"I do hope Cambodia progresses to emerge out of its ancient Khmer predecessor’s shadow" (SIC!!!) - There's such a dumb visitor in Cambodia?

Good things happen to good people

Fri, 07 Sep 2012
Writer: Hafiz Noor Shams
Selangor Times (Malaysia)

I do hope Cambodia progresses to emerge out of its ancient Khmer predecessor’s shadow. (sic!)

If one looks at various socioeconomic statistics, it is easy to conclude how far behind Malaysia Cambodia is.

Yet superficially, if one landed in Siem Reap in north Cambodia, one would find it hard to differentiate rural Cambodia from rural Malaysia, apart from Khmer writing on the billboards and posters as well as the spoken language.

The homes appeared Malay and the people themselves looked Malay. There were a number of times when a Cambodian spoke to me in Khmer, only to giggle finding out that I did not speak their tongue.

The substantive difference became clearer only once I was in the town of Siem Reap. Most parts of the town were dusty to present a Wild, Wild West impression.

There was clear underinvestment in infrastructure. The statement on infrastructure was true elsewhere as well.

Cambodia’s new Tourism frontier

20/08/2012
Bangkok Post

A year ago, getting to Sihanoukville required perseverance and a certain degree of bravery. There had been no flights to Cambodia’s premier beach resort for years — at least no scheduled services — and cruise ships docking here were few and far between.

Buses from Cambodia’s star attraction, Angkor Wat, take 10 hours and the first section of the road from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville sees so many accidents that Cambodians usually insist on praying en route at a cliffside temple.

“A seaside getaway is not what most travellers think of when they book a holiday to Cambodia,” said Sibylle Rotzler, sales manager of Bangkok-based Backyard Travel, which recently launched a tour taking in the south-coast resorts of Sihanoukville, Kep, a sleepy French-colonial town, and Koh Kong, a new destination on the eco-tourism trail.

Vietnamese buses in losing competition with Cambodian rivals [-Me no speak Yieknamese!!!]

A Cambodian bus parked on Le Hong Phong Street, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City 

Monday, August 13, 2012
Thanh Nien News

Vietnamese bus companies operating on the Ho Chi Minh City-Phnom Penh route complain they are getting the short end of the stick since their Cambodian rivals can buy buses much cheaper and get away with violating road rules, and thus offer lower fares.

Since an agreement between the two countries took effect in 2006, Vietnamese and Cambodian vehicles are allowed to enter and buses can take tourists to each other's territory.

Four Vietnamese companies operate on the HCMC-Phnom Penh route -- Sapaco, a pioneer in the Vietnam-Cambodia transport market, Kumho Samco, Mai Linh, and Sinh Café.

They are ranged against a clutch of Cambodian bus operators like Mekong, Sorya, Capital, Phon Linh, Rasmey Samaky, Khai Nam, and SH 15.

According to the Vietnamese companies, the biggest advantage for the Cambodians is that they can buy buses at much lower prices in their country than in Vietnam.

Then, the Cambodian buses draw away customers because the Vietnamese police ignore their offences such as parking in prohibited areas to pick up passengers.

Many of the Cambodian bus drivers violate Vietnamese traffic laws but claim not to speak or understand Vietnamese, and are let off with a warning, they said.

Cambodia attracts 1.76 mln int'l visitors in first 6 months, up 27%

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia had received 1.76 million foreign tourists in the first six months of this year, a 27 percent rise compared with the same period last year, showed a report released by the Ministry of Tourism on Monday.

Some 1.06 million foreign tourists, or 60 percent of the tourists, had visited the world heritage site, Angkor archeological park, in Siem Reap province located about 315 kilometers northwest of Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.

During the January-June period this year, Vietnam topped the chart among the top ten arrivals to Cambodia with 378,130 tourists, up 30 percent, followed by South Korea with 227,200, up 32 percent, and Chinese visitors at third with 151,890, up 33 percent.

Cambodia to get its first Marine Protected Area

The coastline of Cambodia between Vietnam and Thailand

Fri, Aug 3, 2012
AFP

The coastline of Cambodia, running from Vietnam to Thailand, is soon to become a marine protected area, as announced by the British NGO Coral Cay in July.

The organization, which started working in Cambodia in 2009, is now working closely with the Cambodian government to implement a protected area.

The 69 islands that make up this part of Cambodia's coastline are surrounded by coral reefs and sea grass meadows and are home to marine creatures such as seahorses and turtles. The project, which will ultimately cover an area of 300 square km when it's completed in three years' time, will include conservation, recreation and sustainable fisheries areas.

Life still slow in Cambodian beach towns

July 25, 2012
Neda Vanovac
AAP

A ninja delivers a high kick to a cow before punching it in the udder, and the cow, on its hind legs, squirts him with milk. The Cambodians on the bus around us roar with laughter.

We're trundling along a two-lane highway in Cambodia's south, heading for the coast. It's sweltering in here, and the American kung-fu pastiche is the only entertainment on board.

Outside, we pass statue after statue crowning highway roundabouts, all points of regional pride: a crab, a salt-panning couple, a Khmer princess standing atop a crocodile - and a rhinoceros, whose significance I can't decipher.

This wasn't quite how I expected to find Cambodian history, in a country known more for the tragedy of its past than the quirks of its present.

While the vast majority of visitors to the country flock to the magnificent temples of Angkor Wat in the West, smaller, quieter beach towns provide just as much of an insight to the Cambodian psyche.

Kampot and Kep are two coastal spots that visitors are slowly discovering - with an emphasis on the slow. Life here is not to be rushed.

សីហមុនី យាងទៅពិនិត្យ ព្រះរោគ នៅចិន

ព្រះមហាក្សត្រកម្ពុជា សម្តេចព្រះនរោត្តម សីហមុនី យាងទៅពិនិត្យ ព្រះរោគ នៅចិន

Sunday, 22 July 2012
ដោយ ៖អេង គឹមជាង
DAP

ភ្នំពេញ៖មន្រ្តីប្រចាំព្រះបរមរាជវាំង បានថ្លែងថា ព្រះមហាក្សត្រខ្មែរ សម្តេចព្រះបរមនាថ នរោត្តម សីហមុនី នៅថ្ងៃទី២២ ខែកក្កដា ឆ្នាំ២០១២ នេះ បានយាងចេញទៅ ពិនិត្យព្រះរោគ នៅទីក្រុងប៉េកាំង ប្រទេសចិន នាវេលាម៉ោង៨ព្រឹក ដោយមានការហែរហម ដំណើរពីមន្រ្តីជាន់ខ្ពស់ជាច្រើនរូប។

ប្រភពដដែលបានឱ្យដឹងថា ព្រះអង្គនឹងយាងត្រឡប់ មកមាតុប្រទេសវិញ នាថ្ងៃទី៣០ ខែកក្កដា ឆ្នាំ២០១២ ហើយការយាងទៅនេះ ធ្វើឡើងតាមការណាត់ របស់វេជ្ជបណ្ឌិតចំណានៗ របស់ប្រទេសចិន ៕
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សម្តេច ហ៊ុន សែន ចូលពាល់​ព្រះមហាក្សត្រ រាយការណ៍ អំពី​ស្ថានភាព មាស​បៃតង​

(ថ្ងៃទី 22 កក្កដា 2012, ម៉ោង 09:21:AM) | ដោយ: គ្រី​ទិច​ CEN

ភ្នំពេញ: ​សម្តេច ហ៊ុន សែន ចូលគាល់​ព្រះមហាក្សត្រ កាលពី​ថ្ងៃទី​២០ ដើម្បី​រាយការណ៍​អំពី​ស្ថានភាពនៃ​វិស័យ​ទេសចរណ៍ ដែល​គេ​ចាត់ទុកថា ជា​មាសបៃតងរបស់​កម្ពុជា​។​

​ប្រភព​បាន​និយាយថា ជា​ទម្លាប់​សម្តេចនាយក​រដ្ឋមន្ត្រី តែងតែ​ធ្វើ​របាយការណ៍​ជូន ព្រះមហាក្សត្រ ហើយ​កាលពី​ថ្ងៃទី​២០ សម្តេច​បាន​រាយការណ៍ ថ្វាយ​ព្រះអង្គ​អំពី​ការរីកចម្រើន​នៃ​វិស័យ​ទេសចរណ៍​។​

​កាលពី​ឆ្នាំ​២០១១ត្រូវបានគេ​ឲ្យដឹងថា វិស័យ​ទេសចរណ៍ ស្រូប​បាន​ភ្ញៀវ​បរទេសចំនួន​២,៨៨ លាន​នាក់ ហើយ​បានផ្តល់​ចំណូលចំនួន​ជាង ១៩០០ លាន​ដុល្លារ ហើយ​ផ្តល់​ការងារ​ដល់​មនុស្សប្រមាណ ៣៥ ០០០០​នាក់​។​

A Cambodia shaped by water, history and resilience

Houses in Kampong Phluk, Cambodia, are built on stilts to withstand the ebb and flow of the monsoon seasons. (BEN KUCINSKI/FLICKR)

A woman fried cakes of whole shrimp and rice flour in the village of Kampong Phluk, Cambodia. (Stephen Heuser/Globe Staff)

July 15, 2012
By Stephen Heuser
The Boston Globe Staff

KAMPONG PHLUK — The water around our boat is so opaque with yellow clay that I worry my hand will vanish if I dip it in. The boat itself is made of wooden planks sealed with resin, driven by an engine that looks like nothing I have ever seen, a propeller trailing far behind the stern on a rickety metal frame. Our pilot is 13, or might be, but I can’t really ask him over the noise.

But none of this is the interesting part. The interesting part, the reason we endured the hourlong scooter ride and all the dirt roads to get here, is rolling past us on the banks of this river, where the life of a village is unfolding 20 feet above our heads.

Children in their high stilt houses kick their legs out the front doors, dangling them precariously in the air. Bits of laundry, beaten as clean as it gets in yellow-clay water, hang on crossbars to dry. And on the water below, traffic moves around us: small launches, hand-paddled rafts, a floating fish farm.

4 Cambodian temples that aren't Angkor Wat

The square stone walls, shiva lingmans, lion sculptures and octagonal towers of Sambor Prei Kuk are fighting a losing battle against the jungle.

Unlike the famed Siam Reap UNESCO world heritage site, you can have these ancient beauties all to yourself

2 July, 2012

By Ian Lloyd Neubauer

CNN Go

At the turn of the millennium, when Cambodia was still reeling from decades of civil war, one could spend hours walking around Angkor Wat Archaeological Park without seeing a single foreigner.

But Cambodia today -- and the 12th-century temple complex that sits at its geographical, historical and spiritual heart -- is awash with tourists.

More than 640,000 visited in the first three months of 2012, with archaeologists claiming the UNESCO World Heritage Site is being loved to death.

Ironically, there are dozens of Angkor-era temple complexes in Cambodia that receive a fraction of the visitors Angkor Wat gets, some of which you can have all to yourself.

Here are four of the most impressive.

Phnom Chissor

Start training now. To get to the top of Phnom Chisor, visitors have to climb 412 steps.

Set upon a hill not far from Phnom Penh with knockout views of the fertile deltas and emerald green rice fields of Cambodia’s deep south, this small but impressive Hindu temple predates Angkor Wat by 100 years.

My World in a Flashpack: Cambodia

A Lore Of Three Cities, Of Beauty And Violence
(Third Part)

June 2, 2012
By Emmie Abadilla
Manila Bulletin (Philippines)

It was not yet morning when I set out. The jungle engulfed me, a black wall with five sandstone lotus towers thrusting from its canopy. Closer, I saw the shimmer of water in the moat - Angkor Wat’s "baray," symbol of all oceans of the world.

On its edge, a shadow bent and straightened. A Khmer woman staggered out, lugging an armful of lotuses, freshly cut. Their long stalks trailed the grass, dripping, as she hauled them on her cart.

Behind her bloomed redented lotuses, replicas of Mt. Meru’s sacred peaks, home of the gods. Floating over a 900-year-old Hindu-Buddhist universe in stone, Angkor Wat’s beauty rivalled the temples of Solomon, the Parthenon of Greece and the Forum of Rome.

Yet, unlike other temples in the Holy City, the Wat faces the west, the direction ruled by its deity, Vishnu, the Preserver. Even in ancient Egypt, sunset was associated with Death. Hence, people believed Suryavarman II built Angkor Wat to be his tomb, just like the pyramids of the pharaohs.

Cambodia woos Chinese tourism

Cambodia’s top 10 suppliers in 2011

By Wanwisa Ngamsangchaikit
TTR Weekly

PHNOM PENH, 21 May 2012: Cambodia’s Ministry of Tourism hopes to attract more Chinese travellers to the country to reach 1 million trips by 2020.

Tourism Minister, Thong Khon, said China is now one of Cambodia’s key tourism markets and a priority for the tourism industry.

“We expect 500,000 Chinese tourists to Cambodia in 2015 and 1 million by 2020,” he told local media late last week.

He added: “China has vast potential, with 1.3 billion people and Chinese are rich.”

Hun Sen calls for fair pricing for tourists

Friday, 04 May 2012
Rann Reuy
The Phnom Penh Post

Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday appealed to tourism service providers not to in-crease fares during holidays in order to attract more visitors.

During his speech at the opening of the Bokor Resort in Kampot Province yesterday, the premier also criticised shop and guesthouse owners who increased prices during the Kingdom’s festivals.

“If customers come back, that is good. Workers at Bokor Mountain, all bosses and service providers must make customers come back again.

Cambodia's Angkor Wat attracted 639,800 tourists in Q1 [... and all the revenue will be pocketed by Xok Kong!]

PHNOM PENH (April 20, 2012, Bernama): Cambodia's Angkor Wat temples, one of the world heritage sites, has attracted 639,800 tourists, an increase of 45 percent, in the first quarter of this year.

Tourists from top three countries visitng Angkor Wat are South Korea, Vietnam and China, respectively, the statistics of Siem Reap provincial tourism department said Friday.

During the period from January to March this year, some 132,750 South Koreans, 75,088 Vietnamese, and 49,231 Chinese had visited the temples, up 67 percent, 15 percent and 54 percent respectively, reports Xinhua news agency.

"We see that the visitors from South Korea and China are on the sharp rise," Chhoeuy Chhorn, administration chief of Siem Reap provincial tourism department, told Xinhua via telephone.

Speedboat to Battambang

The "speedboat" to Battambang, Cambodia, up close

One of the boat's esteemed crewmembers

April 14, 2012
Ken Jackson
San Diego Reader (California, USA)

Last rainy season, after a few days touring the temples of Ankgor, I decided to visit the former French capital of northwestern Cambodia – Battambang.

My guidebook explained that traveling to Battambang by speedboat was the best option because of the treacherous road conditions. So I paid about half of Cambodia’s average monthly wage for a “special-for-foreigner three-hour luxury speedboat ride.”

The next morning I arrived at the dock to be greeted by an army of hotel touts offering “best discount room” in Battambang. One of them showed me to a rough-hewn vessel that bore no resemblance to the speedboat pictured on my ticket.

In fact, this boat’s primary function was moving bananas, tires, tin sheeting and chickens over short distances. Most of my fellow passengers and I were curious about this development, but one seasoned traveler explained: “This is the transport boat to take us to the speedboat moored in deeper water.”

ASEAN experts meet in Cambodia to boost tourism cooperation

PHNOM PENH, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Tourism experts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) gathered here on Tuesday to discuss ways to boost tourism cooperation in order to turn the bloc as a world-class tourist destination by 2015, said a senior Cambodian official.

Speaking at the opening of the 3-day ASEAN Tourism Working Group meeting, Tith Chantha, director general of Cambodia's Tourism Ministry, said the meeting was attended by ASEAN tourism officials, ASEAN's Tourism Association, and ASEAN Secretariat.

He said it focused on ways to promote ASEAN tourism and to enhance ASEAN tourism quality through the establishment of ASEAN tourism standards such as the standards of green hotels, clean tourism cities, spas, guesthouses, and public sanitary facilities.

Temple tantrum in Cambodia

Mar 17, 2012
By Julie Masis
Asia Times Online

"I wanted to visit during [my] June vacation, but now I'm slightly scared because there are many types of people," [Mahavir Mandir Trust's Kishore Kunal] said. "Some people [in Cambodia] want to throw their shoes on me."

PHNOM PENH - If the Mahavir Mandir Trust, an India-based religious organization, has its way, a massive replica of Cambodia's Angkor Wat temple will grace the banks of India's Ganges River. The ancient temple' second coming, divined to be the largest Hindu shrine in the world, will, however, rise amid a flurry of diplomatic complaints and hurt Cambodian feelings.

On March 5, a spiritual ceremony to purify the land on which the temple will stand in India's Bihar province was held, and construction is scheduled to begin in April, according to Acharya Kishore Kunal, the Mahavir Mandir Trust's secretary. He said the massive replica, which is designed to be larger than the original Angkor Wat, will be built out of "admiration for the Cambodian people."

"To me, this is the most marvelous monument ever made by mankind," Kunal said. "I just want to make the largest Hindu temple in the world. My competition is not with Cambodian culture, it's with the Hindu religious structure."

Cambodian officials have nonetheless taken spirited affront, arguing that the Indian organization has no right to copy Angkor Wat's original design without Phnom Penh's permission.

Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Koy Kuong said its embassy in New Delhi is assessing the situation and that if his government's permission is not granted "they have to stop". Kuong said New Delhi has yet to respond to his government's complaint.

Cambodia’s arrivals make gains

Cambodia’s top 10 tourism supply markets January 2012

March 15, 2012
By Rapeepat Mantanarat
TTR Weekly

BANGKOK, 15 March 2012: Cambodia’s Ministry of Tourism reported the country welcomed 350,257 international tourists during January, representing a double digit growth of 27.6%.

The country expects arrivals to reach 3.2 million this year, based on a moderate projection of around 10% increase over 2.9 million visits recorded in 2011. Meanwhile, arrivals were up 14.9% compared 2010 and 2011.

Tourism revenue should rise 10.5% to US$2.1 billion from US$1.9 billion last year.

India to Replicate Cambodia’s Angkor Wat

Built during the reign of Hindu King Suryavarman II, Angkor Wat is one of Cambodia’s prime tourist destinations. (Associated Press)

March 12, 2012
By Preetika Rana
The Wall Street Journal Blog

Mr. Kunal claims that the temple venture will “drastically boost” tourism in India, although the country’s tourism officials appear oblivious of the initiative.

Indians who haven’t yet seen Cambodia’s 12th-century Angkor Wat temple have reason to cheer: the World Heritage site is being recreated on the banks of holy River Ganges, in the eastern state of Bihar.

To be built by the privately-run Bihar Mahavir Mandir Trust, the temple will have five stories and stand 222-feet tall. It will be taller than Tamil Nadu’s Brihadeeswarar temple, making it the “tallest Hindu temple in the world,” the trust announced Monday. The estimated cost of the 10-year long project is about $20 million, or one billion rupees, the trust says.

So what inspired this initiative?

Cambodia hosts 1st Sihanoukville Int'l Half Marathon

PHNOM PENH, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Sunday held the first Sihanoukville International Half Marathon, aiming at promoting sports and attracting tourism to coastal areas, said a senior sports official.

Vath Chamroeun, secretary general of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia, said that the event was attended by around 1,000 professional and amateur athletes including some 100 foreign runners from 12 countries.

"The event is vital to promote sports and tourism in coastal areas," he said.

Angkor Wat? Cambodia fears replica will hit tourism sector

Friday Mar 9, 2012
By Andrew Buncombe
The Independent (UK)

Cambodia's 12th-century Angkor Wat temple near Siam Reap. Photo / Jim EaglesIt is often said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Not so, perhaps, when it comes to ancient Hindu temples.

This week, officials in eastern India announced their plan to build a replica of Cambodia's spellbinding 12th-century temple, Angkor Wat, on the banks of the Ganges in the state of Bihar.

A religious group, the Mahavir Mandir Trust, said that when it is completed, the £13 million (NZ$25m) project will not only be a major attraction in its own right, but will be the tallest Hindu temple in the world.

As he laid the foundation stone, Kishore Kunal, the trust's secretary, told local media the temple's name will be Virat Angkor Wat Ram Mandir.