This could be a thread on its own, but it focuses on Cambodia, so I’ll stick it here: Micro-Lenders Run Reality Check.
Micro-lending has become quite a watchword in recent years, ever since Muhammad Yunus from Bangladesh won the Nobel Peace Prize for it, but it seems to be a rather murky practice in Cambodia anyway.
There is new tree-ring evidence in Vietnam that Angkor Wat, perhaps the world’s largest preindustrial city, was felled mainly by a massive drought at the time and not solely by the 1431 Siamese invasion. Story here.
I have nothing to contribute to this thread, but I want to thank you for providing so much interesting information about a country I definitely don’t think about often. It’s appreciated!
My buddy told me a few months ago he was planning on going to Cambodia next summer with a friend. I expressed my envy and said I’d always wanted to see Angkor Wat. He replied, “Angkor What?!”
He then proceeded to tell me the impetus to visit Cambodia is so he can f#ck a thirteen year-old and blow up a donkey with a hand grenade.
My envy has since waned and I am sincerely hopeful the thirteen year-old comment was hyperbole.
Lovely. :rolleyes:
I’m afraid Cambodia has not been as strict about cracking down on child sex as Thailand has. There is still a danger of incarceration; I recall one entertaining courtroom scene on the news that showed a Westerner being sentenced to 20 years in a Cambodian prison for engaging in underage sex even thugh he had paid a large bribe to the judge. The judge apparently pocketed the bribe and sentenced him anyway. The guy screaming: “But I paid you! I paid you! I paid you, you bastard!!!” while throwing his chair across the courtroom and being dragged away was a classic.
But still, that’s where all the pedophiles end up these days. And the donkey one is not hyperbole either, I’m afraid. I myself have been offered the chance to shoot up a live cow with an AK47 while there, but I declined.
I’m a bit surprised your buddy was so straightforward about his intentions, though. Many Western countries – including, I believe, the US, Canada, Britain and Australia – all have laws allowing prosecution of their citizens for this sort of crime committed abroad. But then, he doesn’t sound like a very bright bulb to begin with.
BTW: There does just happen to be an Angkor What? Bar in Siem Reap, the town near the ruins. 
Cambodia has blacklisted three websites for giving false information regarding Cambodian visas. Story here. You should always get the correct information from the closest Cambodian embassy anyway, or that country’s Foreign Ministry website for e-visas.
Acid attacks, a common form of revenge in Cambodia, are on the rise, so be careful whom you piss off while there. Story here. This practice was covered in this thread I started last May about the graphic novel Shake Girl. In fact, the subject of Shake Girl, Tat Marina, is mentioned in the article.
And Cambodia is trying to crack down on “pornographic songs.” Story here. Personally, I think they’d do better to go after the pedophiles. Except: "Some of the songs that did not please the officials from the ministry of Culture are: ‘Krapeu min toan thom’ (the crocodile that has not grown yet) which, when inverted in Khmer also means ‘coming of age but no sexual relations yet’; or the song titled ‘Khloy Ta Chean’ (Grandpa Chean’s flute) which is inverted to mean ‘thirst for sexual relation’. Another song that has already been banned by the ministry is titled ‘Som chhbab mé khum to bok srov’ (asking permission from the commune chief to unhusk rice.’ This song talks about the dialog between a man and a woman regarding sexual subjects.
Mass Murderer’s Grave Site a Tourist Draw.
Excerpt: “He was one of the greatest mass killers of the 20th century, but that doesn’t stop the hopeful from praying at Pol Pot’s hillside grave for lucky lottery numbers, job promotions and beautiful brides.”
And speaking of the Khmer Rouge, the trial of Khmer Rouge prison chief Duch has resumed. Story here. He claims now to be a born-again Christian, and I’ve heard elsewhere he claims he was coerced into his role as torturer and executioner and that he never wanted to do it. Uh huh.
Sam, thanks for this thread.
My school does a thing every year where we pick a developing nation, study it for a semester (getting into the class is really competitive) and then, during spring break, go there. Right now we’re in the middle of the process of picking a country for next year, and I nominated Cambodia. We’ve been doing an online vote for the last few days, and I just found out that Cambodia is one of the three semifinalists! I have to make a presentation on Wednesday about all the reasons we should go there and your links are SUPER helpful. You may help me get to Cambodia next year! (I figure that if the country I nominated gets selected, there’s an awfully good chance I’ll get into the program.)
If people who’ve been there want to chip in ideas, go ahead. Keep in mind we are public policy students learning about economic development, so…“I want to go to Angkor Wat” is not really a valid reason.
Good luck with getting to Cambodia. See post #22; someone could work that into an Angkor Wat argument, I’ll wager.
All sorts of weird rumors of a family of serial killers in Siem Reap, the town near Angkor Wat, are rife. They say maybe 90 bodies are to be found, but police say there’s only been one murder and a handful of robberies. But the famliy’s home and even their jail cell have become tourist attractions. See here.
Excerpt: **"Curious crowds have also turned up at Angkor Pyong Yu on successive Sundays following rumours that a ‘bad family’ of serial killers would be displayed in cages at the entertainment park and that there was a display of human remains that had earlier been sold as dog food.
Thailand and Cambodia have started shooting at each other again. See here. May have to revive the There’s Warfare on Our Border thread.
There was another clash later in the day, and this time soldiers on both sides were killed. See here. Also, not mentioned in the story is a Thai soldier stepped on a landmine on Wednesday or Thursday that blew his leg off. This is a remote area, though, and will not affect other parts of either country, so don’t let this scare you away. Angkor Wat is far away from this location.
First evidence of resistance to the world’s most effective drug for treating malaria has been found in western Cambodia. Story here.
Not had malaria myself, but I have had dengue fever. Nasty, nasty stuff.
Lightning strikes have killed 93 Cambodians this year as of this past Sunday. That’s already the same total as all of last year! Story here.
Khmer Rouge Baby-Killing Recalled In Court
“Babies Battered To Death To Ensure They Couldn’t Avenge Their Parents’ Deaths, Chief Jailer Testifies”
Coaxing a Khmer Temple from the Jungle’s Embrace
But would it really have been too much trouble to provide pictures? I can only hope they did so in the actual newspaper copy.
The wife and I have been to similarly remote temples but not this one. One we went to had a table set up with a few guys sitting around who charged us a “protection fee.” And we had to keep strictly to a marked path, due to the predominance of landmines.
“Duch is the first senior Khmer Rouge figure to face trial …”
I am angered, but not really surprised, at this.
We’re just glad someone’s finally being prosecuted. Looked doubtful anyone ever would be. One time in rural northwestern Cambodia, our driver offered to take us to the nearby home of one of the Khmer Rouge bigwigs, who was living openly and comfortably. We declined.
