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the shanghai [exile] diaries - preview
With the previous 'Shanghai Diaries' show meaning the local authorities are after me, this 3-month sabbatical turned into an adventure. With the previous 'Shanghai Diaries' show meaning the local authorities are after me, this 3-month sabbatical turned into an... more
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'Unnecessary' dam project threatens rarest wildlife (Cambodia)
One of the world's rarest reptiles, the critically-endangered Siamese crocodile, is gravely threatened by a proposed dam in an unspoilt region of Cambodia, British conservationists warn. One of the world's rarest reptiles, the critically-endangered Siamese crocodile, is gravely threatened by a proposed dam in an un... more
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Country Fast Facts:Cambodia
Most Cambodians consider themselves to be Khmers, descendants of the Angkor Empire that extended over much of Southeast Asia and reached its zenith between the 10th and 13th centuries. Attacks by the Thai and Cham (from present-day Vietnam) weakened the empire ushering in a long period of decline. The king placed the country under French protection in 1863. Cambodia became part of French Indochina in 1887.
Following Japanese occupation in World War II, Cambodia gained full independence from France in 1953. In April 1975, after a five-year struggle, Communist Khmer Rouge forces captured Phnom Penh and evacuated all cities and towns. At least 1.5 million Cambodians died from execution, forced hardships, or starvation during the Khmer Rouge regime under POL POT.
A December 1978 Vietnamese invasion drove the Khmer Rouge into the countryside, began a 10-year Vietnamese occupation, and touched off almost 13 years of civil war. The 1991 Paris Peace Accords mandated democratic elections and a ceasefire, which was not fully respected by the Khmer Rouge.
UN-sponsored elections in 1993 helped restore some semblance of normalcy under a coalition government. Factional fighting in 1997 ended the first coalition government, but a second round of national elections in 1998 led to the formation of another coalition government and renewed political stability.
The remaining elements of the Khmer Rouge surrendered in early 1999. Some of the remaining Khmer Rouge leaders are awaiting trial by a UN-sponsored tribunal for crimes against humanity. Elections in July 2003 were relatively peaceful, but it took one year of negotiations between contending political parties before a coalition government was formed. Most Cambodians consider themselves to be Khmers, descendants of the Angkor Empire that extended over much of Southeast Asia and reach... more -
Man Faces 210-Year Sentence for Sexual Abuse of Children
"I don't want any other children to be like us," she told U.S. District Judge Dale S. Fischer through a translator. "Please don't allow this to happen again."
The girl spoke during a sentencing hearing for Michael Joseph Pepe, 55, of Oxnard, who was convicted in May of having sex with seven Cambodian girls ages 9 to 12. He faces a maximum sentence of 210 years in federal prison.
Pepe, a retired U.S. Marine captain, was working as a civilian teacher in Cambodia when he hired a prostitute to procure the children from their families in 2005 and 2006, according to testimony in the three-week trial.
The victims, six of whom were flown to the United States to testify, said Pepe drugged, bound, beat and raped them in his compound in Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital.
In addition to the victims' testimony, prosecutors showed jurors restraints, sedatives and homemade child pornography seized by Cambodian National Police during a raid of Pepe's residence in 2006.
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Full story at link. "I don't want any other children to be like us," she told U.S. District Judge Dale S. Fischer through a translator. �... more -
Storia di un corpo minato
La Cambogia era fino a pochi anni fa il primo paese al mondo per numero di mine anti-uomo presenti nel proprio territorio. Ad oggi ne restano 4 milioni. Sam è una ragazza diciannovenne che lavorando in un campo per pagarsi gli studi viene ferita da una mina. All'ospedale chirurgico internazionale di Emergency viene operata d'urgenza e nel mese successivo assistita nella convalescenza. La Cambogia era fino a pochi anni fa il primo paese al mondo per numero di mine anti-uomo presenti nel proprio territorio. Ad oggi ne ... more
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Rat meat rises in popularity as inflation hits locals
Many Cambodians already believed rat meat to be a great source of protein and a tasty little snack when gathered together drinking, but the popularity of the meat really began to increase when beef hit around $10 a pound. Many Cambodians already believed rat meat to be a great source of protein and a tasty little snack when gathered together drinking, bu... more
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Remnants of War
Around the world, thousands of innocent civilians are killed each year by landmines and unexploded ordnance. None-profit organizations like Golden West Humanitarian Foundation tackle the problem head on by educating local populations about landmine safety and by providing technological solutions for the removal of landmines and unexploded ordnance. Around the world, thousands of innocent civilians are killed each year by landmines and unexploded ordnance. None-profit organizations... more
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Lil' Skrappy Boy
Jimmy grew up on the hard streets of Long Beach. This pod follows Jimmy's life changing decision to quit a Cambodian gang and we see as is initiated into the possibility of hope for a better future. Jimmy grew up on the hard streets of Long Beach. This pod follows Jimmy's life changing decision to quit a Cambodian gang and we... more
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Buying Back My Daughter
A Cambodian mother tries to buy her daughter back from the brothel she has sold her to. This searing and true documentary film shows the industry of sex-trafficking from three different sides - from the girls deceived and sold into slavery, showing as well the seller's and the buyer's reality. A 3:43 min trailer by zealot films Aug 22, 2008. A Cambodian mother tries to buy her daughter back from the brothel she has sold her to. This searing and true documentary film shows t... more
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Condom lubricant cures acne
A condom lubricant designed for sex workers and gay men has become a popular acne cure among female Cambodians, women in the capital have said.
Number One Plus, a water-based lubricant produced by health organisation Population Services International (PSI), is an excellent cure for acne, 29-year-old vendor Tep Kemyoeurn told news agencies.
"After I used it for three days, all of my acne dried up and went away," she said. "Many people believe in it," she added.
Khen Vanny, 29, from Phnom Penh, said women of all ages have taken to using the lubricant to get rid of spots.
"It is very effective. Some people don't believe in it but people who do really get a good result," she said, adding: "My youngest sister and my aunt use it too."
Another woman told Khmer-language Kampuchea Thmey newspaper that she had used many kinds of medicine to treat acne but none had worked.
"After that my friends, who work at garment factories in Phnom Penh, advised me to apply the lubricant from Number One Plus condoms on my face every night," she told the paper.
"And just within three to four nights, the acne on my face gradually and then totally disappeared," she added.
A vendor near a factory in the coastal city of Sihanoukville told the newspaper that she sold packets of Number One Plus lubricant for 500 riels (12 cents) to many women every day.
The paper urged experts to conduct research about the phenomenon.
PSI were not immediately available for comment on the apparent cosmetic benefits of their product. A condom lubricant designed for sex workers and gay men has become a popular acne cure among female Cambodians, women in the capital h... more -
The Darkside Of Donuts
Theres a darkside to donuts kid, right there in San Francisco. Join beekeeper Jon Rolston and listen to his thoughts on donut shops after midnight. Theres a darkside to donuts kid, right there in San Francisco. Join beekeeper Jon Rolston and listen to his thoughts on donut shops a... more
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Remnants of War
Around the world, thousands of innocent civilians are killed each year by landmines and unexploded ordnance. Non-profit organizations like Golden West Humanitarian Foundation tackle the problem head on by educating local populations about landmine safety and by providing technological solutions for the removal of landmines and unexploded ordnance. Around the world, thousands of innocent civilians are killed each year by landmines and unexploded ordnance. Non-profit organizations ... more
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Rat meat in demand in Cambodia as inflation bites
The price of rat meat has quadrupled in Cambodia this year as inflation has put other meat beyond the reach of poor people, officials said on Wednesday.
With consumer price inflation at 37 percent according to the latest central bank estimate, demand has pushed a kilogram of rat meat up to around 5,000 riel (69 pence) from 1,200 riel last year.
Spicy field rat dishes with garlic thrown in have become particularly popular at a time when beef costs 20,000 riel a kg.
Officials said rats were fleeing to higher ground from flooded areas of the lower Mekong Delta, making it easier for villagers to catch them.
"Many children are happy making some money from selling the animals to the markets, but they keep some for their family," Ly Marong, an agriculture official, said by telephone from the Koh Thom district on the border with Vietnam.
"Not only are our poor eating it, but there is also demand from Vietnamese living on the border with us."
He estimated that Cambodia supplied more than a tonne of live rats a day to Vietnam.
Rats are also eaten widely in Thailand, while a state government in eastern India this month encouraged its people to eat. The price of rat meat has quadrupled in Cambodia this year as inflation has put other meat beyond the reach of poor people, officials ... more -
Cambodians eat rats to beat global food crisis
Spicy field rat dishes with garlic increasingly seen on menus as boom in sales increases rodent prices four-fold
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Cambodia: Sex workers, 100% condom use and human rights
Cambodian sex workers have taken to the internet to make their plight and fight for human rights better known. In Cambodia, a 100% condom use law which states that sexual exchanges with clients have to take place with condoms on sounds like a good idea, but it has been turned against those it is supposed to protect, by being used as a means to imprison sex workers, using the fact that they carry condoms with them as evidence for them doing sex work. Sex workers arrested are sent to “rehabilitation” centers that are basically prisons, where women are held in communal cells with no bathrooms or running water, hardly receive food or water, some are beaten and raped, and are denied Anti-retroviral drug treatment for HIV positive women.
The Asia Pacific Network of Sex Workers has a series of studies of the perceived results and effects of the 100% Condom Use Program according to sex workers in different countries, such as Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar. You can also see the video the have uploaded on their Blip.tv channel Sex Workers Present, where a comprehensive video with explanations of the implications of the 100% condom use program, interviews with women who have been arrested or sent to “rehabilitation” facilities where no type of education or training is received, and how these programs that connect condom use exclusively with sex workers are not going to be able to impact HIV and STI propagation among the rest of the population. The Asia pacific Network of Sex Workers recently won the 2008 international Award for Action on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights at the International AIDS conference in Mexico City the first week of August. The organization was founded in 1994 and has been working with sex workers on health and human rights along with other organizations and groups such as Empower Thailand, Sweetly Japan, Pink Triangle Malaysia, the Scarlet Alliance Australia and Sonagachi. Cambodian sex workers have taken to the internet to make their plight and fight for human rights better known. In Cambodia, a 100% con... more -
CAMBODIA: Freshwater fish resources under increasing pressure
Each year, between July and October, Cambodia's Tonle Sap river, swollen by monsoon rain and excess flow from the nearby Mekong River, reverses its course. As water pours back into Cambodia's Great Lake, swelling its size by over four times, the flood-plain is transformed into a vast breeding ground for over 250 species of fish - a vital source of livelihoods and sustenance for Cambodia's rural poor.
But population growth and economic development in the Mekong basin are threatening fish resources, according to scientists, who say the country's food security could be hanging in the balance.
"This is one of the most intensely fished freshwater areas in the world," said Eric Baran, a research scientist at the World Fish Center, an international fisheries research institute. "The 2.6 million tonnes of fish caught annually in the Mekong basin represent seven times more than the catches of the North American inland fisheries sector and more than 10 times the entire [inland] fish catch in Australia."
But population growth and increased fish consumption is straining Great Lake's fish resources. "Between 1940 and 1995, fish production increased twofold, but population increased threefold," he said. "We are close to a maximum level of production, but the population keeps growing," Baran said.
So Nam, deputy director of the Cambodian government's Inland Fisheries Research and Development Institute, told IRIN: "Population growth is the main concern. Although the catch is now 400,000 tonnes per year," he said, "most of the [fish] are small sized."
The trend to smaller fish was also observed in River At Risk, a 2004 report by Milton Osborne, [] who noted the "regular complaints from [Great Lake] fishers about the difficulty of catching their desired quantities of fish."
Cambodia's heavy reliance on freshwater fish as a source of protein makes it particularly vulnerable to fluctuations in production, said Baran.
"[Cambodia] is a country where fish production is three times pig production and 20 times chicken production. If it loses fisheries, the agriculture sector will not be able to catch up," he said.
Illegal fishing
A rise in illegal fishing due to collaboration between outlaw anglers and local officials, is also a growing problem. Nao Thuok, director of the Cambodian Fisheries Administration, said the law was difficult to enforce in a country as reliant on fish as Cambodia. "Families can fish year round," he said. "But the [2006] Fisheries Law only enables them to use small-scale fishing gear. The problem is that families complain they cannot survive and are using larger gear in the spawning season."
To combat illegal fishing and encourage the long-term sustainability of Cambodia's freshwater fisheries, the government has devolved decision-making powers and enforcement to the local level.
Education, capacity building
According to So Nam, the central Fisheries Administration is focusing its efforts on educating fishermen about the challenges of sustainable development. "Education is very important. One of the aims is to strengthen the community by building the capacity of the community, teaching people to do their management, their conservation and their planning," So Nam told IRIN*continues* Each year, between July and October, Cambodia's Tonle Sap river, swollen by monsoon rain and excess flow from the nearby Mekong R... more -
Thais accused over new temple row
Cambodia has accused Thai troops of occupying a temple complex on Cambodian land, threatening to escalate a row over a separate, disputed temple.
About 70 Thais have been at the 13th Century Ta Moan temple complex since Thursday, the Cambodians say.
The Thai foreign ministry says it is not aware of the latest allegations.
The two nations have for weeks been locked in a military stand-off over disputed land around the ancient Preah Vihear temples, further east. Cambodia has accused Thai troops of occupying a temple complex on Cambodian land, threatening to escalate a row over a separate, dispu... more -
From The Killing Fields and S-21 Torture Prison
This summer I found myself in Phnom Penh, Cambodia... meeting with all sorts of aid workers and visiting historical sites. Two of the sites that had the most impact on me, two of the most infamous sites in Cambodia and southeast Asia, were the killing fields and the S-21 torture prison. This is my video entry about those visits. This summer I found myself in Phnom Penh, Cambodia... meeting with all sorts of aid workers and visiting historical sites. Two of the... more
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Cambodian sex trade
Shocking and heart-rending secret footage takes us into the heart of Cambodia's child sex trade. We see girls as young as ten offered for sex, and uncover a web of corruption that shows little remorse.
Chanting 'yum yum', the slang for oral sex, girls clamour for attention in a back streets brothel. They are ten years old. "Cambodian men believe that having sex with virgins boosts their sexual appetite, their strength, their integrity," explains Mu Sochua, Minister for Women's Affairs. Sunremita was tricked by her mother into prostitution to make money for her sick relatives. But the proliferation of child prostitutes is down to more than just poverty -- rife corruption also compounds the problem. In Svey Pak, police storm a brothel. A few girls are collected, but pimps and owners are left in peace. "For every single hour that [the brothels] operate the police are paid to let them," states Sochua. Even when paedophiles are arrested, it seems easy to escape justice. Photos of padlocks locked around the genitals of a 13-year old boy clearly show sexual abuse. But the French national accused walked away from court free, despite photos and the testimony of ten boys. Pol Pot tried deliberately to destroy the family; greed and corruption will hopefully not finish the job. Shocking and heart-rending secret footage takes us into the heart of Cambodia's child sex trade. We see girls as young as ten off... more -
In Cambodia, land seizures push thousands of the poor into homelessness
When the monsoon rain pours through Mao Sein's torn thatch roof, she pulls a straw sleeping mat over herself and her three small children and waits until it stops.
She and her children sit on a low table as floodwater rises, bringing with it the sewage that runs along the mud paths outside their shack.
Mao Sein, 34, was resettled by the government here in an empty field two years ago, when the police raided the squatters' colony where she lived in Phnom Penh, the capital, 12 miles away.
She is a widow and a scavenger. The area where she lives has no clean water or electricity, no paved roads or permanent buildings. But there is land to live on, and that has drawn scores of new homeless families to settle here, squatting among the squatters.
With its shacks and its sewage, Andong looks very much like the refugee camps that were home to those who were forced from their homes by the brutal Communist Khmer Rouge three decades ago.
Like tens of thousands of people around the country, those living here are victims of what experts say has become the most serious human rights abuse in the country: land seizures that lead to evictions and homelessness.
"Expropriation of the land of Cambodia's poor is reaching a disastrous level," Basil Fernando, executive director of the Asian Human Rights Commission in Hong Kong, a private monitoring group, said in December. "The courts are politicized and corrupt, and impunity for human rights violators remains the norm."
With the economy on the rise, land is being seized for logging, agriculture, mining, tourism and fisheries, and in Phnom Penh, soaring land prices have touched off what one official called a frenzy of land grabs by the rich and powerful. The seizures can be violent, including late-night raids by the police and military. Sometimes, shanty neighborhoods burn down, apparently victims of arson.
"They came at 2 a.m.," said Ku Srey, 37, who was evicted with Mao Sein and most of their neighbors in June 2006.
"They were vicious," Ku Srey said of the police and soldiers who evicted her.
"They had electric batons" — and she imitated the sound made by the devices: "chk-chk-chk-chk." She said, "They pushed us into trucks, they threw all our stuff into trucks and they brought us here."
In a report in February, Amnesty International estimated that 150,000 people around the country were now at risk of forcible eviction as a result of land disputes, land seizures and new development projects.
These include 4,000 families who live around a lake in the center of Phnom Penh, Boeung Kak Lake, which is the city's main catchment for monsoon rains and is being filled in for upscale development.
**article continues, click link to read** When the monsoon rain pours through Mao Sein's torn thatch roof, she pulls a straw sleeping mat over herself and her three small ... more
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Cambodia
