Forums > Social Discussion > Country for Sale, Cambodia
Login/Join to ParticipateBRONZE Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
4,191 posts
Location: Sihanoukville, cambodia
Carpal \'Tunnel
4,191 posts
Location: Sihanoukville, cambodia
Posted:
Hi all
As some of you know I have been living in Cambodia for quite some time now.
Recently in the area I am living in there have been a lot of my close friends kicked out of their homes, this is due to the fact that over the last 18 months the Prime Minster Hun Sen has sold of more than half of the country to foreign investors.
Thousands of people that fled to this area for safety after the Khmer Rouge are now being violently expelled from their homes again.
Here is the full newspaper report on the issue, its quite a long read but well worth your time.
Let me know what you think guys, Thanks!
Hi all
As some of you know I have been living in Cambodia for quite some time now.
Recently in the area I am living in there have been a lot of my close friends kicked out of their homes, this is due to the fact that over the last 18 months the Prime Minster Hun Sen has sold of more than half of the country to foreign investors.
Thousands of people that fled to this area for safety after the Khmer Rouge are now being violently expelled from their homes again.
Here is the full newspaper report on the issue, its quite a long read but well worth your time.
Let me know what you think guys, Thanks!
Stargazer
6,650 posts
6,650 posts
Posted:
I think that people get kicked around until they got enough... It's not that the Cambodian people have no power, it's that they need to start to stand up for themselves.
It's one thing that I notice all across Asia - from India to China: Submission to authorities violence and oppression... the same applies to Africa. And then usually it's 'foreign investors' or 'white supremacy' that is blamed for the misconducts committed by their very own people.
Khmer Rouge have been supported by Thailand, Pol Pot received asylum in Thailand... but sure, Thailand is such a nice country and the King is such a good guy...
I've briefly visited Siem Reap and it's the same thing all over: as long as enough people find enough crumbs to feed themselves, they will not form an opposition and leave the cake to a very (selected) few. They're abused by power strugglers, from right or left and usually by the military...
Change will only come from within and this has nothing to do with education. Basic human right(s) abuses are easy to understand to even the most uneducated peasant... but it's so very 'Asean' to just stand aside, look and put it on "the rule of Karma"...
"Smile and the world smiles with you" - unfortunately the guy with the baton is smiling for his very own reasons.
love and light, Maus
Hope you're happy
I think that people get kicked around until they got enough... It's not that the Cambodian people have no power, it's that they need to start to stand up for themselves.
It's one thing that I notice all across Asia - from India to China: Submission to authorities violence and oppression... the same applies to Africa. And then usually it's 'foreign investors' or 'white supremacy' that is blamed for the misconducts committed by their very own people.
Khmer Rouge have been supported by Thailand, Pol Pot received asylum in Thailand... but sure, Thailand is such a nice country and the King is such a good guy...
I've briefly visited Siem Reap and it's the same thing all over: as long as enough people find enough crumbs to feed themselves, they will not form an opposition and leave the cake to a very (selected) few. They're abused by power strugglers, from right or left and usually by the military...
Change will only come from within and this has nothing to do with education. Basic human right(s) abuses are easy to understand to even the most uneducated peasant... but it's so very 'Asean' to just stand aside, look and put it on "the rule of Karma"...
"Smile and the world smiles with you" - unfortunately the guy with the baton is smiling for his very own reasons.
love and light, Maus
Hope you're happy
the best smiles are the ones you lead to 
BRONZE Member
Classically British
5,689 posts
Location: Epsom, Surrey, England
Classically British
5,689 posts
Location: Epsom, Surrey, England
Posted:
Cambodia has a history of foreign investment issues - it's national symbol - Angkor Wat - which is on it's flag and is the most iconic emblem of Cambodia is owned wholly by a Saudi Oil Company!
It was sold off by the government... appalling.
Especially given the price for entry, of which a tiny percentage goes back into the country.
Though with regards to Sihanoukville (I presume that's where you're talking about) - i think it's suffering the same fate as Goa and Thailand. Over-commercialisation from foreign-owned companies taking advantage of a rapidly growing market.
Cambodia has a history of foreign investment issues - it's national symbol - Angkor Wat - which is on it's flag and is the most iconic emblem of Cambodia is owned wholly by a Saudi Oil Company!
It was sold off by the government... appalling.
Especially given the price for entry, of which a tiny percentage goes back into the country.
Though with regards to Sihanoukville (I presume that's where you're talking about) - i think it's suffering the same fate as Goa and Thailand. Over-commercialisation from foreign-owned companies taking advantage of a rapidly growing market.
Burner of Toast
Spinner of poi
Slacker of enormous magnitude
Stargazer
6,650 posts
6,650 posts
Posted:
Hmm, this is what I mean, Sir.
"over-commercialisation (?sp)from foreign-owned companies" (to me) always sounds like "them" (being responsible/guilty) instead of "us" (having sold it in the first place)...
However in the cases of Goa and Thailand this connotation is erroneous. It's mostly Indian and Thai companies that make the profit and use "foreign" as scapegoats... errm (IMHO)
In the case of Angkor Wat my level of knowledge has been that it's mostly been owned by an ex-Vietnamese who is living in (and owning half of) Cambodia, but I might be wrong...
Hmm, this is what I mean, Sir.
"over-commercialisation (?sp)from foreign-owned companies" (to me) always sounds like "them" (being responsible/guilty) instead of "us" (having sold it in the first place)...
However in the cases of Goa and Thailand this connotation is erroneous. It's mostly Indian and Thai companies that make the profit and use "foreign" as scapegoats... errm (IMHO)
In the case of Angkor Wat my level of knowledge has been that it's mostly been owned by an ex-Vietnamese who is living in (and owning half of) Cambodia, but I might be wrong...
the best smiles are the ones you lead to
BRONZE Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
4,191 posts
Location: Sihanoukville, cambodia
Carpal \'Tunnel
4,191 posts
Location: Sihanoukville, cambodia
Posted:
Angkor wat is owned by the Sokimex company see here for some more details.
The Sokha Hotel is also one of the main "companies"that hsa bought up most of the land around Sihanoukville, kicking hundreds of families out of their homes, and resulting in 3 people I know being arrested for standing up to the cause, and another one being shot dead on the spot while we all watched helplessly.
As far as the Asean people not fighting something like this....
All of my cambodian friends live by the motto of "saying nothing of the bad is better than making something bad
which is sad but true.
I think a lot of the problem is that people are so scared of having another Pol Pot style situation happening.Plus the few people that do try to start something get stopped before it can turn into anything
Seriously it was the election here last week, and the town was on lock down. All bars were banned from selling alcohol, all cambodian places were banned from even opening, and it felt like the whole place was on edge.
Police were everywhere on the streets in the local areas, but completely ignored the main tourist strip...
This country makes me crazy sometimes!
And yes Tom, I am well thankyou, going to Australia for a break soon, hope you are also very good.
Angkor wat is owned by the Sokimex company see here for some more details.
The Sokha Hotel is also one of the main "companies"that hsa bought up most of the land around Sihanoukville, kicking hundreds of families out of their homes, and resulting in 3 people I know being arrested for standing up to the cause, and another one being shot dead on the spot while we all watched helplessly.
As far as the Asean people not fighting something like this....
All of my cambodian friends live by the motto of "saying nothing of the bad is better than making something bad
which is sad but true.
I think a lot of the problem is that people are so scared of having another Pol Pot style situation happening.Plus the few people that do try to start something get stopped before it can turn into anything
Seriously it was the election here last week, and the town was on lock down. All bars were banned from selling alcohol, all cambodian places were banned from even opening, and it felt like the whole place was on edge.
Police were everywhere on the streets in the local areas, but completely ignored the main tourist strip...
This country makes me crazy sometimes!
And yes Tom, I am well thankyou, going to Australia for a break soon, hope you are also very good.
Stargazer
6,650 posts
6,650 posts
Posted:
I'm happy, thanks 'Jerry'...
errm, Maus... not for any particular reason - except for the one that I'm sitting in front of a hall, watching... two guys on Unicycles throwing 7 clubs at each other (and catching them) - amongst a crowd of (I'm sooo bad in guessing) maybe 800 Jugglers?
And I'd guess that you simply love this country and its people, and especially you love the way all this makes you feel about yourself. You do something very meaningful and you do it for other ppl - far away from your culture and peeps... that's so
style.
Has the Pol Pot situation really left? Okay, just now they don't shoot the ppl randomly or because they are wearing glasses or can't climb on top of the palmtrees fast enough, but I can't see too much difference at the other aspects.
Sokimex, right - there is very interesting information about the deal right here.
Asia appears to be a vastly totalitarian regime, with a very few controlling all the rest... Not certain about Laos and Vietnam but my guess would be that they're not too far away from Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar.
Damn this corrupted version of Buddhism and its perverted rule of Karma...
All my blessings and meaows to you
I'm happy, thanks 'Jerry'...
errm, Maus... not for any particular reason - except for the one that I'm sitting in front of a hall, watching... two guys on Unicycles throwing 7 clubs at each other (and catching them) - amongst a crowd of (I'm sooo bad in guessing) maybe 800 Jugglers? And I'd guess that you simply love this country and its people, and especially you love the way all this makes you feel about yourself. You do something very meaningful and you do it for other ppl - far away from your culture and peeps... that's so
style.Has the Pol Pot situation really left? Okay, just now they don't shoot the ppl randomly or because they are wearing glasses or can't climb on top of the palmtrees fast enough, but I can't see too much difference at the other aspects.
Sokimex, right - there is very interesting information about the deal right here.
Asia appears to be a vastly totalitarian regime, with a very few controlling all the rest... Not certain about Laos and Vietnam but my guess would be that they're not too far away from Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar.
Damn this corrupted version of Buddhism and its perverted rule of Karma...
All my blessings and meaows to you
the best smiles are the ones you lead to
BRONZE Member
Insert Champagne Here
13,215 posts
Location: without class distinction, Australia
Insert Champagne Here
13,215 posts
Location: without class distinction, Australia
Posted:
I agree. Although I don't know about Cambodia specifically.
I also think that a part of the "problem" is that we impose our Western Values onto what is correct conduct and behaviour. It may be cultural for nations/countries to have a feudal, war-lord system and as much as it's horrible from our perspective, it's what comes naturally to that nation/country.
It's like how often we look at countries and say that they're "poor" when, yes, they are poor by our cultural standards where money is regarded. But by their own cultural standards where they don't focus on money, they're not really "poor" at all, just living a different way...or was that a tangent? oops.
Written by :FireTom
It's one thing that I notice all across Asia - from India to China: Submission to authorities violence and oppression... the same applies to Africa. And then usually it's 'foreign investors' or 'white supremacy' that is blamed for the misconducts committed by their very own people.
I agree. Although I don't know about Cambodia specifically.
I also think that a part of the "problem" is that we impose our Western Values onto what is correct conduct and behaviour. It may be cultural for nations/countries to have a feudal, war-lord system and as much as it's horrible from our perspective, it's what comes naturally to that nation/country.
It's like how often we look at countries and say that they're "poor" when, yes, they are poor by our cultural standards where money is regarded. But by their own cultural standards where they don't focus on money, they're not really "poor" at all, just living a different way...or was that a tangent? oops.
i would have changed ***** to phallus, and claire to petey Petey
Rougie: but that's what I'm doing here
Arnwyn: what letting me adjust myself in your room?..don't you dare quote that on HoP...
Stargazer
6,650 posts
6,650 posts
Posted:
hmm - haven't come across a country where it's not about money, yet. Especially not in Asia...
Take a look at this Buddha:
Non-Https Image Link
This is not an ascetic person and very much different to how the Indians depict the (traditional) Buddha. Still...
The Asean perception of "Karma" and "the cycle of re-incarnation" (IMHO) is not that much different to the Western (traditional) abuse of religion (lat. "Re ligare": to tie back). It's (according to Marx) "Opium to the people" -> to keep them satisfied with the crumbs, instead of reaching for the cake, that is reserved for the elite.
Every culture has their own, custom-tailored approach to keep peasants in check. According to regional, environmental and climatic conditions, this incorporates more or less involvement of open violence and hostility.
Meaning that (according to my theory) in a country where society is not that dependent on each other for survival (like for say in Europe) violence and the use of deadly force is a very appropriate measure of keeping (the) 'order'.
Whilst being a saint does not necessarily exclude a nice garment and a beautiful home, in some cultures they are essential elements to get recognition.
hmm - haven't come across a country where it's not about money, yet. Especially not in Asia...
Take a look at this Buddha:
Non-Https Image Link
This is not an ascetic person and very much different to how the Indians depict the (traditional) Buddha. Still...
The Asean perception of "Karma" and "the cycle of re-incarnation" (IMHO) is not that much different to the Western (traditional) abuse of religion (lat. "Re ligare": to tie back). It's (according to Marx) "Opium to the people" -> to keep them satisfied with the crumbs, instead of reaching for the cake, that is reserved for the elite.
Every culture has their own, custom-tailored approach to keep peasants in check. According to regional, environmental and climatic conditions, this incorporates more or less involvement of open violence and hostility.
Meaning that (according to my theory) in a country where society is not that dependent on each other for survival (like for say in Europe) violence and the use of deadly force is a very appropriate measure of keeping (the) 'order'.
Whilst being a saint does not necessarily exclude a nice garment and a beautiful home, in some cultures they are essential elements to get recognition.
the best smiles are the ones you lead to
© 1998 - 2024 Home of Poi
All prices converted to United States dollars using XE.com