Path to Phnom Penh

The Hearing and the Visit

2007-06-22T13:38:00.000+07:00

18 June 2007
Phnom Penh and Surrounding Countryside
Sangkat Toule Bassak
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On Monday 18 June 2007 I had an opportunity to attend a rally that raised concerns about development and land conflict in Phnom Penh.

The community hearing was fairly powerful. About 200 people attended the hearing, including community representatives from Group 78 in the Sangkat Toule Basak, Khan Chamcar Mon in Phnom Penh. The Group 78 community is being forced out of their homes to pave the way for development. The Cambodian Center for Human Rights (my internship site) and other closely aligned NGO’s such as LICADHO (http://www.licadho.org/) were also in attendance with representatives from the national assembly that represent the Sam Ramsey Party (SRP) and FUNCIPEC Party.

100 affected community members – as well as delegations from 9 provinces were also able to attend and speak at the hearing. Their enthusiasm was a credible demonstration that the issue of land conflict is quite widespread. Mind you, i don't understand Khmer more than the pleasantries. I had quite a time listening to empassioned testimony that I couldn't understand a lick of. Thankfully, a few Cambodian observers I know were able to translate snippets - otherwise I would have been completely in the dark.

After the hearing, I was invited to travel about 20 km out of Phnom Penh to visit the relocation settlements populated by families that had been forcibly relocated in the past. Last year at around this time, a settlement of 1000+ people were forcibly and violently removed from their settlement, transported, and dumped there. When members of the Sambok Cham community got forcibly removed last year on June 6, 2006 they got relocated to three sites.

None of the relocation sites had anything substantial for the displaced people…
- no houses
- no sanitation
- no clean water
- no schools
- no access to employment or a market to sell goods
- nothing

At this moment, most of the houses are rickety structures, built from scavenged materials - stuff you can grab from local trees, scavenge from a dump or rescue from scraps. There are some positive signs of progress, but a year on?

From this visit, I’ve gained a sense of the human rights dimension at stake here - big time.

I’m in Cambodia.

The Funniest Thing...

2007-06-22T13:05:00.000+07:00

21 June 2007
Phnom Penh
Sisowath Quay / FCC

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An interesting thing happened yesterday which underscored the lack of rule of law... . Kind of funny, kind of not...

Background: One of the places where regular Khmer and non-Khmer folk mingle is the Riverfront or Sisowath Quay. A diverse array of restaurants line the busy street - Khmer food, Italian food, Thai food, western steak houses, Chinese, et cetera are all available on the Riverfront. One of the most famous places, and certainly popular with Westerners, is a place called the FCC (http://www.fcccambodia.com/).

As you may recall, I’m an intern as a participant in the One World Foundation’s Young Leaders delegation. My internship is with the Cambodian Center for Human Rights. My boss Virak is a good guy to just sit and listen to, and Vidal and I were invited to the FCC after work for cocktails and conversation. He requested that we go to network with two NGO workers he has been friendly with in the past few weeks.

Soon after we arrived, Lazar and Raj joined us for drinks and conversation. Both are very interesting NGO workers from outside of Cambodia. Lazar, who is from Belgrade, was very somber guy with a dry wit, and a very friendly, understated style. He politely expressed curiosity about our background. A few minutes later, Raj arrived. Raj’s manner was an interesting contrast to Lazar’s calm and soft-spoken style of conversation. Raj is a humorous, gregarious fellow – his statements were punctuated by eyebrow raises, hand gestures and the occasional chortle. Both gentlemen were quite engaging, with superb conversational skills and very interesting insights into Cambodian life as a foreigner.

The gentlemen were so engrossing, in fact, that we didn't quite notice when Virak's car got apprehended by the police and towed away - with his driver still minding the car. In fairness, the car was parked facing the wrong way. But I get the sense that this was largely a pretext for impounding the car. The area, with plenty of Khmer families out and about, affluent Western and Khmer NGO workers and journalists, is a target for such events I guess ...

We had a few moments of anxiety after we learned the car was gone... The car contained my laptop, iPod, Vidal's laptop and papers, Virak's laptop, cell phone, keys, et cetera. In Cambodia, its not a given that if and when the police impound your car, you will get anything back at all - that is, unless you are willing to negotiate. Virak went by himself - as a Cambodian, he was least likely to get extorted. Lazar's car was also apprehended and towed, so Virak went to negotiate on his behalf as well.

About 1/2 hour after we got word of the car tow, Virak's driver came to see us in the FCC. He came bearing good tidings – slung across his back was Vidal’s knapsack with the laptops. We also recovered the helmets he and I use for moto rides. But there was no sign of the iPods…

Yikes! After everything was said and done, I wished passionately I had kept the darn thing in my pocket. Virak, an old hand in such situations, handled the situation with grace. He made a few calls, sipped his beer, and kept his mind on the larger picture. He asked me if I wanted to try to push the envelope and make an example of this situation publicly – maybe by making a public stink we could try to shed light on the need for reform in the way Cambodian law enforcement officers conduct themselves. I said yes, half-heartedly... Virak, having tapped his social network a bit, got word a little while later of a person who could help him negotiate for the car and the belongings in the vehicle as well as Lazar's belongings.

The night ended with uncertainty about what would happen next. It was getting late, and Vidal and I hopped a ride on a moto bike and got back to the hotel to eat dinner and whittle the hours away before bed.

As of this morning, I am unsure if Virak was able to recover either his car or his effects last night. He was totally at the whim of the law enforcement officer that was 'negotiating'. I expect he's going to be lighter in the wallet today. This morning, Vidal opened the knapsack, and out popped the iPod. I'm certain the driver stuffed the iPod in the bag before he evacuated. Lucky me.

I appreciate law enforcers that conduct themselves with discretion and integrity in the USA a little more today. I lack the feeling of security or of trust that things will stay the same from day to day - it's brought me a little closer to understanding and re-examining my own assumptions while I'm here. In Phnom Penh, things can "turn on a dime". Or 500 Riel.

Tour of S-21 - Tuol Sleng

2007-06-20T11:30:00.000+07:00

4 June 2007

Phnom Penh

(Sorry for the lack of images - when I'm in a place with a faster internet connection, I'll repost the pics! Please, please, please mind when I do repost that they will be a grisly and disturbing set of images - yet they are really important to see ...)

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If you are not yet aquainted with the history of Cambodia and you want to get to the heart of the cateclysm of the past 30+ years of Cambodian history, please visit Tuol Sleng. It is the Cambodian people's museum that retains the living memory of the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge some 30 years ago.

Most of my Khmer friends call what happened the 'genocide' and I think I never understood the word so well as after my visit. There's nothing that can prepare one for a visit there, but it's important to me that I was given an opportunity to smell, feel, and taste the oblivion that occured there. Here is a brief pictoral tour:

Tuol Sleng began as a school. The Khmer Rouge took over the small campus and adapted the school buildings to detain, interrogate, torture and execute prisoners. At some point after the Khmer Rouge regime ended, the Cambodian people took care to preserve the records and physical evidence of what took place.

The campus is a rectangle that contains about 6 buildings surrounded by a high wall. The central building is a small gathering place for visitors. The grounds in the center have places for meditation as well as relics, grave markers, gymnastics equipment, and crumbling pavement.

Visitors from other countries as well as Cambodian citizens visit the museum to view the campus. Rooms have been created to display the different restraints, torture implements, and holding cells.

Meticulous records detailing the lives of the victims were retained, and one of the buildings features rooms with perhaps thousands of pictures. Part of the significance of the event hits home as you consider that hundreds of youths male and female, kids, infants and elders were held. One of the most disturbed things about the sheer efficiency of the place I learned later is the way in which biographical records were kept concerning almost every prisoner.

Out of the many prisoners detained and killed at Toul Sleng only 7 survived. Artist Vann Nath (sic) was one of the seven, and his works depicting the atrocities are on display.

Being invited to reflect on such a terrible chapter of a people's history is powerful. I'm haunted by the experience but thankful for the visit, as many elements of the human rights situation in Cambodia are bound to the events propelled by the Khmer Rouge's regime and to the history of civil war and genocide.

Life in General in the 1st Week

2007-06-20T10:38:00.000+07:00

4-10 June 2007
Phnom Penh
Various
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Hospitality

Our group stays in an area where many hotels and guest houses are located. It's called Ste. 278, otherwise known as 'Golden' Street. Everywhere you go, the hotels and establishments are called golden... Golden Comfort, Golden Inn, Golden Castle, et cetera. It's a paved road that centers a lot of activity day and night. I really like the area we are in.

The little street we stay on is also surrounded by many little shops, restaraunts, and a Wat (temple). In fact, I see monks walking up and down the street all the time, conducting their business in their saffron / gold robes. Most are young and curious but slightly distant and polite. Sometime I hope to visit the temple grounds and chat a bit with a monk.

After I got a chance to inhale the various and conflicting aromas in the first few minutes in the hotel room, I marvelled at the heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. The first thing I did after unpacking clothes and showering was buy water. Vidal (roommate) found the air conditioner switch and it got a little better. Now that we're in a rhythm I keep the fridge stocked with water and water and more cold water - plus a little fruit in case of hydro emergencies.

Transportation

There are three types of vehicles that most folk use to get around. There's the 'moto' moped style 2 wheel bicycles; the 'tuk-tuk' - a moto hitched to a carriage that sits between 1 and 6 people; and the car. There are a fleet of individuals that provide transportation to and from locations in the city and they all hang out outside of the hotels and guest houses waiting for business. It's kind of a funny thing - the price of the ride depends on how far you want to go and how much you are willing to way. It took a while to get used to this, but you always have to negotiate a price that you are willing to pay - and it's haggling at its best. This is a very new skill for me! We learned VERY early on to negotiate the price early for moto rides or tuk-tuk drives.

Khmer folks pay far less for their rides than westerners. Like 20% of what I pay often. Urrrrg!

Traffic is insane during the major work rush hours - 7:30 am - 9:30 am and 4:30 pm -7:00 pm. The streets are a cacophony of vehicles. There's very very loose observance of driving rules and conventions common in the USA. For example, in the USA, vehicles tend to travel in the same direction on the same side of the street. Or another example - vehicles use signals to indicate turns... or mirrors to observe vehicles behind them .... or observe stop signs - NOT SO IN PHNOM PENH!

On one of the main access points to work (Sihanouk St) You can have multiple lanes of traffic, going everywhere and everywhere else, opposite direction streams of traffic. Most but not all car drivers, moto riders and tuk-tuk drivers will break the flow or traffic, cut others off, signal one way and drive another, et cetera. It's kinda crazy and quite scary.

A note about infrastructure: The infrastructure is spotty and patchwork. Power is sporadic in many spots. (most hotel and hospitality establishments have a power generator, but little shops and stores have definately had the sporadic power outage!) Main roads are paved, but many side or secondary roads are not completely paved. Public lighting is also patchwork. Bridges, public parks - all of the things I may have taken for granted in the past are open questions.

Food

Food is a daily concern for anyone, and especially me. In a visit to my mother a few months back, she teased me about how I would declare "I love food! "as a toddler. Some things just don't change.

There is access to many different types of food here. I love it!

The most common is street vendors that have noodles, grilled chicken, pork, beef and seafood and fresh fruits such as coconut, pineapple, rambutan, lychee and mangosteen.

Equally ubiquetous in the tourist areas are restaraunts. There are many Khmer, Thai, Malaysian and Indian restaraunts. There are also always western style establishments - the Khmer version of McDonalds, Starbucks and such as chain restaraunts, and stand alone western style places. I've also been able to sample the western style places a little bit, but it's not my favorite option. (Note: There are a ton of pizza joints here. I'm lactose intolerant and from NYC, so it's not to my liking most of the time...)Finally, there are plenty of Chinese style, Korean style and Japanese style options.

The main factor is money. The most expensive options are western style dishes like pasta, steak - really the prices are 'normal' for American. The next most expensive seem to be Japanese. The most affordable options are street and market Khmer cuisine - but honestly, I'm not brave enough yet. It shoudl be said you can go to the Khmer restaraunts and do really well on $3-5 a day. Indian, Malaysian is only slightly more expensive so I've also been a regular at the places on my street that serve that type of food.

I like Khmer food for the most part, so I've been very happy.

Travel and Arrival

2007-06-10T09:18:00.000+07:00

It's been a hectic and exciting week here in the Capital of Phnom Penh. The next series of posts are done as catch-up.

One fact that's been driven home by three interrupted blog attemptes is that certain types of privileges I took for granted (like electricity) in USA are not constants in a developing country like Cambodia. So there's something to be said for making correspondance short and sweet.

Here's a brief update on the final leg of travel and arrival in country:

Air Travel

I enjoyed the flight overall, but we spent a very long time in the air. After our takeoff from JFK international on China Airways, I spent a significant time wondering how to fold myself into the seats. In this context I'm kinda oversized to begin with... I had to take pains to prevent myself from knocking out the chuckleheads behind me.

8 hours from JFK to Alaska, and then Alaska to Taipei (Another 8-9 hours). We made a brief stop and then took another flight to Ho Chi Minh City. The wait there was 2 hours and so I had time to shop for things. I found a passport holder, candy and a few sundries. We boarded soon thereafter to complete the final leg of the trip - Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Perhaps the best thing about the flight aside from the time to do uninterrupted reading or to sample China Airways food was the opportunity to read all of the slick airline magazines - there's so much in the way of culture and commerse that seems different from my day to day life in the USA. Glamourous cigarrette ads, ads for liquor (Johnny Walker is really popular!) and cosmetics caught my attention...

Arrival to Cambodia

I've been going back and forth in conversation with my roomate Vidal (Guyanese guy from Toronto) about what to call the city. Cambodia - City of ???

The first thing one notices is the heat - stuffy, muggy, pervasive. It's 90 in the shade - you want to hide in the midday heat. The One World Foundation disembarked as a group and got a quick van into the area of the city we are staying at. The streets are generally a mix of paved and unpaved, littered, dusty, and aswirl with people moving in the heat. Most folk get around using bikes, motos (kinda like mopeds), tuk tuk (a carriage that's led by a moto) or walking.

Anyway, our van took a main road from the airport to get to our accomodations for the duration of the stay. It's a street that abuts a Buddhist temple and monestary, lots of western oriented shops and tiny, modest apartments and hotels.

My group is staying at the Golden Comfort Inn. It's a nice place to stay and is next to Cambodia's National Monument - thus, it is easy to stay oriented. I am installed at an apartment in the middle of the city.

Here's the address: GOLDEN COMFORT HOTEL & APARTMENTN° 7B, Street 27812302 Phnom Penh, CambodiaTel & Fax: 023 216 303Website:

Gatherings and Departures

2007-06-02T04:14:00.001+07:00

1 June 2007
5:30 pm
New York City - Hostelling International

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Our trip to Cambodia has begun well. So far, the One World Delegation of Young Leaders have completed an orientation, gotten to bond over meals and misadventures in New York City, and stayed overnight in the exhuberant and noisome hallways of a youth hostel.

Aside from the tedium of paperwork, yesterday's orientation provided a stirring arguement from a personal context from the One World staff for why youth of color should contemplate careers in promoting human rights - those so-called inalienable rights that transcend boundaries and borders, states and regimes. Our group also had invited speakers greet and engage us in thinking about the context of international service, development and our role. I loved being able to listen both to the guests that we were greated by as well as the insightful questions posed by the delegates. I only have time to speak to the first guest - perhaps before we board I'll update this post:

Rep. Charles Rangel met with out group and spoke with an eagerness and energy that felt authentic. He encouraged us to begin that most critical work of 'representing' powerful courtesy, utility and humility - demonstrating positive qualities as delegates from the United States of America. I enjoyed that sentiment and the irony - one of our delegates is a Canadian-born national.

Perhaps the most important takeaway from the discussion, and the most haunting insight came from a One World Foundation Board of Advisors member. She stated that the kinds of opportunities and experiences we would experience would often straddle and complicate two positions - solidarity and imperialism.

John

Time Flies - May 3rd is THE Deadline!

2007-04-26T18:39:00.000+07:00

Time flies!

The final deadline for raising funds for my trip fast approaches. Final payment for the Cambodia trip is due next Wednesday (yikes!). That's 7 days...

I feel like a final push will bring me over the hump, and I'm optimistic that this will happen without undue stress. However, to make sure I reach my goal, I'd like to invite you to my humble home for a fundraising party I'll dub:

SWEETS for the SWEET - Desert and Coffee for a Cause!
146 Verndale Ave
8:00 - 11:00 pm
401-383-7526

All are welcome. The goal of this brief gathering is to help John raise the remaining funds needed to get to Phnom Penh this summer. Guests are advised to bring the following:

- Themselves
- An appetite
- A contribution to support John's Trip

To RSVP, please contact John via email (19jfrancisc77@gmail.com) or call (401-378-8965) before May 1st.

If you're interested in supporting this effort, but are unable to attend, please consider a contribution (cash or check). For those that want their support to be tax-deductable, make a check to: the One World Foundation of New York Inc.. Given the close timing of this, it's best that you connect with John and hand any support directly to him...

Alternatively, send checks directly to:

The One World Foundation of New York
301 W. 110th Street • Suite 3P
New York, NY • 10026

Finally:

On advice, I'd like to offer a pyramid of support - perhaps these suggested amounts can help define levels of giving that make sense. I suggest that folks consider the following levels of support:

- $15
- $25
- $50
- $100
- $200
- $250

Partners

2007-04-13T09:39:00.000+07:00

One of the most exciting (and humbling) aspects of going to Cambodia this summer is meeting amazing leaders doing amazing things. Tiffany Gardner, Executive Director of the One World Foundation forwarded information about our prospective partners... Here is a summary of our prospective NGOs:

Cambodia Center for Human Rights:

CCHR is a non-governmental human rights organization designed to promote and protect democracy, human rights and development in the country.

CCHR envisions a Cambodian civil society where human rights and democracy are fully respected and that the people enjoy the benefits of development to which they have fully participated. The organization seeks to be one of the main actors in building a strong foundation of democracy at the grass-root level and working on informing the public to create awareness on human rights and democracy concepts and principles. CCHR also works to protect the rights of the victims of human rights violations.

The main programs of the organization are: (i) Education program; (ii) Radio program; (iii) Advocacy and Public Relations program and (iii) Monitoring and Investigation program.

To learn more about CCHR, visit their website at http://www.cchr-cambodia.org/about/en/.

Cambodia Center for Social Development

CSD was established in Phnom Penh, Cambodia as a non-profit, non-governmental organization. CSD seeks to promote democratic values and improve the quality of life of the Cambodian people through training, seminars, research, publication, broadcasting, partnership with other like-minded organizations and institutions and dialogue with Cambodians from all walks of life.

The mission of CSD is to encourage broad participation in public affairs at both the national and local level, develop a respect for human rights and the rule of law, enhance transparency and accountability in the public sphere, and raise awareness of issues of national concern through all forms of media.

CSD has a Legal Unit, Governance Unit and Public Forum Unit that deal with various aspects of its mission.

To learn more about CSD, visit their website at http://www.csdcambodia.org/publicforum.html.

Cambodian Living Arts (CLA)

Given the immense destruction of the arts during the Khmer Rouge, the mission of Cambodian Living Arts is to support the revival of Cambodian traditional art forms and to inspire contemporary artistic expression. The organization envisions Cambodia in the year 2020 as a country experiencing a cultural renaissance so dynamic that the arts have become Cambodia’s international signature.

CLA’s four core programs—teaching, performing, recording, and new commissions—support 16 master musicians and nearly 300 students and assistant teachers to develop skills and relationships that will enable them to generate income and develop as leaders, while also helping to preserve and celebrate their heritage.

To learn more about CLA, visit their website at http://www.cambodianlivingarts.org/about.

Tiny Toones

Tiny Toones is a local dancing group that was born in the Bassac area of Phnom Penh. It was established to give a chance to the local children to express themselves artistically and to push to the forefront the urban American dance style known as break dancing. Tiny Toones’ goal is to provide an after school environment for children to be part of a ground breaking break dance group, which teaches dancing skills and skills to survive and be responsible and successful in today’s society.

To learn more about Tiny Toones, visit their website at http://www.tinytoonescambodia.com/.

how and why

2007-04-10T04:47:00.000+07:00

Wonder how this Path to Phnom Penh is being organized?

My trip is being coordinated by the One World Foundation. To quote the website:

"The One World Foundation is a 501(c)(3), non profit organization whose mission is to encourage young people of color to become actively engaged in the human rights and development arenas, particularly as they affect indigenous and minority rights...
Through international and domestic service projects, workshops and leadership development programs, One World Foundation seeks to equip younger generations with the tools necessary to affect social change on both domestic and levels. Additionally, by partnering with NGOs and other service organizations throughout the developing world we aim to connect young leaders in the U.S. with their counterparts in other parts of the world."

As for the why...

Going on this trip is an expression of the solidarity I've felt serving alongside volunteers, organizers and activists of various causes and colors. A few years ago I became involved with the national AmeriCorps affiliate City Year, and more recently I've been involved with a local Southeast Asian organizer group PrYSM (Providence Youth Student Movement).

During my time as a volunteer and board member for PrYSM, I met a breathtakingly powerful young woman by the name of Dimple Rana who's unwavering commitment to solidarity, compassion and justice brought her to live in Cambodia. She asked me to consider participating in the 2007 summer delegation to Cambodia to learn, explore and serve. So I did...

Path to Phnom Penh

2007-04-10T04:31:00.000+07:00

I'm looking for a path to Phnom Penh.

To forge that path, I'll need to garner the support of my family, friends and colleagues. In the coming weeks, I'll be posting updates about the preparation for the upcoming trip, prospective NGO's, and will continue to post as I make my way to (and through) Cambodia with pictures and stories.

The journey begins...