Original report from Phnom Penh
05 September 2008
More than 130 Cambodian deminers who were sent on a UN mission to the African nation of Sudan have not received a segment of their pay, soldiers said Friday.
The 135 soldiers, who returned from their mission in June, are missing around $297 each, for a total of $40,095 in missing funding.
Defense officials said Friday they were waiting for money from the UN in New York.
"I'm missing nine days of payment from 380 days," said one soldier, who asked not to be named. The UN had sponsored the mission, he said, had had given money to the Cambodian side. "Until now, we have not been paid."
All the soldiers had made a complaint to the Cambodian unexploded ordnance unit of the Ministry of Defense, he said. "But we have not received any solution."
Lt. Gen. Sem Sovanny, commander of the UXO unit, said Friday he had not yet received all the money from the UN, referring questions to Nip Sambath, an adviser to Minister of Defense Gen. Tea Banh.
Nip Sambath said he did not believe there was a problem. However, he said he would investigate further.
The 135 soldiers, who returned from their mission in June, are missing around $297 each, for a total of $40,095 in missing funding.
Defense officials said Friday they were waiting for money from the UN in New York.
"I'm missing nine days of payment from 380 days," said one soldier, who asked not to be named. The UN had sponsored the mission, he said, had had given money to the Cambodian side. "Until now, we have not been paid."
All the soldiers had made a complaint to the Cambodian unexploded ordnance unit of the Ministry of Defense, he said. "But we have not received any solution."
Lt. Gen. Sem Sovanny, commander of the UXO unit, said Friday he had not yet received all the money from the UN, referring questions to Nip Sambath, an adviser to Minister of Defense Gen. Tea Banh.
Nip Sambath said he did not believe there was a problem. However, he said he would investigate further.
4 comments:
Why Cambodians become materialistic?
Yesterday, KFC security guards took my old motorcyle out of the shade even though there were many books under the rain.
They prefered to put new motorycle without any books under the shade? That's how Kith Meng teach his staff to do that?
So unfair!
Cambodians become materialistic just because the western influence. Before the western culture conquered Cambodia, we lived with our traditional live, even though it was primitive but we had the happiness because we didn't have much competion and temptation.
However, when the western culture flowed in, they tought us how useful the technology was, and how much we could benefit from those advanced technology they created such as cars, guns and canons.
Then we started to admire those technologies and wanted to 'enjoy' them by strarting to work hard and learn from those 'Ba Rang'. Even many of us became very proud of serving and wroking for those 'Ba Rang'. Then more competions coming in, and then conflicts and distruction and backwards and social unstability and now the obvious discrimination.
Looking back at those our Cambodian eldly in rural areas who are still maintaining our tradition, they didn't know how to drive a car, they didn't know how to use a computer, but looking at their faces they are still very happy, becaue they are away from temptation. They have difference perception to us who live in the high-tech. We see the death caused by poor medical infrastucture as unacceptable and we are unhaapy with the current situation; While they see it as rational which can be explained by their belief of buddhism, they still live with it.
Life satisfaction is not about technology. Let look at our world today, the US was the first who convinced people that the big and fuel gazzling cars are more comfortable and safer than the smaller one. Then what happen, more fuel consumption to feed the cars which make us confortable, digging more holes to get oil out from wherever they can by ignoring the sacrifice of future, when the oil price reach a level that is too high and can not be sustanable, another new idea from the US again is Bio-fuel, then what happen again? clearing land up for more agriculture poducts for Ethanol fuel, then food prices go up.
Every one find it hard again to feed their families just like the US today, they work very hard just get it enough to enjoy their cars, pay their bills for the houses and utility, which entirely different to those rural life in Cambodia that only one person works will be enough to feed the entire family although the life is still primitive.
No good or bad, just the matter of perception, But our perception can change by the environment around us. However, sofar we still can not change the planet we still need the earth.
Greedy Cambodians, fighting for just such small amount.
Damn corrupted UN!
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