Colonialism, war and aid dependence in Cambodia

Cambodia is a great case for study topics such as technologies appropriation and social change. We have a country that was few decades ago the scenery of violent tensions and now is struggling to recover its lost time by joining globalization. Even we have several objections, it is true that its economy is growing and much has been done in the last ten years in Cambodia. Therefore, we need a constant flow of analysis that any policy maker shouldn’t refuse, not inscribing in any monolithic conception of development. When we talk about growth and social change, we must know the distinction behind these two terms, used as synonyms by certain sources. M. Gillis, D.H. Perkins, M. Roemer and D.R. Snodgrass (1983) give us a good definition of it: 

Long holidays, slow development

Living in a country with too many holidays like Cambodia can make us reflect in the culture of work we dream. I don’t believe Cambodians are the most lazy people on earth (Mark, 2010). I believe there are some elements in the culture we should challenge, for example, too many Cambodians like to have money, live in comfort and get it with the less effort as possible – let us blame in part the Cambodian aid dependency created by the international community throughout the last decades (see Sophal Ear, AID Dependency in Cambodia. How Foreign Assistance Undermines Democracy.) There is an authentic happiness when many of them notice holidays ahead in the calendar. A great activity to prepare themselves for feasts, carnivals and tours (ដើលើង Dae Lean), but boring to get back to work or to classes, a slow reaction to responsibilities and commitment in many. If we want a sustainable development, we need to change such holidays’ culture for an authentic culture of work.

Two overpopulation examples

To illustrate what I call the overpopulation informal fallacy, we can make a short comparison of two countries: Japan as one industrialized and Colombia as one in development. We have enough information about the Japanese profile as a global economic power. The Colombian profile is more confusing, leading very often to misconceptions and several speculations due to its fame of violence, drug cartels and guerrilla fighting for decades. I think these two very interesting countries are a good sample to demonstrate that overpopulation is a concept intended to manipulate the planet from an egocentric perspective from a privileged minority. 

The overpopulation distraction

2009 Shanghai International Auto Show. Photo by  Ridking in Commons Wikimedia.

The overpopulation concern is an informal fallacy to manipulate. By sure, several organizations and scholars could be genuinely concern about disastrous consequences for the survival of humanity in the case we overpopulate our planet. According to UN, it is likely possible to reach 9.3 billion of persons in 2050 and 10.1 billion in 2100, while some experts argue that the planet can hold 1 thousand billion persons, of course, with much objections. The certain is that the 7 billion humans we have this 2013 in Planet Earth, all could stand together in the Phnom Penh territory if we should gather all humanity for any type of global meeting.  

Environment is not a big restaurant

Many children and youth grow thinking that all animals and plants are food for humans. We should end such wrong conception. We should not be predators anymore, but protectors of our planet.

Definitely we should fight this idea that nature is a big restaurant and that we humans are the leading predators. It is just because we are in a high stage of technological development and in the exploration of the stars that our responsibility for the care of our planet should honor such advances. We should not be depredators any more if we can dominate the forces of production in a sustainable environment.

Google translate supports Khmer now

This is definitely a good news for the reduction of the digital gap in Cambodia: the Google Translate, has released the Khmer translation option that would make the Cambodian language accessible to  65 other global language. It is good to congratulate all persons and organizations working to make computers and Internet accessible to Cambodians in their own language, as well as Khmer language, the main modern branch of the Mon-Khmer linguistic family and a relative to Sanskrit and Pali accessible to the international community. It will be a benefit to students, teachers, journalists, economist, officials and everybody involved in the digital development of Cambodia. 

Let’s preserve historical remnants in Kep and everywhere

An old edification in Bokorville, another former French village at the top of the Bokor Mountain, today a place of reconstruction with big development plants. Photo Al Rodas 04.16.2010.

The upcoming Kep Expo Project is speaking very good about preservation of historical remnants in Kep Province and Cambodia. In this short documentary by Radio Australia we can see that there are people who worry about the protection of the national historical heritage. For me it would not be exaggerated to request the inclusion of Kep Town and Bokorville, as well as many other French colonial places around the country, as Unesco World Heritage Sites and there are many reasons why.   But in order to do so, it is needed an urgent plan of protection before some other groups of people without any historical conscience and the hurry for dollars, will end with the demolition of most colonial old villas of Kep. One thing we have to understand is that the Cambodian past does not end in the Angkorean period. Contrary to it, there are several remnants before and after the Angkor period that fit the complete historical picture of Cambodia.

An agricultural technical center to fight child labor in Battambang

Battambang. It is common to see several constructions sites in modern Cambodia. It is as the former war destruction is already over and everyone is building something to recover the lost time. Unfortunately, the building of schools, hospitals and community areas is much less than the fever for hotels, restaurants, casinos and resorts. Unemployed young people find easily jobs in construction this time, but in many occasions many of those workers are as young as 7 and 10 years old. In Battambang it can be also a norm to see children in construction sites and the brick factories.

Acleda Point Break

The Cambodian hot news this week was the 30 hours Hostage crisis in an Acleda Bank branch in Kampong Cham, 124 kilometers east of Phnom Penh. The event attracted all the national attention and it showed once more that cell phone companies are living a golden age since news on the spot in Cambodia are reaching a national public by SMS and we could say SMS is the Khmer Twitter so far. The news that two bank robbers took the Acleda branch office at the Stung Treng district in Kampong Cham last Tuesday (22nd January) was followed with interest and attracted security forces that surrounded the bank at the best way of a Hollywood movie. 

Cambodia, emergent market for investment, says Le Figaro

Cambodia is among the emergent world economics with positive perspectives for investment, says French newspaper Le Figaro today in its article ‘New emerging countries offer great opportunities.’ The paper follows the recommendations of US Mark Mobius, the chairman of Franklin Templeton Investments and guru of financial markets.

The 5th Kep Trade Fair 2012

Kep Province is developing its own urban traditions and its Kep Trade Fair is a good one, where traders from different Cambodian provinces come to show their products and enjoy. This year we miss Prei Sovath and the other Cambodian stars of 2011. Photo by Sur Lim 12/30/2012

Buddhism and Ecology

Image of Buddha at the main on top of the Sosir Hill shrine in Kep Province. Photo Al Rodas 2012.

The report of an European Union Delegation to Cambodia, says that ‘environmental and natural resources in Cambodia are threatened by short-sighted over-exploitation on an increasing and threatening scale. This reduces the Country’s overall natural capital, yet whilst great benefits flow to the few; equally great burdens fall on the many.’

Actually, there are thousands of pages on issues like this about Cambodia, mostly produced in English and French with some Khmer translations that few read or analyses. Most of those reports are true, of course, but they remain in archives and, in many occasions, are overlooked or despised by Cambodian leaders as arrogant meddling of Westerns.

Cambodia on its way

In 2012 Cambodia reached 14 million 952 thousand 665 persons, following the statistics of Index Mundo, which prevents that this estimate takes into account ‘the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS.’  Most Cambodians are by now 22 years old, being males younger the women. 32.2 percent of Cambodians are under 15 years old and 3.8 percent are older than 65. Cambodia continues to be a country with a very young population that is growing, though the unemployment rate is low with 0,2 percent as January 2012. In 2012 there was an estimate of 20% of Cambodians living in cities, but it is probably that such percent grew very much during the last year if we see how Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Battambang and Sihanoukville are growing so fast.

What this young man will become

 

I want to share this story I got by email about the big value to support the dreams of the young people. Support children and youth is always a great hope, not only for them, not only for a nation like Cambodia, but also a hope for yourself.

 

This is a true story that had happened in 1892 at Stanford University.
An 18-year-old student was struggling to pay his fees. He was an orphan, and not knowing where to turn for money, he came up with a bright idea.

Container turned over on ‘highway’

Another NR3 history and at the same point

PREY NUB, 31 August 2012. Container turned over on NR3 in a problematic spot on Prey Nub. Photo by Bass Saylowna (Tula)

Prey Nub. It is the same spot at National Road 3. Few days after we reported the big canyon, there were some works of reparation. Now, exactly at the same point and while I write this post, we have a big container turned over on the road. The accident was reported last Friday (08.31.2012). A truck with a container could not keep instability by passing the place and turned over on the road. Traffic by the point needs to wait about one hour, while the police controls the passing over one ‘lane’, a muddy path. Let’s see for how many days the container will stay in the place and for how many years more we are going to suffer the bad construction of NR3 (Prey Nub – Kampot.) 

Minimum wage in Cambodia

The minimum wage in Cambodia has evolved since 2010 from 61 to 66 US dollars for garment and footwear workers, while other industries do not have an established minimum wage, according to different sources. In October 2010 the minimum wage was 61 USD. According to the archive of the US government, in November 2011 ‘to help workers meet basic needs like health care, the government awarded a USD 5 per month pay raise starting in January 2012, thus bringing the minimum monthly wage up to USD 66,’ it says. The labor code 2007 amended ordered a night shift wage of 130 percent of daytime wages. Garment factories give also a 5US health allowance. Please see this source for more details about legislation on minimum wages in Cambodia.

(Information updated on 4 September 2012)

The huge NR3 hole at Prektong village was repaired

Kampot. The huge ‘canyon’ at the NR3, in Prektong Village, Tick Ta Commune, Prey Nub District (ភូមិព្រែកទង សង្កាតើទឺកថា) has been repaired, according to our observation at 5PM of today 3 August, less than 18 hours after we did this post. I wonder if it would be repaired at the same speed if it were in the Kampot territory.

 

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Spectacular canyon at the middle of National Headway 3

2 August 2012. The name National Headway 3 seems an ideal to reach than a fact. Evidently, it has improved along the last decade, but it is a very poor road. The contrast is the stunning hill headway built to reach the Bokor new casino.