Friday, May 15, 2009

Cambodia's rats welcomed by Vietnamese gourmets

Live rats are stored awaiting transport to Vietnam at Chrey Thom district in Kandal province, 65km (40 miles) south of Phnom Penh near the Cambodia-Vietnam border, May 15, 2009. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea
A boy shows off a rat he caught at Khos Thom district in Kandal province, 65km (40 miles) south of Phnom Penh near the Cambodia-Vietnam border, May 15 ,2009. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

2009-05-15
Xinhua

PHNOM PENH - Vietnam has become the main importer of Cambodia's rats with 50 tons of rats being imported through the checkpoints along the border everyday, local media reported on Friday.

"We are working in the rice fields during the day and catching the rat at night. We can catch about 10 kg to 20 kg rats every night, " the Chinese language newspaper Cambodia Sin Chew Daily quoted a young rat trader as saying. The rat traders could sell them at border for about 3,000 riel (about 75 cents) to 4,000 riel (about $1.00) per kilo.

At the Chrey Thom border checkpoint, immigration police officer Roeun Narin said there was regular stream of middlemen in the rat-meat trade crossing the border, and he knew of more rat-trading at other checkpoints along the border.

Leh, the rat trader in the town of Chrey Thom, by the Vietnamese border, said she buys about one ton of rats per day during April and May from middlemen who bring the rodents from Cambodia's Kandal, Kompong Cham and Takeo provinces. From November to March the haul usually drops to between 300 and 400 kg per day, she said.

Every day there are more than 30 Vietnamese middlemen waiting at the border checkpoints to purchase the rat from Cambodia, an online Vietnamese media outlet reported. The rat sales at the checkpoint of Vietnam's An Giang province alone has reached to about 50 tons in recent days, the officials of Vietnam were quoted as saying.

"Most Cambodians only know a few ways to cook it, but in Vietnam they know many dishes, such as soups, curries and fried rat," Chhoeun, another middleman said. Vietnamese enjoy the small rice-field rats, as they think they are natural.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

So Cambodia is the world rat producer now ?.OMG.

Anonymous said...

During the KR regime rat meat was a precious food. I had survived this hell regime thank to the rat.

Anonymous said...

I don't have any judgement to people who eat rat meat.
I too survived the KR regime thank to the rat, and not to the so-called 7Junuary 1979 which was just a coincidence and a pretext for Vietnam to colonize and swallow Cambodia.

you orn said...

The raison for the invasion is the delicious rat meat. The viets have to paye for it now.

Anonymous said...

នៅក្នុងជុំនាន់ពលពតមានតែកណ្តុរនេះហើយ
ធ្វើជាម្ហូបសម្រាប់ខ្មែររាប់លាននាក់បរិភោគ។
មានតែខ្មែរមួយចំនួនទេដែលនៅបរទេសពុំដែលដឹងនៅរឿងហ្នឹង។ម្ប៉ាងវិញទៀតដឹងអំពីរបបខ្មែរក្រហមបានធ្វើបាបពលរដ្ធខ្មែររាប់លាននាក់ក៏ដោយសារខ្មែរបានរួចរណ្តោះពីរបបខ្មែរក្រហមប្រាប់ដែរ។ប្រជាពលរដ្ធខ្មែររាប់លាននាក់មិនដែលភ្លេចរបប
ប្រល័យពូជសាសខ្មែរក្រហមទេមានតែប្រពលរដ្ធ
ខ្មែរដែលកើតក្រោយឆ្នាំ១៩៧៩ទេដែលភ្លេចរបបខ្មែរក្រហមហើយនឹងពលរដ្ធខ្មែរ
ដែលលោកពុំដែលបានជួបប្រទះនៅរបបហ្នឹង។
ហើយនឹងខ្មែរនយោបាយខ្លះនៅបរទេសភ្លេចរបបហ្នឹង។

Anonymous said...

Be alert, the rats are becoming an endangered specy in Cambodia. Ha ha, just joking.

Rat meat is nutritious indeed.

Anonymous said...

From now on,Cambodia doesn't need pest control or rat poison anymore,just catch them and sell them to the vietnameses for profit.Way to go Cambodians.It give me a goose bump just to look at it.

Anonymous said...

Firstly, my hat go off to all the Khmer compatriots, scholars, intellectuals, and the Khmers around the world in and outside the Khmer Empire nation, who's tirelesly to helps fought for Khmer Krom to reach our independent in the near future.

Secondly, this coming June the fourth Khmer Krom and Khmer around the world will commemorated and observed the lost of Kampuchea Krom 60th aniversaries. To all Khmer around the world, please help participates in this events by seeking the information from Khmer Krom representative everywhere in your community.

Thirdly, my respectfully goes to the team of KI-Media. So far your team had done a tremendous job for the Khmer benefits and keep up the good works.

Fourthly, to all Khmer abroad please bring back The Fourth Factions or Paris Peace Accord unity strategy models.In the early ninety the only Youn pullout from Cambodia because we Khmers had united. Back then king Seyhanouk had all the power, popularity and was incharged. Every body respected him from Khmer perspective and the international community perspective. If I were him I would use this power and popularity to declare to the world community that the Khmer people still under the supression, aggression of Youn and Seam. In doing so, his reputations and credibility will be installed next to the Great Khmer King Jayavarman VII.
In the case of Kampuchea Krom, if we use this exact models we Khmer will once again liberated Kampuchea Krom from the Youn iron grips.And possibly Khmer Krom can declare their independent or reannexed to Cambodia who knows.

Respectively your,

Khmer Empire

Anonymous said...

rats are good food supply for zoo animals and crocodile farms, etc... me, personally, i wouldn't rat eat even if they pay me, worse dogs and cats. i think some people are gross to eat rats; it's not like they still starving or something like during the KR stupid regime. nowadays, i'd rather eat hamburger and hot dog and pizza, spagghetti, rice, noodle, etc, etc..., no rat meat for me. yucking!

Anonymous said...

Hey 2:22AM,So you're not a rat eater ha.Make sure you stay away from Vietnam,because they may make a ratburger,rat hotdog,rat meat ball for spagghetti for you.

Anonymous said...

IT MIGHT BE DISCUSTING TO SOMEONE, BUT IT'S A DELICATESY TO OTHER.

BE POSITIVE PEOPLE...BE POSITIVE...
LET SALE RATS KHMERS! LET SALE SOME TO THAIS TOO. THEREFORE, THEY HAVE SOME SNACKS TO CHEW ON INSTEAD OF ONE ANOTHER IN BANGKOK.

VICTORY TO KHMERS,

Anonymous said...

(2:22)
Due to your stupid remark, I couldn't help but to insert my profound opinion.
Perhaps, you have a choice and they don't?
Hot dog/hamburger? Check Nutrition Fact and your cholesterol lately?

Anonymous said...

FUCK THE KI, THESE FUCKERS ARE ALSO ROTTEN RATS EATERS, TOO. YES, FUCK THE KI MEMBERS.