Anti Vietnamese sentiment has been part of Cambodian culture for an exceedingly long time, and has only been on the rise since the hotly contested 2013 elections, in which the opposition CNRP party made animosity towards the Vietnamese, and their supposed colonial desires, a central tenet of its platform. Spearheaded by Khmer Krom minority groups, […]
Tag: phnom penh
Why I Hate Backpackers: An Illustrated Guide
I am regularly asked by acquaintances and friends why I hate backpackers. They are used to seeing my anti-backpacker screeds on Twitter or when they meet me at the bar, ready with my latest story about those horrible people who wear elephant-patterned pants and talk incessantly about spirituality. They conclude the obvious: I loathe backpackers […]
Cambodian Government Hopes We Just Won’t Notice Sweeping Internet Cafe Circular
Want to visit an Internet cafe in downtown Phnom Penh? If the government has its way, that might not be an option for too much longer. New circular 1815 has been put out by the Cambodian government that states that Internet cafes shouldn’t be allowed to operate within 500 meters of schools or educational institutions. […]
Why Are So Many Cambodian Protesters Being Shot These Days? – UN Dispatch
Why Are So Many Cambodian Protesters Being Shot These Days? – UN Dispatch It’s becoming increasingly dangerous to be a peaceful protester in many parts of the world, and impoverished, corrupt Cambodia is no exception. Since November 2011, gun violence against peaceful protesters has been on the rise in this troubled Southeast Asian nation. Local […]
Sex Work and Dignity in Cambodia – Not Everyone’s a Victim at That Girly Bar
Sex work is still stigmatized in Cambodia, a largely conservative nation, despite what Street 51s more than healthy hostess bar trade may lead you to believe. A group of sex workers has decided to create a union and ask for the right to work—and most interestingly, they want to let people know that they don’t […]
Human Rights Go From Bad to Worse in Cambodia: UN Dispatch
Borei Keila evictee Art Samnang spoke to me yesterday after her second arrest. Land Grabs in Cambodia Human rights in Cambodia have gone from bad to worse in January, prompting Human Rights Watch to issue a damning report on the Southeast Asian nation’s rights slide. The Cambodian government has been especially rough on protesters demonstrating […]
Land Grabs and Misery at Borei Keila: A Photo Essay
I wrote this a while back but held onto it – it’s up at the Faster Times now. Mirroring it over here since I have a bit more space for photos on my blog. Cambodia is in the throes of another land-grab drama in the early days of 2012, after the Borei Keila slum development […]
Borei Keila in the GlobalPost
My first GlobalPost front page story – and it’s on Borei Keila. I hope this helps the evictees get some of the attention they deserve.
Weird Wednesday in Phnom Penh: 4 Villagers Shot, 22 Escape Detention Center
The news cycle got weirder yesterday, as 22 Borei Keila evictees made an escape from an Orwellian “social affairs” center after a visit from Mu Sochua, and 4 protesting villagers near Snoul were shot in cold blood by hired security hands. The common theme in these examples of extreme government force? A total lack of […]
Phnom Penh Municipality Claims Evictees Aren’t Being “Detained” at “Social Affairs Center”
The Phnom Penh Municipality issued another poor explanation for its detention of 30 women and children at the Prey Speu Social Detention Center Friday. I’m here once again to break it down for you. Claiming to have “investigated” the 22 families detained at the center, the City found….. “14 families illegally bought the house on […]