Posted on

Cambodia’s Reliance on Outside Aid; Chinese and Western Influence

While in Cambodia I said several times in conversation that I thought I would need to live there for a couple years to really understand the country – who really has the power and influence, the money and how that interacts with the general population. Who knows – maybe that two year stay will occur at some point.

At this point I would obviously not call myself an expert, but there certainly were some obvious things going on, and a scan of reports on the internet has solidified some ideas I had, particularly regarding Chinese influence and investment.

The most obvious thing you see while in Cambodia, is a huge disparity between the rich and poor. We worked with many people and children who survive on less than one dollar a day, however, every day we saw many very expensive vehicles traveling the streets of Phnom Penh. We also drove and floated past many properties that I could only call Mansions. There is also a lot of construction going on of opulent government and commercial buildings.The conclusion I came to was that someone either was hording the wealth, and/or some outside entity saw opportunity, and was playing the game "Monopoly", buying up all the green and blue and yellow properties, putting up hotels, and expecting the value to increase. With my little bit of knowledge and experience, I would say both of those things are true.

The other thing that was obvious was the reliance Cambodia has on outside aid. There was no sales tax when I bought stuff there, including gifts and computer networking gear. There also is no income tax collected from those millions of people surviving on one dollar a day. But there are NGOs (non-governmental organizations) everywhere, providing services to the people you would normally expect the government to provide. And my quick article scan confirmed that close to half the country's budget is paid for by the West, and China has started to make significant contributions as well. Apparently there are some taxes collected when outside entities make investments in the country, though there is also a lot of bribe money that changes hands as well to make projects happen, and to direct projects to those entities with connections and money.

The quick answer we usually received when we asked people who owned the mansions and cars, was that the person had some sort of tie to the government. My understanding is that many governmental officials also have side-businesses that they direct projects to, to enrich themselves and their friends (similar to Dick Cheney and Halliburton).

Once you learn the recent history of Cambodia, it makes it easier to excuse them for the dysfunctional nature of their government, even if it is still frustrating. In the early 70's, hundreds of thousands of Cambodians were killed during the Vietnam war. And it was just 30 years ago that Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge was pushed from power, after killing millions of Cambodians. During the horrific time of 1975-1979, the combined effects of slave labor, malnutrition, poor medical care, and executions resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1.7 to 2.5 million people, approximately 21% of the Cambodian population. Those deaths were especially concentrated with educated Cambodians, who were considered suspect in the campaign to re-create the country in his vision. The result is a very young population comprised of many who still or until recently grew rice in the provinces.

The latest news that keeps recurring has to with Cambodians being pushed off of land they have lived on for many years, to make way for shiny new houses, roads and casinos. The landscape is continually changing as investment dollars keep flowing in, with a government whose pockets are greased and who don't seem to have much regard for the poor who get significantly impacted by their actions.

It is an opportunity for good-hearted people from around the world to converge and provide energy, support and funds to help the less advantaged people of the country. And my enthusiasm for helping stays strong by remembering that any effort that helps lift up a human, even if temporary, is of great value, and is worth doing. But I also wonder if the macro environment could undo in a second what might take years to build and create.

If you have a few minutes, here are links to some articles and info I found this morning:

The Center for Khmer Studies
http://www.khmerstudies.org/

Cambodia balances East and West
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/KJ20Ae01.html

Chinese ‘Black Gold’ to Flow from Cambodia
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=10382

China's growing influence in Cambodia
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/HJ06Ae01.html

Sino-Cambodian relations
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Cambodian_relations

International analysts say China’s policies in Cambodia are only one aspect of its engagement with the region as a whole
http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Soc/soc.culture.cambodia/2009-10/msg00068.html

CAMBODIA : Chinese influence on the rise
http://asiacalling.kbr68h.com/index.php/archives/96

Posted on

Lunar Landing

By Jessica Wawrzyniak

11/5/2009

Moon Landing

Today Dave (the President of ClassACT and one of my traveling buddies) put it aptly when he said, "I feel like we are aliens here". Indeed we are. It's as if we're constantly parading through the streets as people stare, and smile, sometimes giggle amongst themselves, and very often come up to us in slightly overwhelming numbers in order to harass us into buying something for a "very chip pry foh yoo". Every once in a while we'll hear the word "barang" casually floating through the air as if we don't know that they're talking about the "foreigners". Yes, it's true, at times we are treated as if we have just emerged from a glittering golden spaceship, but the general feeling we get (and this may very well be a completely naive assumption) is that they like us. This might be due to the flocks of gleaming children that surround us with questions of "howahyoo?watisyournam?wheayoofrom?howmanybrothasistadohave?" anytime we arrive anywhere. Most common is a timid request to have their picture taken. Once one kid builds up the guts to ask you and you acquiesce, then prepare yourself to take a hundred additional photos as the children suddenly charge forward with more assertive demands for their picture taken.

What truly cements the E.T. Experience for us here is that this is a world unlike any we have seen. Our little stint in Siem Reap led us to explore mystical temples thousands of years old that we couldn't imagine in our dreams. This was the stuff of another kind of fairy tale (the kind without Snow White and Cinderella), I am talking about something otherworldly, ancient, and exotic. It was here that we shared a one-of-a-kind moment with the universe: Just before dawn, as we stepped carefully up to our first moonlit view of Ankhor Wat (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angkor_Wat), we looked up into the sky and saw a rainbow. This was no ordinary rainbow. It spanned the entire sky and there was no sun in sight. It was 5am. This was a MOON rainbow. We stared on, stumped by this wondrous sight. Then, it began to rain. And it didn't stop. We spent the entire day outside splashing through puddles and navigating temples – I haven't felt so much like a kid in a long time. This was truly an epic adventure, but more details on our temple hopping will come soon. I'm not done talking about the moon.

It's always interesting to find those minute differences between cultures – I'm talking about how different cultures emulate the sound of a rooster, or what the word for "ouch" is in each language. Well, the other day I discovered that the whole Man-in-the-Moon thing, is a total lie. Now that my life has been turned over to Cambodian rules (and boy are things different here), I have come to accept that there is no longer a man, rather a RABBIT that resides in the moon. Try looking at the moon, squint hard enough, and you will see it.

Today is the first day that my traveling companions and I classified our stomachs as feeling "almost normal" – after about 3 weeks of constant surprises and inhibiting instability, things have finally settled down. Overcoming this great hurdle is always a momentous victory for travelers, but it is ironic that after all this trouble, and after coming so far digestively, that tomorrow my two great bodyguards, Niels and Dave, will be flying back home to the US of A. I am sad to see my friends go, and I would like to give a personal public thank you to them both for being such great companions. It's been a crazy ride. Still, I will forge on.

We could very well be the aliens landing in the very real world, or just some good ol' run o the mill Americans landing on the moon, but however you see it, we are someplace we have never been before. And that makes all the difference.

Posted on

The Teacher’s Life – Class-ACT Global Children’s Art Exchange in Cambodia

Jessica and Niels were in "Go Mode" from the time they landed in Cambodia with the photo portfolio project. Weekend days were exactly like during the week, visiting schools, families, prepping for classes, meeting with people. It didn't stop.

So when it was all over, one coud imagine they might be tired.

Here is a peaceful moment, post classes, when we finally got to relax back at the hotel.

100_0071

Posted on

The Photo Portfolio Project has been completed in Cambodia!

The title really tells it all. What a great time we have had bringing the project here.I will try to get comments from Niels and Jessica.

We actually completed this two days early due to a holiday that starts on Thursday. It's the King's birthday, and apparently it is quite a big bash. The shortening of classtime came as a surprise to us, but Niels and Jessica adjusted the schedule so that everythiing could be completed in the time we had.

Here's a link to some info about the holiday. http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200310/30/eng20031030_127240.shtml

Posted on

Cambodia Trip Update Sunday 10-25-09

Today we visited the homes of eight of the students who attend the school we sponsor in Phnom Penh. It really was an incredible experience. First of all, we expected to visit the homes with just us plus the director of the school but instead were an entourage including several teachers and around 20 enthusiastic students. It really was a blast for us spending all the time with everyone and almost unbelievable seeing the conditions in which these poor families live. The families welcomed us with open arms into their homes which were in many cases smaller than some bathrooms you find in houses in Southern California.

One family with a mother and two children had $40 per month coming in as income of which $25 per month goes toward the rent. The rest has to somehow cover everything else.

114_0383 Yesterday we visited the Stung Meanchey dump in Phnom Penh which until recently was covered by scavengers looking for bottles, cans and anything else of value, as well as families actually living on the dump. Children from114_0356 here are among those currently participating in our photo portfolio project.  Homes come right up to the edge of the dump where everyone was recently evicted to make way for a company that will be extracting methane from the site.

Below is a status report video from Jessica from a few days ago. After the weekend, we'll be back in the classes again on Monday morning.

Posted on

Tuk-Tuks and Motorbikes in Cambodia

One of the more interesting and noticeable things in Phnom Penh are the motorbikes and traffic in Motorbike1general. Motorbikes are the most common mode of travel on the streets. They're everywhere, weaving in and out of other vehicles and people, sometimes driving in the opposite direction of traffic or perpendicular to traffic. Pretty much anything goes, though there are a couple key rules – biggest vehicle wins, and the responsibility for avoiding accidents lies with the vehicle that is behind another vehicle. So if you are driving any vehicle, you don't worry at all about what is going on behind you – only Motorbike2 what's going on in front of you. Makes driving simpler, Motorbike3doesn't it? Also, as a pedestrian crossing traffic, if you've committed in your actions to moving forward you better keep moving, because the motorbikes and tuk-tuks and cars are going to go behind you – they are assuming you're not stopping. And don't ever back up while walking across the street.

Tuk-tuksOne of the main modes of hired transportation in Phnom Penh is the Tuk-Tuk. They are basically like taxis (there are traditional taxis also), but these are open-air and a motor bike or bicycle pulls it. They're really plentiful all over the city and pretty inexpensive for getting around.

 

 

Posted on

Getting Ready for a trip to Cambodia

The days are ticking down until our trip to Cambodia to visit a school we've been sponsoring for 8 months, plus we're bringing our most recent art project, a photo portfolio project, to two schools and an orphanage. There was some recent press about our trip in the North County Times.

Here's a photo of Niels, Jessica and me from a recent get-together, and a photo of the whole crew at a send-off dinner last night. We're leaving Friday night.

Garden, low
IMG_7790, crop, low