Cambodians Still Stuck in Grim Poverty Despite Recent Rapid Economic Growth
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) -- The vast majority of Cambodians continue to live in poverty and lack choices for their future despite their country's rapid economic growth, according to a government report released Thursday.
Widening inequalities in incomes, child malnourishment, children dropping out of school at an early age, high maternal mortality rates and rising land conflicts are among the hardships of the rural poor, according to the Cambodia Human Development Report 2007 released on Thursday.
At the same time, the Cambodian economy has been one of the fastest growing in Asia, expanding at 11.4 percent in each of the past three years.
But "further beneath the surface of double-digit growth rates, potentially serious imbalances and challenges to recent achievements are emerging," said the report, whose research and publication was financed by the United Nations development agency, UNDP.
Other grim pictures include the fact that each year some 30,000 Cambodian children die from preventable causes such as malaria, dengue fever and diarrhea, it said.
It warned that the problems could spell "major setbacks" for Cambodian economic growth, which has so far been concentrated in urban areas.
Some 35 percent of Cambodia's 14 million people live below the national poverty line of just 1,826 riel ($0.45) a day.
Cambodia's recent economic growth has been fueled largely by the garment industry. Last year's exports were worth $2.6 billion, accounting for nearly 80 percent of total exports.
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) -- The vast majority of Cambodians continue to live in poverty and lack choices for their future despite their country's rapid economic growth, according to a government report released Thursday.
Widening inequalities in incomes, child malnourishment, children dropping out of school at an early age, high maternal mortality rates and rising land conflicts are among the hardships of the rural poor, according to the Cambodia Human Development Report 2007 released on Thursday.
At the same time, the Cambodian economy has been one of the fastest growing in Asia, expanding at 11.4 percent in each of the past three years.
But "further beneath the surface of double-digit growth rates, potentially serious imbalances and challenges to recent achievements are emerging," said the report, whose research and publication was financed by the United Nations development agency, UNDP.
Other grim pictures include the fact that each year some 30,000 Cambodian children die from preventable causes such as malaria, dengue fever and diarrhea, it said.
It warned that the problems could spell "major setbacks" for Cambodian economic growth, which has so far been concentrated in urban areas.
Some 35 percent of Cambodia's 14 million people live below the national poverty line of just 1,826 riel ($0.45) a day.
Cambodia's recent economic growth has been fueled largely by the garment industry. Last year's exports were worth $2.6 billion, accounting for nearly 80 percent of total exports.
7 comments:
NO we NEED NO EDUCATION TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN CAMBODIA.
LOOK OUR priminister Mr. Hun Sen, our House Speaker Mr. Heng Sarim, our senat president Mr. Chea Sim, Our Head (KING) of monk veneraL deasy Evl. Tep Vong!And on and on.
Most of our sucessful business bosses like Mr. Monk Rithy, Hun Choch, Hun TO, Hun ect.....
After we success we can bought our PHD from Vietname, don't you know every thing from Vietname is cheap?
the quality is not so fair but we need not use it PHD, just for decoration! and make our god Vitnamese Youn Ver happy!
And so, our Khmer Society is like a Castaway Society, isn't it? While the ingroup (government elite cronies) live well: 3 meals a day, fancy houses & cars, partying lifestyles of rich & fame, and outgroup (Khmer citizens)live under $0.45 per day a meal a day, homeless, ill/sick, desperate in all BASIC NEEDS. There no support from any of the National or Local government in Cambodia.
WE ARE THE INVISIBLE PEOPLE IN THE EYES OF THE GOVERNMENTS. The young and the old is dying one by one because Khmers are the Castaway people.
Kone Khmer
William Penn
William Penn you are too much of a Philadelphian!
The elits don't have 3 meals per day, they have at least 6 meals per day
1- break first 7AM
2-morning snack 10 AM
3-Lunch 12 noon
4-Afternoon snack 3-4 PM
5-diner 7PM
6- Souper 11-12PM
That not count the drinking party at the kARAOK!
And the poor if you dare to ask people, just about 8 miles from the city, some day they don't have even 1/2 meal.
If some one want to swear, let lightning strike the one who lie!
And do you know that some of the elite spend for one meal is equal to 100 meals for the poor? the poor eat insect and plan brother!no meat or vegetable.
NOT PLAN, LEAVES!
AND IT CLEANER THAN VEGETABLE!
Hok Lundy alone has 42 villas in Phnom Penh
Do you want one?
No matter how high economic growth is, poverty will still be issue since most of the investor (garment factory as an example) are foreigner-owned. Capital flow out of Cambodia, and Cambodian people are just workers who sell their labor for day-to-day living. Cambodian economic is still weak because we import almost all of the raw materials for productions.
One key to uplift Cambodian economics into a visible and practical is to promote digesting of local materials (agriculture) and strengthen quality control that would help Cambodia to be able to export our product independently to other countries.
What do you think?
A Khmer Student in Illinois
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