Firefighters attempt to douse Monday’s blaze. (Photo by: HENG CHIVOAN)Thursday, 24 September 2009
Veasna Adrian Hoy
Letter to The Phnom Penh Post
Dear Editor,
I am writing in regards to the misleading front-page image of a firefighter valiantly putting out a fire (September 22).
For eyewitnesses and victims of this fire, the firefighters did not partake in any heroic act or, at the very least, adequately fulfill their jobs as public servants.
Normally, the primary objective of firefighters is to act swiftly in a response to an emergency situation when and where the safety of the public is put at risk by a fire.
This did not happen on Monday when a house on a busy street, nudged between other houses and shops, caught on fire.
It was not because of “engine failure”, as one of the firefighters claimed on a Cambodian news radio station, because I have video footage of four fire trucks parked along the street and right in front of the blazing house.
It was not because there were difficulties in operating the number of readily available fire hoses, because I also have video footage of one firefighter intentionally spraying the hose haphazardly as if to tease the house owners and onlookers about the work they could perform.
It is because, like in almost all cases in Cambodia, money and status trump all.
If you have status, then money is not a problem because (smart) public servants wouldn’t dare ask for such incredulous ‘service fees’.
For those without status, money is the determining factor when it comes to service, and if money isn’t given to firefighters, police officers, doctors or other civil servants, then quality care and emergency attention never surfaces. It is that simple, and it is why a majority of unnecessary deaths occur in public hospitals and roads.
On Monday, firefighters refused to help put out a fire even though they had quickly arrived, were fully equipped and prepared to extinguish the flames. The person in charge refused US$500 from the homeowner and stood by as the fire escalated. It wasn’t until clouds of black smoke reached the rooftop of a nearby villa that neighbours pooled money (some paying as much as $2,000 each) to get the firefighters to start putting out the fire.
By that time, the damage had already been done: it is estimated that more than $1 million of property was destroyed. A family which had been away for the Pchum Bun holiday returned to a charred house and empty lot that had been used to sell cars.
I am bringing this story to light because, as shocking as it is for me and for other foreigners, injustices like this frequently occur, but are rarely publicly discussed.
I also find that people, young and old – from the educated to the laymen – are so desensitised by negligent public-servant behaviour that their reactions are reduced to apathy rather than anger.
Moreover, people fear that speaking out may result in retaliation by powerful people through defamation charges, incarceration or worse, violent attacks.
As much as I love and have hope for this country, I cannot condone the appalling actions of selective assistance by those whose job it is to help people – ALL people.
Furthermore, the fact that no major media outlet attempted to unravel the truth of this incident makes it all the more iniquitous.
Millions of dollars in aid is donated to Cambodia to promote democracy, development and peace, but none of these can be achieved with an undercurrent of abuses by the public sector.
It is time we, as a community, as educators and policy makers, find realistic and viable solutions and enforce accountability and the rule of law. We have already witnessed the scope of destruction through inaction.
Veasna Adrian Hoy
Phnom Penh
I am writing in regards to the misleading front-page image of a firefighter valiantly putting out a fire (September 22).
For eyewitnesses and victims of this fire, the firefighters did not partake in any heroic act or, at the very least, adequately fulfill their jobs as public servants.
Normally, the primary objective of firefighters is to act swiftly in a response to an emergency situation when and where the safety of the public is put at risk by a fire.
This did not happen on Monday when a house on a busy street, nudged between other houses and shops, caught on fire.
It was not because of “engine failure”, as one of the firefighters claimed on a Cambodian news radio station, because I have video footage of four fire trucks parked along the street and right in front of the blazing house.
It was not because there were difficulties in operating the number of readily available fire hoses, because I also have video footage of one firefighter intentionally spraying the hose haphazardly as if to tease the house owners and onlookers about the work they could perform.
It is because, like in almost all cases in Cambodia, money and status trump all.
If you have status, then money is not a problem because (smart) public servants wouldn’t dare ask for such incredulous ‘service fees’.
For those without status, money is the determining factor when it comes to service, and if money isn’t given to firefighters, police officers, doctors or other civil servants, then quality care and emergency attention never surfaces. It is that simple, and it is why a majority of unnecessary deaths occur in public hospitals and roads.
On Monday, firefighters refused to help put out a fire even though they had quickly arrived, were fully equipped and prepared to extinguish the flames. The person in charge refused US$500 from the homeowner and stood by as the fire escalated. It wasn’t until clouds of black smoke reached the rooftop of a nearby villa that neighbours pooled money (some paying as much as $2,000 each) to get the firefighters to start putting out the fire.
By that time, the damage had already been done: it is estimated that more than $1 million of property was destroyed. A family which had been away for the Pchum Bun holiday returned to a charred house and empty lot that had been used to sell cars.
I am bringing this story to light because, as shocking as it is for me and for other foreigners, injustices like this frequently occur, but are rarely publicly discussed.
I also find that people, young and old – from the educated to the laymen – are so desensitised by negligent public-servant behaviour that their reactions are reduced to apathy rather than anger.
Moreover, people fear that speaking out may result in retaliation by powerful people through defamation charges, incarceration or worse, violent attacks.
As much as I love and have hope for this country, I cannot condone the appalling actions of selective assistance by those whose job it is to help people – ALL people.
Furthermore, the fact that no major media outlet attempted to unravel the truth of this incident makes it all the more iniquitous.
Millions of dollars in aid is donated to Cambodia to promote democracy, development and peace, but none of these can be achieved with an undercurrent of abuses by the public sector.
It is time we, as a community, as educators and policy makers, find realistic and viable solutions and enforce accountability and the rule of law. We have already witnessed the scope of destruction through inaction.
Veasna Adrian Hoy
Phnom Penh
28 comments:
It is shocking, isn’t it? The nation is corrupted at every level. The government must act and severely punish those corrupted public servants.
Where is New Phally? Can you look into the case, and if the allege is true, make sure that those firefighters are reprimand to the fullest extend of the law?
Thank you very much Veasna for bringing this matter to light. It's very sad that the public sector of Cambodia is rotten to the bones from the bottom to the top. The poors are always treated like dirt. The riches and powerfuls always get away with murder. Nobody cares about accountability and it's for good reason: everyone is corrupted. The higher the rank, the more corrupted they are. You can see all those shiny cars and big villas that belong to the elite group of the government. How can they afford the luxury life style with their small salaries? Not in a million years. I really wish the best for Cambodia but; at the rate thing going here, I'm not sure about the future of this poor country that already suffered so much already.
SYSTEMATIC CORRUPTION!
IT WILL DESTROY SOCIETY!
IT WILL DESTROY THE NATION!
ASK UN THEY KNOW ABOUT THAT YEAR AGO!
UN you are suck!!!!!!!!!!
Firefighters in slippers? No fire boots? Shoes?
Anonymous Khmer ordinary said...
It's ricdiculous indeed that there are too many one-star, two-star, and three-star generals in a small country like Cambodia. It's about fifteen times more than in the 60's and 70's. This excludes Hun Sen's personal bodyguars.
Why Hun Sen promoted his officers, some of whom are not ecademically trained, to a ridiculous number?
1- He promoted the other officers, so he can promote his own son without being criticized by them.
2-When his son reaches the rank of a three-star general, he will become a military commander-in-chief of the country.
3-When his son become a commander-in-chief, Hun Sen will slowly turn Cambodia into a military-ruled country.
4-When Cambodia become a military-ruled country, Hun Sen families and his clique will be the sole owners of our motherland.
There is no doubt about why Hun Sen has too many bodyguards to protect him: it's because he wants to stay in stolen power until he fulfils his plan. Hus Sen has extravagantly spent the national budget for the above purpose, and this is a real waste of it.
To stop this blind mad dog from fulfilling his goal, which is not at all for the interest of the country nor benificial to Khmer people, all freedom-loving Khmers living inside and outside of the country must be unite and resolute in our endeavour to peacefully challenge to Hun Sen's betryal step before it's too late.
Up with the people!
Down with the dictator!
Fuck UNTAC!
Mr. Hoy,
Please post your video on youtube. Does it show the footage of money exchaged? I would love to see it.
Jeffrey Serey Ho
Lancaster, California
Please Post your video to show the world cause the gov't try to hide the dead elephant in this case..
I've noticed the Cambodia government is very week in humanitarian assistance. They claim to be very Buddhist but in the real world they really defeated the purpose. Like for instance, the accident was occurred and the hospital or the clinic didn't response with the help properly and said wait for the relatives to come and responsible for the cost. I was shocking that they got their professional to help the emergency situation instead they looked up to money as the main issue.
Oh my, when is Cambodian really put minds and thoughts to help the needed one.
I can't believe this? They are really defeating the purpose.
They should do or draft some kind of law to ban or forbid these people. Like in USA, if the lawyers or doctors or some kind of institution professional really mispratice their job they must be warned and finally take away (strip) their license and degree.
So the next person won't follow his model.
Khmer USA,
In a family whose parents are drunken and abuse children then the children are more likely to be grown up like their daddy and mommy.
In a society/country where leaders of that country are corrupt and abuse power, then people who serve below them more likely to learn and behave like their bad habits.
Cambodian Government is trying to teach younger generation about the values of education, respect laws,to be good citizen, to participates to promote and develop and love their country. However, those leaders have already set very bad examples for those young generation to see within their own eyes the rampagne of corruption and injustice of the public servants incl. the tops. Don't they think the young generation can't have critical think and observe what their leaders are doing.
It is the same of Khmer Rouge cadres who told people to work harder like them but they had enough food but the rest of people didn't have food.
They must do some sort of watch dog over these money thirsty unpity people. Matter of fact, I saw with my own eyes about they left the motorcycle crash bleeding to death until his relatives come in with the money.
Khmer,
Hun Sen loves it. He will laughted is butt off, once that building turned into ground. He's going to sell the plot for personal gain any time soon.
It is very appalling to see all the surrounding in Cambodia especially with the humanitarian help..
Hoy,
Bravo, brother! You have overcome your fear. Hope there are more coming out as the USA/EU putting pressure on human rights.
Thanks.
US government would not let any kind of Cambodian related army or military officers inside their country.
It is very sad to see a Buddhist country such as Cambodia for not being generous to other. I've thought they 99% Buddha's followers and didn't practice what the Buddha's preaching.
12:03AM go to Cambodia and ask how many people go to temple every holly day? or at lease once amonth?
When they went to the temple do they there to listen to the preaching of Buddha or they went to do WOODOO?
And do head of the country monk have any knowledge of buddhisme at all?
It all faked, man! laws, goverment, Democracy, and all!
May lightning srike the evils!
Voodoo**
12:03AM,
There is no doubt about the fact that kindness, sympathy, and compassion are not the qualities of the Khmer Rouge. Khmer people have been living through two generation of Khmer Rouge, the Pol Pot's and the Hun Sen's. These two groups have the mentality, onlty the later allows Buddhism to be practiced in order to manipulate the Khmer public for support. Most Khmer people believe in Buddhism, but the government's high-profile people only pretend to believe it.
New Phally himself is corrupted to the core.
Khmer inside should be nice, sympathy, generous, pity, mercy, kind to our citizen. But to the YOUN and Thai encroaching our lands we must fight!!!
I am not totally surprise by all these. This is the kind of service from Hun Sen's regime. Don't expect anything better than this.
"It is time we, as a community, as educators and policy makers, find realistic and viable solutions and enforce accountability and the rule of law. We have already witnessed the scope of destruction through inaction." - Do you just wake up?
I request, please all Cambodians who really love this country be together destroy the corrupted government. We have to make them become Zero. And start a new light to build up a peacful, justice, harmony and Prosperity Country for the sake of our beloved country. We pray together in any religious of our believes to destroy the government officers, polices, military force, and any people in power who never respect other's people lives. Please Kama returns to the people harming other people, especially the family of those fucking powerful people who always harm and make the poor Khmer suffers a lot. Thank for bringing a good message to all of us. Be United to destroy the corrupted government of Cambodia.
Like Khmer's say "Ton Sonk Kou Prey, Si touch doy touch si tom doy tom".
It means it is corrupted from the bottom to the top!!!
Hok Lundy had done too many harms and when it is return to him it was deadly.
Hok Lundy was haunted by Ho Sok, Chao Sambath, Chea Vichea and many many more.
3:03AM,
Hun Sen government is corrupted from top to bottom/from head to toes.
Hok Lundy worth $2,000,000.00 and gone to hell.
Heng Pov worth $1,000,000.00 gone to jail serving 95 years.
Saddam Hunsein worth $10,000,000,000.00 hung by the Americans.
Hun Sen worth the whole country.
Post a Comment