Op-Ed by Khmerization
28th November, 2009
I hope I won’t be labelled an “ultra-nationalist” or an “extremist” for what I am going to say in this opinion piece. With clear conscience, I hope the majority of readers will agree with my views here that the granting of fishing licences to foreign fishing companies to fish in Cambodian territorial waters off the coast of Koh Kong is not in the best interests of Cambodia and the Cambodian fishermen.
While the Cambodian fishermen have been fined and arrested for fishing in Cambodian waters, foreign fishermen like the Vietnamese and the Thai fishermen have been given unrestricted access to fish freely in Cambodian territorial waters for just a small amount of licence fees of 60,000 Baht ($1500) per month for each big fishing trawlers. Based on reports in the Thai press, more than 100 Thai fishing trawlers have been fishing in Cambodian waters everyday. With some trawlers having the capacity to load up to 100 tons of fish, those Thai trawlers seem to have made a handsome profit for a pittance.
Allowing foreign fishing trawlers to fish in Cambodian waters is bad for a number of reasons. Firstly, the anarchic granting of licences to foreign fishing companies looks fishy. It must have involved with rampant corruption because licences have been granted by the Koh Kong authority in secrecy, licence fees have not been made public and the Finance Ministry seem to have played no part in this affair. Secondly, the granting of fishing licences to too many big foreign fishing trawlers will lead to uncontrolled and anarchic fishing. This is a recipe for an irreversible depletion of the Cambodian fish stocks. Thirdly, but most importantly, the Cambodian markets are in short of fish supplies and fish products. Cambodia imported fish and fish products such as prohok, smoked and dried fish from Vietnam and Thailand. More often than not, these fish and fish products were fished from Cambodian waters, taken into Vietnam and Thailand, made into fish products and re-exported back into Cambodian markets. Sadly, incomes from Cambodian fish fall into foreign hands, instead of Cambodian hands.
The Cambodian government, or the Koh Kong authority for that matter, must look after and protect the Cambodian fishermen and Cambodian local fish industry first. While Cambodian fishermen are struggling to make ends meet, the government must not facilitate foreign fishermen at the expenses of the Cambodian fishermen. By this, I am saying that the government should ban all foreign fishing trawlers and give Cambodian fishermen full access to the Cambodian waters in question. Only by taking this measure can Cambodia protect its own interests and that of the Cambodian fishermen and local fish industry. By banning foreign fishermen in Cambodian waters, thousands of fishing jobs will be generated for local Cambodian fishermen and incomes from fishing will undoubtedly help the local economy as well as boosting Cambodian fish exports. And this will help in reducing the numbers of Cambodian migrant workers seeking jobs overseas, including constructions and fishing jobs in Vietnam and Thailand.
28th November, 2009
“By banning foreign fishermen in Cambodian waters, thousands of fishing jobs will be generated for local Cambodian fishermen and incomes from fishing will undoubtedly help the local economy. And this will help in reducing the numbers of Cambodian migrant workers seeking jobs overseas, including constructions and fishing jobs in Vietnam and Thailand.”
I hope I won’t be labelled an “ultra-nationalist” or an “extremist” for what I am going to say in this opinion piece. With clear conscience, I hope the majority of readers will agree with my views here that the granting of fishing licences to foreign fishing companies to fish in Cambodian territorial waters off the coast of Koh Kong is not in the best interests of Cambodia and the Cambodian fishermen.
While the Cambodian fishermen have been fined and arrested for fishing in Cambodian waters, foreign fishermen like the Vietnamese and the Thai fishermen have been given unrestricted access to fish freely in Cambodian territorial waters for just a small amount of licence fees of 60,000 Baht ($1500) per month for each big fishing trawlers. Based on reports in the Thai press, more than 100 Thai fishing trawlers have been fishing in Cambodian waters everyday. With some trawlers having the capacity to load up to 100 tons of fish, those Thai trawlers seem to have made a handsome profit for a pittance.
Allowing foreign fishing trawlers to fish in Cambodian waters is bad for a number of reasons. Firstly, the anarchic granting of licences to foreign fishing companies looks fishy. It must have involved with rampant corruption because licences have been granted by the Koh Kong authority in secrecy, licence fees have not been made public and the Finance Ministry seem to have played no part in this affair. Secondly, the granting of fishing licences to too many big foreign fishing trawlers will lead to uncontrolled and anarchic fishing. This is a recipe for an irreversible depletion of the Cambodian fish stocks. Thirdly, but most importantly, the Cambodian markets are in short of fish supplies and fish products. Cambodia imported fish and fish products such as prohok, smoked and dried fish from Vietnam and Thailand. More often than not, these fish and fish products were fished from Cambodian waters, taken into Vietnam and Thailand, made into fish products and re-exported back into Cambodian markets. Sadly, incomes from Cambodian fish fall into foreign hands, instead of Cambodian hands.
The Cambodian government, or the Koh Kong authority for that matter, must look after and protect the Cambodian fishermen and Cambodian local fish industry first. While Cambodian fishermen are struggling to make ends meet, the government must not facilitate foreign fishermen at the expenses of the Cambodian fishermen. By this, I am saying that the government should ban all foreign fishing trawlers and give Cambodian fishermen full access to the Cambodian waters in question. Only by taking this measure can Cambodia protect its own interests and that of the Cambodian fishermen and local fish industry. By banning foreign fishermen in Cambodian waters, thousands of fishing jobs will be generated for local Cambodian fishermen and incomes from fishing will undoubtedly help the local economy as well as boosting Cambodian fish exports. And this will help in reducing the numbers of Cambodian migrant workers seeking jobs overseas, including constructions and fishing jobs in Vietnam and Thailand.
12 comments:
Absolutely right!!! I think it is time that Cambodia must live by standing on her own feet. And this must depend on the national consciousness of Cambodian authority or leaders to steer the course o that right direction.
Best salute Khmerisation!
I absolutely agree with the ideas in the article. Thai and Vietnamese fishermen caught fish in Cambodian waters and exported the fish products made from Cambodian fish to Cambodia. This is not right.
Also many Cambodian people went to look for work in Thailand. Many people ended up working on the Thai fishing boats, maltreated by the boat's owners and some even been killed and thrown into the sea.
So why don't ban foreign fishermen and give licenses to Khmer fishermen?
I am very well know about that and I absolutely agree that by doing so, it will benefit Cambodian people and the whole economy.
But, how about my pocket? Do you think the salary alone can make me live in a decent life as a governor? How long do you think I can stay in my post without money paying to my boss?
Yeah,that is right!!!!
No Thai and Youn the same dictator Hun Xen did until now!!!!!
Koah Kong!
Well that's the story of Kleptocratic Cambodia.
This is how Cambodia Naval Chief Admiral Samkhan and Tea Banh borther and cronies make them selves rich.
Koh Kong governor is a rubber stamp with no authority to act on his own merit.
When Cambodian poor were taken care of since Hun Sen became Prime Minister? None.
The donors are the ones that feed the poor and try to empower them to make on own,if the government officials would leave them be.
I like to say koh kong authority is
fuck the cambodian gorverment.they
need to think more then twice,what is the benefit for our own people.
I wonder thailand ship a lot of fish to america and somewhere international" THAI SAID THANK FUCKING STUPID AUTHORITY KHMER".
Cambodian goverment only think for there own pocket not the khmer people.I wish those busteded need to kill or take them out one by one.
Who cares ?
Fuck poor Cambodians !
CCP always do the contrary of they say.
That is the end of a system.
Agree with the op-ed piece above:
Question is how are we going to keep the tai/viet from fishing in our territorial waters ?
By using slingshots, crossbows, bamboo sticks,...
Cambodian waters have always provided rich fishing grounds to foreign fishermen streching well back in time into pre-war Cambodia when there were reports circulating of foreign fishing boats routinely illegally plying their trade in Cambodian waters.
Part of the reason for this has been the absence of a strong national maritime fishing indusrty in Cambodia which coupled with the country's already abundant fresh water fish stock largely sustained by the great natural fishing reservoirs of Tonle Sap and the many Mekong tributaries had meant that coastal fisheries remained an untapped resource and hence the fertility and temptation of this vital protein-rich asset for foreign fishing interests to come over and harvest on our behalf with, of course, the connivance of loose regulations and self-enriching officials.
However depressing this predicament may be, it forms but a smaller visible tip in the larger picture that is Koh Kong which has been acting as a conduit for all shades of activities detrimental to the natural eco-systems and to Cambodia's long and short term interests.
The granting of concession to a Chinese sand dredging firm identified as 'Winston Enterprises' which even deployed its own military to carry out large-scale operations in the Koh Kong estuaries is a deal done coincidentally with Indonesia's decision to end concessions to exploit this 'White Gold' demanded by the construction industry across the region and in denial of serious environmental concerns.
Along with large-scale logging concessions, it seems Cambodia is determined to open her doors to some of the most ruthless and unethical enterprises that have found their morally unwholesome opportunities increasingly restricted else where (owing to environmental protest) to come in and exploit a fertile and unregulated terrain.
That the Koh Kong operation - worth $35 million annually - is controlled by a local group of companies which is owned by CPP Senator Ly Yong Phat illustrates the role and extent of local collaboration reaching into the very heart of the Phnom Penh regime. Other regime figures such as 'ethnic Thai' Tea Banh and Say Pouthang probably command a much larger piece in the Koh Kong pie; their respective involvement in this part of the country deserves to be brought to the surface at some opportune stage in future.
MP
I totally agree with the article. It is important to protect our people interests than to collect the fees to benefit the crooks. The big government should take a look at the issue closely. Our country has so much resource. But the goverment has been neglecting it. Why let the vietnamese company grabbing the land to plan all those rubers trees and the thai fish in our water? Why can not we keep everything in the country and let our people plan and sell directly?
It is more profitble in a long run. If the goverment the short cut we will all poor and lose.
khmer people interest in cambodia.
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