Pagoda boys, this week Poor Cambodian Children

These are poor little boys I raised during my stay in Wat Preah Puth Mean Bun, Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia. They are innocent; they should have been raised well in the society where they were born. Yet, they were left behind by the society or at least their parents. After watch this video, do not forget to pay a respect by clicking “Like or Share” to tell the world that we need help for poor children, especially in Cambodia. My last comment is that governance and human security in Cambodia need very much to be strengthened here and now.

Education is officially free in Cambodia and available to all, though there are many costs, (both official and unofficial), and other barriers, that prevent children from attending. Children go to school for half a day, either mornings or afternoons, and a credible 80%+ of children enroll for primary school. Costs of school uniforms, books and other materials, the need to travel greater distances, and unofficial fees, mean that only 26% start lower secondary school and just 9% start upper secondary school; (these are the averages for both sexes? The situation is far worse in rural areas and for girls). Teachers? Salaries are only $30 to $50 per month and they cannot survive on this so are forced to charge unofficial attendance fees, or fees for extra tuition, or for examination results etc. Such fees are beyond the means of the poorest families, and as children get older they are needed to work at home, so the problem is doubly difficult.

Completion of the secondary school certificate, and increasingly, being able to speak, read, and write English, are important prerequisites for getting a decent job. Without basic literacy and numeric skills it is difficult to get any job. A lack of education locks many people into a perpetual poverty cycle: no education means no job; no job means no money; no money means no education.

Cambodia is a land of stark contrasts. It has stunning natural beauty, the awe-inspiring temples and monuments of a great civilization, unique ecosystems, and has made considerable progress from the dark days of the Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970’s. Nevertheless, in common with many developing countries, the benefits from this progress are not evenly spread. It is still one of the world’s poorest nations and grinding poverty is a fact of life for many people.

Children growing up without the protection of their families can often find themselves the victims of crime and in contact with the law. Over 23% of Cambodia’s population lives in the south-eastern provinces of Kampong Cham, Prey Veng and Svay Rieng. This region is one of the poorest in the country. Many parents are forced to migrate to find work, and have to leave their children behind. Girls and boys in these areas are growing up alone, with no one to take care of them, and are often coming into contact with the law – either as victims of crime or as the accused.  

A large number of crimes are committed whilst children are protecting themselves and those close to them from violence. Some will have been forced to steal by older children also living on the streets, or by adults keen to exploit their vulnerability. Crimes against children are rarely brought to the attention of the authorities.

If children are detained for a crime the Cambodian justice system treats them as adults. It doesn’t matter if they’re innocent or guilty, how young they are or the nature of the crime, they will be immediately detained.  Separated from their families these children are confused, frightened and have no one to help them

If they are convicted of a crime, their sentences are often very harsh even for small offences, with no options for non-custodial alternatives and they will be kept with adult prisoners. Inmates are often forced to live and sleep in one cramped space, with very basic facilities and sanitation, and food is always limited. Children are particularly vulnerable to attacks from their fellow prisoners and even the guards who should be protecting them.

Amazing temple - Prasat Bakong Temple, Siem Reap

Cambodian said to be proud having such wonderful and thousand of temples in the whole country, most of which build before and during 14th century. Today, our journey took place in one famous temple in Siem Reap province. The temple is called "Prasat Bakong" in Khmer "ប្រាសាទបាគង". Through this video clip, it provides a lot of attractive scenery with some explanation from our local guide. Historically, this temple was built earlier than the most famous Angkor Wat that's why we can see the temple hardly stands against this polluted environment. The temple need to be preserved as such inclusive participation highly recommended. Join with Cambodian and UNESCO to preserve ancient temple.

Detail Description:

Bakong is located at Roluos south of Preah Ko. Enter and leave the temple at the east. A modern Buddhist temple is situated to the right of the east entrance to Bakong. It was build in late ninth century (881) by king Indravarman I dedicated to Siva (Hindu) followed Prah Ko art style.

The temple of Bakong is built on an artificial mountain and enclosed in a rectangular area by two walls. It has a square base with five tiers. The first, or outside, enclosure (not on the plan) (900 by 700 meters, 2,953 by 2,297 feet) surrounds a moat with an embankment and causeways on four sides, which are bordered by low Naga balustrades.

The second and smaller enclosure has an entry tower of sandstone and laterite in the center of each side of the wall. There were originally 22 towers inside the first enclosures. After passing through the entry tower at the east one comes to a long causeway decorated with large seven-headed serpents across a moat. Long halls on each side lie parallel to the eastern wall. They were probably rest houses for visitors.

The square-shaped base (10) has five tiers with a stairway on each of the four sides and, at the base, a step in the shape of a moonstone. Remains of a small structure can be seen at the base of the stairway fairway flanked by two sandstone blocks, which may have held sculpted figures.

Elephants successively smaller in size stand at the corners of the first three tiers of the base. The fourth tier is identified by twelve small sandstone towers, each of which originally contained a linga. The fifth tier is framed by a molding decorated with a frieze of figures (barely visible) the ones on the south side are in the best condition.

Cambodian's indegenous Wedding Culture

Siem Reap is one of the most famous city in Cambodia and Asia. There are many things attractive to be experience. As often said, those who visited Siem Reap do not want to leave. They usually extend their stay because they are hungry to enjoy visiting thousand temples, unique culture, delicious food, hospitalized stay and safer to walk around. Like they were said, this video shows beautiful girls and boys acting in particular wedding culture in Asia. It is very funny to watch also. If Cambodia is your destination of traveling, do not look over Siem Reap. Sure, it is very joyful and timeless stay.

Why indegenous Wedding Culture is celebrating in Cambodia?
There has been such long tradition that Cambodia is a country respecting diversity. Although it is predominantly Khmer ethnic but Cambodia is always welcoming other ethnicities to live altogether peacefully and harmony. Consequently, throughout the country and as most visitors often see Cambodian government is encouraging to organize such activities to promote culture of diversity. As in Siem Reap province, Cambodian and general visitors locally and internationally could come and enjoy the play of different tribes in Phumi Vabthor in Khmer or Cultural Village in English. From early morning till late at night, this village opens for visitors with low fee entrance. Visitors can come and buy tickets at the counter or via online.

What are they doing so far in this village?
They will be lots of plays from many tribes showing their way of life and how they have been evolved over time. There are Chinese, Kola, Kreng, Khmer American, Vietnamese, and also the big show of King Jayavaraman the 7th.

Poor children leaving behind Angkor Wat

Poor children at Angkor Wat temple is selling some souvenirs or gifts in order to earn a living.

What happens to their parents? Who care them? Or do all these children have to take care of their mother, fathers instead. It seems like that. They are working all say long to sell some gift to visitors around Angkor War temple. For most visitors, they fear of these children. They did not buy any gifts from them. They did not even pay attention to the children's difficulty and suffering. Who care? Probably, visitors both national and international may think that it is not their responsbility; it's their parents or government respsobility and accountability. That is why visitors just pass by and never drop their one or both eyes on these poor children.

This is not an accepted behavior. Visitors and those who meet them should do something. Help as much they can. The best and very first thing they should do is to make happy with hope. Then can buy them a book to read or rather buy those children's gift. Also, better find a suitable place for them to get education. It can be in NGOs school or public school. At least, say some words to them and don't make them hurt if you can't do other thing else.

So sad to make this video clip and I'm sure it is also so pity for you to watch it. At the same time few people enjoy making a lot of money from Angkor Wat, becoming richest in the country, living in a good villa, eating delicious food, driving modern cars and wearing civilized clothes, many, especially poor children from very poor family, are left behind. During my journey to Angkor Wat, I had interviewed with those children about their everyday life. I've asked them about studying: they tend to answer nothing. Yes, they said they went to school but not so often or temporarily leave school for their business. In fact, they are on the street selling some souvenirs and others for a living. I don't know if they do this because their parents force or not. But I know for sure that they have to be strong and survive. That's why started to earn for a living since very little. This is the tragedy for the country. The share-earning from Angkor Wat may go only to few people and not everyone that is why we usually see poor living on the street of the modern city. Governance and human security seem very low in this society.

Khmer New Year Or Chol Chnam Themey in Khmer Language

ចម្រៀងចូលឆ្នាំថ្មីខ្មែរ ឆ្នាំ ២៥៥៧, ២០១៤។ សូមរីករាយសន្តាប់ចម្រៀងនេះទាំងអស់គ្នា និងជៀសវៀងឲ្យបានទង្វើបង្កអសន្តិសុខដល់សង្គម សូមចូលរួមគោរពច្បាប់រដ្ឋទាំងអស់គ្នា ចូរសេចក្តីល្អរបស់លោកអ្នកជួយតាមថែរក្សាលោកអ្នកគ្រប់គ្រា ចូរឲ្យការធ្វើដំណើរទៅមកក្នុងឧកាសបុណ្យចូលឆ្នាំថ្មីប្រពៃណីជាតិ ឆ្នាំ២៥៥៧ជួបតែសុវត្ថិភាព។

Cambodian New Year takes place on April 13rd or 14th, of the year and last for three days officially although people in Cambodia can celebrate up to weeks. Cambodian New Year or Chaul Chnam Thmey in the Khmer language, literally "Enter New Year", is the name of the Cambodian holiday that celebrates the New Year. The holiday lasts for three days beginning on New Year's Day, which usually falls on April 13 or 14th, which is the end of the harvesting season, when farmers enjoy the fruits of their labor before the rainy season begins. Khmers living abroad may choose to celebrate during a weekend rather than just specifically April 13/14 through 15/16th. The Khmer New Year coincides with the traditional solar new year in several parts of India, Myanmar and Thailand.

Sus’Dei Chnam Thmei” is a 3-day festival starting around the 13th or 14th of April (depending on leap years) to celebrate the New Year. Everyone is out on the streets wishing each other and their families success, peace and happiness.  Much earlier, during Angkor times, the New Year was celebrated 4 months earlier on the 1st day of the first lunar month. This was abandoned after Angkor, as a solar calendar was adopted and gained popularity.
The main reason for the change was the end of the dry season, when the peasants finished their work in the fields and the harvest had been put away safely before the start of the rainy season, and people had more time to celebrate. Therefore, one of the kings decided to change the New Year festival to the month of April and to follow a solar calendar.

The first day of the Khmer New Year is called Moha Songkran.

On that day, a new god or angel is appointed to protect the world for the year ahead. To welcome him, people clean and decorate their houses and themselves, to make sure that the New Year does not start with bad luck or unhappiness. Each home “competes” to welcome the new god or angel individually by offering a table full of fruits, a cake with candles, incense sticks decorated with flowers, and flashing light chains to ensure that the house and the family are protected for the rest of the year.

The time around New Year is the only time when young Cambodians are allowed to meet and engage in “mixed” plays. It is also the opportunity for young men to look for potential brides. That’s the tradition!

The second day of the New Year is called Vearak Wanabat.

This means “Day of Giving”. Traditionally, on this day one gives gifts to parents, grand-parents, and elderly people. Children receive new clothes, and poor people are given money or clothes. In the evening, the monks in the pagodas are asked to give a blessing.

The third day of the New Year is called Thnganai Leurng Saka and means “new beginning”.

After seeking the blessings of the monks in the morning, a joyful farewell celebration is held in the afternoon. In the streets and in public places, people pour water on each other. Children and young people throw baby powder and flour at each other. People that usually work far away from their families in other provinces make it a point to return to their families to celebrate the New Year together.

Cities, specially the capital Phnom Penh, are very quiet during that time, as most people that live and work in Phnom Penh are not born there. They come from other provinces, such as Siem Reap, Battambang, Kampong Cham, Kompong Thom, Svay Rieng, and others of the 24 provinces that make up the country.

At the beginning of the festival, people usually cook food and bring it to the monks in the pagodas. The pagodas are also a good place for Cambodians to meet other people who are also born in their region or who went to school together, but now live and work in other places. The pagoda thus becomes a place of reunion, meeting old friends and exchanging news about their lives. During the festival, many traditional plays are played, such as throwing of “Ongkunhs”, rope pulling contests, and others. After the festival, people return to their places of work and wait for the next festival, Pchum Ben Tag. That will be the next time when the whole family and friends get together again.

American government criticizes for the act of violence in Cambodia 2013

Cambodian government must respect human rights. People are free to demonstrate peacefully. They should not be stopped just because of different political views. Rather, government should responsibly offer a good care to their own citizens because it is their only role. In addition, peaceful methods such as negotiation, compromise must be put so that conflict are avoided. Yet, such act of violence done lately is completely contrary to above principles. They should go back to the table fairly and openly discuss what to be done to bring greater interests for whole Cambodians.

By whatever mean, discussion is the only approachable solution for all parties in Cambodia. They should put Cambodian interests above all. They should not using violent forces against civilians and innocent people. Rather they should come together and put all issues on the table and begin their negotiation. Because all parties claim to defend Cambodian and national interests, there must be a room for compromising and there must be available options for all involved parties to work together to reach their ended goals.

As far Human Rights is concerned, the ruling government must not use force to depress or put pressure on the opposition parties to reach the deal. From fair competiton, they should accept the result and since their national allows them to recount the ballots, they should do so in a case of unproper during national election. Nothing will be worse, if the result shows the same or different since the opposition or the ruling party win, they would lead to country to better, too. That's their ended goal. Or is it because they wanted to rule the government because they could earn lots of money?

They may be able to earn lots of money from their position but what will be the next result in the next national election? They won't be able to stay in power anymore. People and everybody knows that. They can't hide it. 

At least 4 killed in clash between government forces in Cambodia

Sadly, innocent, unarmed Cambodians were killed during a peaceful demonstration lately. Based on Human Rights Watch, protestors peacefully protested. But they are celebrating a party in the evening and everyone almost went home, the government force came in and hit them violently. And that the clash broke up; many injures and about 4 get killed.

Five people were shot dead and more than 20 injured, most suffering gunshot wounds, when military police officers opened fire with AK-47 assault rifles during clashes with protesters armed with stones, sticks and crude Molotov cocktails on Veng Sreng Street in the heart of the garment factory zone in Phnom Penh’s Pur Senchey district on Friday.

Said local rights group Licadho, the killings represent terrible state violence against civilians and innocent people. In 15 years this is one of the single worst incidents ever to hit the country’s key garment industry, which employs more than 600,000 people in hundreds of mostly foreign-owned firms.

Garment factory workers went strike peacefully to increase their wage to around 160 USD. They did not expect such horrible response from the government which led to deaths and injuries of many peaceful strikers in the capital, the heart city of the Cambodia Kingdom.

Violence in the Veng Sreng Street area was erupted in late Thursday night when reportedly some youths intended to block roads and set fire to some car tires nearby in an intention to call for freedom of detentions of 15 strikers, union leaders and monks by members of the paratrooper 911 Brigade at the Yakjin garment factory, also in Pur Senchey district.

At that time, it was around 2:00 amp of Friday morning, there were hundreds of police and military police tried to quell the unrest but they unsuccessful stopped it, said Licadho officers in its statement. There were up to 2,000 “mixed security forces” had gathered in the area by the time shooting broke out around 10 a.m Friday.

Since early in the morning, hundreds of young workers including men and women stood behind make-shift barricades in the middle of street namely Veng Sreng, which they had made from wooden market stalls and metal street signs, and from where they hurled stones at the military police. Many of the rioting youths had crude Molotov cocktails, though none appeared to hit the military police lines.

Till around 9:00 a.m. in that morning there were two military helicopters flew over the protest site and another. Then at 9:30 a.m. hundreds of military police officers who marched at front of the protesters near the Canadia Industrial Park were ready to march. But the clashes almost went up to 100 decree Celsius.

At around 10:00 a.m. in that morning is when the fire was opening. Under a barrage of stones thrown by more than 100 protesters, the military police opened fire around 10 a.m., shooting hundreds of bullets at the demonstrators, including firing at the upper balconies of buildings where protesters were standing and hurling objects.

This was the tragic history of killing and violence after the country was set on peaceful process for about 20 years. The human rights situation which was supposed to get much improved the end of the fiscal year rather turns down.

Till today, innocent civilians and many peaceful strikers can’t reach their demands. They rather lost their love ones and are awaiting for justice. However, hope of much improve working condition, wages and other kinds of salary became less and less visible for garment factory workers in the whole country. No one knows for sure if all workers will get protected by the factories and the government. Perhaps the next national election that will be taken place in 2018 answer all of these problems.