Saturday, September 15, 2007By Seyha
Sralanh Khmer newspaper
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
The economy in Cambodia has made significant progress, especially in the gambling casinos industry. Rich businessmen who came to invest in Cambodia, all received proper authorizations from the government. However, there are hundreds and thousands of small gambling parlors that the government considers as being illegal, and this week, Keat Chhon’s Ministry of Economy and Finance issued a ruling to conduct raids against these illegal gambling parlors. This is a good action taken by Keat Chhon.
Nevertheless, the big casinos are sprouting up like mushrooms at the beginning of the season, along all border entry gates between Cambodia and its neighbors, for example in Poipet, Banteay Meanchey, Pailin, O’Smach (in Oddar Meanchey province) next to Thailand; Bavet (in Svay Rieng province) and Chrey Thom (Kandal province) next to the Vietnamese border, all have brand new casinos to welcome all nationality guests, at all time of the day, as well as Cambodian guests.
Among the many casinos dotting these border gates, the majority of employees are Cambodian, and Cambodian government officials boasted that these casinos create jobs for several thousands of our Cambodian youth. But, in fact, these casinos are seriously destroying the honor and the Cambodian culture instead, because their employees are being looked down at, especially women employees who are forced to wear indecent clothes to show off their bodies in order to attract the (male) customers.
In addition to forcing them to wear indecent western-style clothes, a source from the Las Vegas Casino in Bavet which is owned by Koreans, indicated that the Korean owners are forcing women employees to wear Vietnamese dress (the “ao-dai”) to serve customers. Women who refuse to wear the Vietnamese dress are kicked out from their jobs. Because the majority of young Cambodian women in this region do not have work, they are forced to accept to wear Vietnamese dresses, with great reluctance, to serve the customers.
When asked why this casino forced Cambodian women to wear Vietnamese clothes, even though it is located well within Cambodian territory, the young women employees told Sralanh Khmer that it is mainly because the majority of the casino’s customers are Vietnamese who cross to border to come to gamble. Everyday, the casino counts a small number of customers who are Chinese, Korean, or Thai, but the majority of them are Vietnamese from Vietnam and from abroad.
However, at the Macao Casino and a number of other casinos in Bavet, there is no rule forcing Cambodian workers to dress up in Vietnamese dress like the rule imposed by the Las Vegas Casino at all, even though the owners of the Macao Casino are also Korean.
In another case, servers at the Faroma Club located near the Veal Vong commune, 7 Makara district, Phnom Penh city, have asked Cambodian leaders, in particular Kep Chuktema, the Phnom Penh governor, to help teach this club owner to allow his employees to wear decent clothes also.
Several of the Faroma Club servers complained to Sralanh Khmer yesterday that the owner of the Club should not order the servers to wear very short and revealing sexy dresses to attract customers.
These women servers said that they were forced to wear revealing dress that almost make their chest bare naked, and they were also forced to wear micro mini-skirts to attract customers. These women said that women working in casinos are being used for their beauty to attract customers.
Even though they put in very long hours in these casinos, their earning is still very little. These women workers said that even though their salary is very low, they only ask that the owners do not force them to wear indecent clothes. It is interesting to note that gambling clubs like the Ly Lay, Peace Hotel, Phnom Penh Casino, the owners do not force the servers to wear indecent clothes like the Faroma Club does. Therefore, the upper echelon, and Kep Chuktema, in particular, should look after the owner of the Faroma Club, so that its foreign owner and the casino’s customers would not look down on Cambodian women any more.
Nevertheless, the big casinos are sprouting up like mushrooms at the beginning of the season, along all border entry gates between Cambodia and its neighbors, for example in Poipet, Banteay Meanchey, Pailin, O’Smach (in Oddar Meanchey province) next to Thailand; Bavet (in Svay Rieng province) and Chrey Thom (Kandal province) next to the Vietnamese border, all have brand new casinos to welcome all nationality guests, at all time of the day, as well as Cambodian guests.
Among the many casinos dotting these border gates, the majority of employees are Cambodian, and Cambodian government officials boasted that these casinos create jobs for several thousands of our Cambodian youth. But, in fact, these casinos are seriously destroying the honor and the Cambodian culture instead, because their employees are being looked down at, especially women employees who are forced to wear indecent clothes to show off their bodies in order to attract the (male) customers.
In addition to forcing them to wear indecent western-style clothes, a source from the Las Vegas Casino in Bavet which is owned by Koreans, indicated that the Korean owners are forcing women employees to wear Vietnamese dress (the “ao-dai”) to serve customers. Women who refuse to wear the Vietnamese dress are kicked out from their jobs. Because the majority of young Cambodian women in this region do not have work, they are forced to accept to wear Vietnamese dresses, with great reluctance, to serve the customers.
When asked why this casino forced Cambodian women to wear Vietnamese clothes, even though it is located well within Cambodian territory, the young women employees told Sralanh Khmer that it is mainly because the majority of the casino’s customers are Vietnamese who cross to border to come to gamble. Everyday, the casino counts a small number of customers who are Chinese, Korean, or Thai, but the majority of them are Vietnamese from Vietnam and from abroad.
However, at the Macao Casino and a number of other casinos in Bavet, there is no rule forcing Cambodian workers to dress up in Vietnamese dress like the rule imposed by the Las Vegas Casino at all, even though the owners of the Macao Casino are also Korean.
In another case, servers at the Faroma Club located near the Veal Vong commune, 7 Makara district, Phnom Penh city, have asked Cambodian leaders, in particular Kep Chuktema, the Phnom Penh governor, to help teach this club owner to allow his employees to wear decent clothes also.
Several of the Faroma Club servers complained to Sralanh Khmer yesterday that the owner of the Club should not order the servers to wear very short and revealing sexy dresses to attract customers.
These women servers said that they were forced to wear revealing dress that almost make their chest bare naked, and they were also forced to wear micro mini-skirts to attract customers. These women said that women working in casinos are being used for their beauty to attract customers.
Even though they put in very long hours in these casinos, their earning is still very little. These women workers said that even though their salary is very low, they only ask that the owners do not force them to wear indecent clothes. It is interesting to note that gambling clubs like the Ly Lay, Peace Hotel, Phnom Penh Casino, the owners do not force the servers to wear indecent clothes like the Faroma Club does. Therefore, the upper echelon, and Kep Chuktema, in particular, should look after the owner of the Faroma Club, so that its foreign owner and the casino’s customers would not look down on Cambodian women any more.
16 comments:
In banks, restaurants, bars, hotels, in most of the mordern businesses, people have to wear defined uniforms to be recognized as a staff and not a client.
I personnally think there is nothing wrong for any employer in Cambodian to ask his staff to wear a specific uniform for working, as long as it is decent. Wearing indecent clothing (how to define indecent?) may cause harrassment to the staff or hint to the fact that the staff are used in some prostitution ring.
But it is unacceptable that these girls are asked to wear cloths hardly covering their body, which are more suitable for prostitutes than for hostesses of a respectable Casino.
If what bother the writer of the article is that it is Vietnamese cloth, well, it's not forbidden to my knowledge to wear Vietnamese, Western or Chinese cloths, and every worker is probably well informed about the requirement of the job. People who accept the rules get the job, people who don't want to wear these cloths are not forced to wear them, and can quit the job. If a girl was showing up in Lucky Burger wearing a BB World Uniform, that wouldn't be accepted, would it?
Now, if some Ministry try to impose a traditional Khmer clothing to every waitress in Cambodia, it would be seen by the international community as an unwelcome nationalist move, and would probabaly have negative consequences for the country.
Moreover, starting with Vietnamese clothing, it could end up in the banning of every western-style clothing, shoes, ties, haircut, make up, whatever! It is usually in countries such as Iran or Afghanistan that you meet that kind of restrictive laws. Not in a progressive country such as Cambodia! ;-)
the dress each emloyee ware is the uniform to recognize the staff not the costumer, so these uniforms normally has it own design based on the concept or style of each establishement but somehow the design have to be reflect in the traditiona or culture of the country, for example, of a foregner campany build a hotel in cambodia, they will design the uniform for emloyee in Cambodian tradition, if this campany build hotel in Vietnam they wil design the uniform for there employee who mostly Vietnamese the traditional dress of vietnam, but if campany build hotel in Cambodian and employee are Cambodian but waring Vietnamese traditional dress as their uniform i think it is not right.
It doesn't matter. The casino is in Cambodian soil. What is Cambodian government doing? Are they really close their eyes to let this happens deeper and deeper. Soon or later this will happen in Poipet too. Better stop it when the iron is still bendable. Hun Sen needs to wake up!!!
I agreed wit you 05:40 PM in the modern world it doesn't matter for the requirement with their Uniform,but for Cambodia at this time they have to be nationalism in their hearts or they have to educate their own people ,because Cambodia now it is not safe to The Vietnam. Cambodia will lose their land because of Vietnam ambition greed, so to reduce the speed of invasion like tradition,culture,civilization not to be influent by those oppressors. So by protecting their culture,tradition,religion,language it mean help to protect their country. This is not a racist comment
but the Casino owner is go to far.
I think soon or later, Bun Rany/A kwak Hun Sen have to wear Vietnamese traditional cloths just like casino staffs too....is that a modern day!!!!!!!!!!
Mr./Ms. The observer,
Your obersvation stinks. Why? It's on cambodian's land. Casino's uniform is one thing but Viernamese traditional long robe uniform as showed on the picture...that's just plain everything's Vietnamese. So Mr./Ms. The oberserver, take that and shove it up you know where...
Kaiak
Several countries gave much money to the governemant to help poor cambodians. The government must use these money to create jobs. Gambling is not good for people , it can make them poor.
Those bad buisnessman must leave Cambodia or they will be killed for justice of our country.
wake up hun sen? that faggot works for the Yuon. don't expect him to do anything about this, he probably endorses it. That A-hole wants to shut down the KR Tribunal because he knows he'll be indicted, as he should be and put to death.
this isn't just a small issue of whether or not they need decent uniforms, of course the need decent uniforms, but why Yuon clothing? couldn't they hire some local fabric makers to make some traditional Khmer clothing? besides that, all of this is just an attempt to take over our heritage, land and traditions...if you can't see that you're either blind or you work for hun sen.
btw sihanuk owes it to the freaking Khmer people to inform them about the past. but that's another topic for another thread.
Yeah there all kinds of Uniform that the owner of this casino can provide to it employee, but not this styles because this symbol or style we Cambodian already know the symbol and the style that we lose Kampuchear krom ,kampuchea center and Cham lose Champa, Even if Hun Sen sold his head out to Viet but we are all Cambodian still love our culture and our land so do not force us to do what we are seeing worst for our culture.
We are demanding if the casino owner are not preserving our culture do not be the destroyer.
Thanks you
About last year,I'd heard about this incident before that they ban khmer employee not to speak khmer language in that casinon.now this crazy vietcong dress stuff!this is not about put there employee to work,it's about representing the vietcong cultural here!!the casino owner should no better.a pretty girl would look good in any dress,so why do they put there employee to dress in a vietcong uniform?when they know better that are thousand of all kinds of uniform they can pick from.this shit is an insult to khmer nation.fist it's was thai,and vietcong,now this korean shit.who next?I'd hatred all black headed Asain people.except the Japanese and Cambodia people.
This is pure insult to the Khmer culture and heartless exploitation of the poor Cambodian girls by the rogue business elite in Cambodia with the support of the Hun Sen government. It's got nothing to do with good morale business. This issue has political message as well as imperialistic mind.
For some western observers or foreigners they will never understand the issues between Khmer and Vietnam. Why the Khmer always dislike and suspicious of the Vietnamese? They (westerners) always and tend to accuse the Khmer of making racist remarks (or being nationalist) when the Khmer speak out against the Vietnamese. In fact they (westerners) themselves are hypocrites, secretly seeking a white dominant world.
Foreigner investors create jobs.
I agree with that. But does these investors invest in Cambodia more than the donors (700 millions US this year). I think these donors never insist that cambodian's people to wear UN or NGO dresses or else.
The main thing is that this government said that they need money. How come they have so many Okgnar (LORD) in Cambodia? Maybe these lords use to steal money from the donors.
And Hun Sen say that the government spending is only around 1.3 billion a year. I think with tax fuel, cars, and exportation are already more than 1.3 billion a year. If my point of view is false, how come most of the duty chief inspectors are so rich ? How come those people with the salaries of 300 us a month can buy a villa?
Just one simple example in Kampong Spoeu, a guy use to work for the rural development (the one with rumors that he have sale the equipment of the government, from RFA) have just build a villa, in 2006), near the prison S-21 (tuol sleng)!
There are million and million of tourists from all walk of life travel by airplane and they have witnessed how those stewardess dress up which are universally accept by the world over. So I recommend those Cambodian women use airline uniform which is sexier than the Vietcong uniform!
I suggest those korean guys to do the same thing in Thailand. I am sure they do this thing to Cambodia only because we are poor and our government is not with us.
khmer people, we all now know what going on. please educate each other about this and especially our younger generation. please don't just read this stuff and not passing it around. we all need to stick together some how and speak up against oppression like this and any other form.
Thank you very much my friend. I get many information because of your article.
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