small reception with an opportunity for the many friends of Siobhan to meet each other and catch up.

LaValla School Graduation

The LaValla School in Takhmau is run by the Marist Brothers from Australia.  Located about ten miles south of Phnom Penh, it offers an education of grades one to six for children with significant physical disabilities.  It is a really wonderful school, providing an opportunity for learning that would probably be denied if the school did not exist.

The goal of LaValla School is to take children with moderate to severe physical disabilities and bring them up to their age-grade level so that they can enter government schools for the secondary level back in their home provinces.

 

Marist Brother Terry Heinrich started the LaValla School more than fifteen years ago and has been a good friend and surrogate father to hundreds of young people who have passed through the school.  Here he prepares for the procession of graduates into the hall.

 

The graduation ceremony opened with a traditional blessing dance.  Every girl in Cambodia dreams of being one of these apsara dancers–like teenage girls in the US all dream of being a cheerleader–but only in a school like this would girls with a disability have a chance at achieving their dream.

 

A government official from the Ministry of Women’s Affairs presided at the ceremony and gave out the certificates.  Unfortunately, probably for most of these graduating boys and girls, this is the high point of their lives.  Once they leave LaValla and return to their home villages, they will probably again encounter discrimination and find themselves without much opportunity.

These Are Not To Eat

Pets are not really common in Cambodia, at least not in the city, although many Westerners here seem to like cats–probably because expats may be alone here and want some kind of company and cats are relatively easy to keep.  At least the cats can generally be left at home all day by themselves and won’t frighten the lady who comes to clean the house.

There are a few shops, though, that sell fish for home aquariums.  Probably some of the same reasons apply for keeping fish–they are easy to keep and don’t frighten anyone–but they are also especially valued in Chinese culture and many, many people in Cambodia have Chinese heritage.

What’s He Selling?

There are many mysteries in the Kingdom of Wonder.  One of them for me is what kind of street food this guy is selling.  You see all sorts of things sold on the street, many of them foods that would not be street food in the U.S., like corn on the cob, but I’m not sure what this man is vending.  I can tell there is some shredded lettuce or similar vegetable and some other yellowish vegetable, but is that the main ingredient or just a garnish for something else?  And what is the mortar and pestle for?  He’s ladling some juice into the mortar but the end product is an unknown for me.