Sacrava's Political Cartoon: My Kingdom of Wonder

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

Kingdom of Wonder? Laymen on the couch, monk on the floor: Lifestyle of the rich and infamous

អ្នកមានសម័យថ្មី អង្គុយលើកៅអី ទទួលទឹកមន្ត ព្រះសង្សសូត្រធម៌អ្នកផ្តល់បុណ្យ គង់ លើឥដ្ឋ។ ម្យ៉ាងដែរ!

Sacrava's Political Cartoon: My Kingdom of Wonder

A tough place to call home

Thon Thoeun ,12, sleeps in a concrete pipe that serves as his family’s home near the former Boeung Kak lake in Phnom Penh. Meng Kimlong

Nol Sarin, 36, nurses her child while sitting in a concrete pipe where her family has made their home in Srah Chak commune.Meng Kimlong

One of Nol Linch’s family members washes dishes next to the pipes where they sleep. Meng Kimlong

Thursday, 01 March 2012
Mom Kunthear
The Phnom Penh Post

“I will ask someone to marry me when I have a suitable place or house to stay, but if I live in the pipe until I am old, I am happy to live alone.”

Twenty large cement pipes face a dusty road in the capital’s Srah Chak commune, their gaping openings revealing channels purpose-built for waste or water.

But more than half of them carry very different contents — a family that has called the pipes home for the past two years.

Nol Linch, 64, is the matriarch.

She and her 67-year-old husband, their four children and spouses, moved to Phnom Penh in 2010 from Prey Veng province in the hope of a better life.

“I decided to move to the city to work, and I expected that I could earn more money to support the family and live in a good condition like other people, but my dream did not come true,” Nol Linch said, her eyes beginning to fill with tears.

Sacrava's Political Cartoon: The Kingdom of Mad Dog

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

The cost of breathing in the Kingdom of Wonder - តម្លៃនៃការដកដង្ហើមនៅក្នុងរាជាក្រឡាប់ចាក់

(Photo: The Phnom Penh Post)

"កុំថាឡើយក្មេងប៉ុណ្ណឹង តូចជាងនិងក៏ចាប់ដែរ ឲ្យតែចេះដកដង្ហើម!" - ឆាំឆានី

"It's not just this kid's case alone, even a smaller child would be arrested if he knows how to breathe!" - Chham Chhany

The Kingdom of wonder, now and then... - រាជាក្រឡាប់ចាក់ ឥឡូវនិងពីដើម...

In the past, in Cambodia, they used Meatra Buon: Ah Chor Ruoch Kluon, Mchas Chorp Kouk. (The thieves get away, the owner sent to jail)

Now, in Cambodia, they use Meatra Bey: Ah Chor York Dey, Mchas Dek Chenh Cheum Thnaul. (The thieves take the land, the owner sleep on the side walk)

កម្ពុជាសម័យដើម គេប្រើមាត្រា៤៖ អាចោរ រួចខ្លួន ម្ចាស់ជាប់គុក

កម្ពុជាសម័យឥឡូវ គេប្រើមាត្រា៣៖ អាចោរ យកដី ម្ចាស់ដេកចិញ្ចើមថ្នល់

Robber identified - Video owner took out camera in fear of reprisal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nys_tlR1ooM

Synopsis: Police confirmed that the video shown above was captured during a daylight robbery in Phnom Penh, just across from the Phnom Penh International Airport. During the robbery, a woman was shot three times by the robbers for attempting to wrestle back a box of her money worth about 100 million riels (~$30,000). Using the video, the police was able to identified the robbers, but it declined to reveal their identity. The victim died on the way to the hospital.

An announcement was posted on Facebook indicating that the owner of the video camera which taped the entire robbery scene had decided to remove the camera because he fears reprisals from the robbers. On the other hand, considering that nobody dared help the victim of the robbery, it is understandable why the owner of the video camera is concerned for his safety. After all this is the Kingdoom of Don't You Ever Wonder! Get it?

ក្រុម​ចោរ​​​​បាញ់​សម្លាប់​​​ស្ត្រី​អាជីវករ​​​ប្តូរ​ប្រាក់​ដែលមើល​ឃើញ​​តាមវីដេអូ​​ឃ្លីប ត្រូវ​ស្គាល់​​​អត្តសញ្ញាណ​ហើយ​

ថ្ងៃព្រហស្បត្ត៏ ទី១ ខែកញ្ញា ឆ្នាំ២០១១ ម៉ោង ១៨:១៥
ដោយ​ ៖ ប្រុសកោះ
កោះសន្តិភាព

រាជធានីភ្នំពេញ​​ ៖ ​ប្រធានការិយាល័យ​ព្រហ្មទណ្ឌ កម្រិតធ្ងន់ នៃ ស្នងការដ្ឋាន នគរបាល រាជធានី ភ្នំពេញ លោក​ជួន ណារិន្ទ​ បានមាន​ប្រសាសន៍ប្រាប់​កោះសន្តិភាពតាមទូរស័ព្ទ​នៅ​រសៀលថ្ងៃទី១ កញ្ញា ២០១១នេះ ថា មុខសញ្ញា​ក្រុមចោរប្លន់ ដែលបានប្លន់បាញ់សម្លាប់ស្រ្តីជា​អាជីវករប្តូរប្រាក់នៅ រង្វង់មូលចោមចៅយកប្រាក់​ប្រមាណ៣ម៉ឺនដុល្លារអាមេរិកកាលពីថ្ងៃទី​២៨ សីហា កន្លងមកនេះ គឺសមត្ថកិច្ចបានកំណត់​មុខ​សញ្ញា និង​ស្គាល់អត្តសញ្ញាណអស់ហើយ​។ ប៉ុន្តែលោក ប្រធាន ការិយាល័យ ព្រហ្មទណ្ឌ កម្រិត ធ្ងន់ រាជធានីភ្នំពេញ សុំមិនទាន់បញ្ចេញ​ឈ្មោះ​និង​ទីតាំង លាក់ខ្លួន របស់បក្ខ ពួក ចោរប្លន់ ទាំងនោះ នៅឡើយទេ ពីព្រោះ ស្ថិតក្នុង នីតិវិធី តាមប្រមាញ់​ របស់សមត្ថ​កិច្ច ។

Kingdoom of Wonder: Children waiting for alms is a normal sight?

Child-beggars waiting for alms in front of a Chinese house where food was offered to spirits on 14 August 2011 in Phnom Penh, Kingdoom of Wonder No More (Photo: Phaw Waa, The Phnom Penh Post)

Kingdoom of Wonder: Why are 13 years old begging rather than going to school?

This 13-year-old girl carries her one-year-old sibling in a krama while begging all over Phnom Penh. Due to poverty, this teenager cannot attend school like other children because she is duty-bound to help her parents and younger siblings. The young infant in the krama is a tool of the trade to earn money for the family. (Photo: Will Baxter, The Phnom Penh Post)

The Media and Democracy

John Willis of the IRI (Photo: R. Carmichael, VOA)

Cambodia is moving in the right direction (sic!):
Boeung Kak Lake residents protest forced eviction (Photo: Reuters)

Kingdom of Wonder?
Wonder why the cops shoot at unarmed civilians?
(Photo: John Vink/Magnum)

Sunday, January 23, 2011
Op-Ed by MP

IRI's findings are just another Win-Win endorsement of a closed single party state.

I don't know the methods used to gather public opinion on the government's performance or the effects of public policies on social issues such as public services like roads and the like, but I do see that the majority of Cambodians still live in a closed, insulated environment where public information and opinion making are still largely a product of manufactured uniformity where diversity or dissent is neither tolerated nor encouraged.

It would be interesting to ask the public instead questions pertaining to that closed climate of uniformity, out of which public views of social issues are patterned and shaped, which such findings can be said to merely mirror in the first place. For example, respondents could be quizzed on how much they know about the management and manipulation of television broadcasting operation in Cambodia; how much of an influence/representation, if any, do opposition parties and civil society or organisation have via these state-controlled information delivering outlets; who decide what news items to be aired; who own and fund these television stations; how many stations are owned by the state and how many are in private/commercial hands; what is the media's appropriate functions and responsibilities in respect of news coverage invariably devoted to highlighting the government's 'achievements' in a country still ranked among the world's poorest and most corruption plagued, or is that because negative news reportage has no constructive role to play in the developmental process? Is it because such news compromise or impair people's sense of well-being; that feel-good factor that only popular cultural shows and entertainment programmes are said to engender in their audience?; is it because Khmer people are not at all concerned or have no right to know how many kilometres of Khmer territory or how many villages had been ceded to Vietnam in the last 30 years?; is it because it is not their business to know how much their government has acquired in revenue from off-shore exploration deals, numerous land concessions and sand-dredging operations etc? Or how is this public fund being managed and ploughed back into the mainstream of the national economy?

Do these questions in any way contribute to enhancing people's freedom in determining the quality and veracity of the information they are being fed? Is it possible that only people in power are capable of telling the truth, and that critical views and voices are all born of envy and a tendency to vilify with a view to fermenting chaos and inflaming 'instability' deemed inimical to Progress and Development, a necessity the state has killed, maimed and imprisoned to promote?

Water Festival fears for illegal detainees in Cambodia [-The Kingdom of Horror & Abuse Wonder?]

November 10, 2008
ABC Radio Australia

A human rights group is concerned that the upcoming Water Festival in Cambodia could see another surge of illegal detentions and hidden abuses for the capital Phnom Penh's homeless and sex workers.

Writing etched into the walls of one so-called "social rehabilitation center" suggests that people are being detained against their will and abused, according to rights group LICADHO.

The group has called on the Cambodian government to shut down the centres, including one that was once a Khmer Rouge death-camp in the 70s.

In recent years the camp has been turned into what the Government describes as a "Social Rehabilitation Centre."

Human rights group LICADHO says, however, it's one of several illegal prisons that keep the homeless and destitute off the streets and out of sight.

The Cambodian Government has repeatedly claimed the island camp and other similar centres are voluntary and have denied accusations of abuse.

But last week LICADHO monitors gained access to a facility in Kampong Speu province.

LICADHO'S director, Naly Pilorge says what they found was evidence that contradicts Government claims the centres are for rehabilitation.

"My colleagues entered the facilities and went into the rooms where people were detained," she said.

"Immediately they saw drawings and writing both in Khmer, in Thai and also in English of obviously former detainees that had written appeals and their situation here in those rooms. There was a number of drawings of women who implied that they had been sexually abused and raped. There was one writing in English - on one hand they said 'life' and the other was 'hell'. And there was also counts of days like you see in prisons at times all over the world where people count how many days and how many nights they have been detained.

"We have interviewed people, we have seen people who are neglected, abused and with these drawings it's obvious to us that this is a place where people are unlawfully detained and seriously abused," she said.

She says those interviewed are describing situations of the "worst you can imagine."

"Starting from not having food and water and this was obvious from the first time we went to these centres, as soon as the gates were open people ran to the grounds outside and started eating grass and leaves, so it was obvious that people were not getting enough to eat.

"We have allegations of gang rapes and sexual abuse. We also have information about beatings, very severe beatings leading to the death of people," she said.

Ms Pilorge says during many public holidays and particularly Water Festival, the Cambodian Government "wishes to maintain its image of the 'Kingdom of Wonder' and therefore the government continues to detain people who they believe contradict that image.