what? why would you kick out the UN…

“There’s an enormous amount of suffering,” he said. “People are extremely anxious and fearful of the police and the courts, who are very much part of this system for the appropriation of land. So the whole legal system has become enormously corrupt.” – Yash Ghai

I was crying yesterday – crying for the people of Cambodia.

Can any leader honestly say that they do not need the help of the United Nations? I’m sure even places such as Australia and New Zealand rely on the UN for protection. However, there is a man, who said: “I don’t care if you don’t vote for me, I will win the election anyway”, defiant enough to tell the UN to stop spending money in Cambodia and “mind their own business” or else he’ll pull out Cambodia’s membership. He even criticized the UN official Yash Ghai who was there to investigate human rights violations. (land grabs?murders?injustice?)

If he took a walk around Cambodia, he’ll see that they are in desperate need for money. There are areas that are very rich but there are also areas that a very poor. There are places where people are so poor that they have to sell their children off to work as servants. Then comes the problem of land grabbing – where people take without legitimate reason and because most of them are uneducated, they cannot fight for their land. If they did, they cannot fight the justice system, which is built on bribes and lure of money.

Cambodia needs the money – for public schooling, clean water, health, government housing, hospitals, paved roads, just to name a few. Cambodia needs the UN. After all, it was the UN that who play a significant role in securing the country and ending conflict in 1993. It was the UN that set up the general election and it is the UN that has help to create stability on this day.

This is a very informative timeline on Cambodia’s history.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/country_profiles/1244006.stm

and also an interesting article on the state of public schooling:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7081720.stm

sources: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7081720.stm

some random pictures from asia

Monkeys are beautiful creatures.

This quote is funny.

“I am quite sure now that often, very often, in matters concerning religion and politics a man’s reasoning powers are not above the monkey’s” - Mark Twain

some very very happy tourists

mother mother

a poem i wrote for my dearest mother, who has made many many sacrifices for me and my family including running across minefields to get across the border that was armed by the merciless military

 MOTHER MOTHER…
I see the plaster pasted to your feet;
Watch you heave a bucket of water
And climb the steps of a corroded ladder.

Has the scenery changed since you were twelve?

Mother, Mother.
I hear the gunshots that passed your ears,
And feel the horror under your skin,
As the man, too old and tired, plummets into the paddy fields -
Painting the monsoon mud a dark shade of red.

You shudder silently, but pick the pace up again,
draining the rice fields amongst the skulls and bones sleeping under your feet.

Mother, Mother.
You sit silently against the window pane -
Your hands twitter with the blinds as
The screams from your young children
Drum and twang through your ears.

But I am here
I’m washed and clean
A packed suitcase
And a ticket to the city in the mountains –
Leaving you behind

Oh! Mother, Mother.
I know your pain,
I think of the faces that have haunted you
And sucked the days of your innocence dry -
Overseas and through the greener pastures,
You are faced with the same scenery.

The screams at the yawn of dawn;
The wheel barrows crossing distances;
Your small body under the crushing weight

But I am here
Hugging your fragile body
Before I board this flight
And your eyes tell me of your sacrifice –

Mother, Mother.
Plaster at your feet

A knot in your hair
A smile on your face
To keep my dreams alive

It’s been twenty years since you ran.
Your small feet pushed against the roots of the paddy fields.

Your fierce heart filled with fear.

You dreamt of a green bush.
A place with paved roads
And dirt that refuses to sprinkle red
Onto your clothing

You found the green bush,
the lush forestlands and grass that bloomed for miles ~
you found your niche, but
the paddy fields are still there ~ in your mind
The hedges have been cut,
And you glare at the same faces again.

You still labour what cut your childhood.
And continue to suffer what haunted your sleep.

I’m sorry Mummy…
Just a few more years

the land of the free?

I was at Angkor Wat the other day and a Cambodian journalist came up to me and asked me whether he could interview me for an article. It was quite out of the norm, but I agreed. It’s not often that you get interviewed by foriegn media while galavanting around ancient ruins. He asked me several questions relating to myself and what I thought of Cambodia and places like Angkor Wat, and whether I would come back and live.

… I can’t remember my exact answer, but a strong sense of patriotism accompanied my answer. Cambodia is, regardless of whether I’ve lived there or not, my heritage. It’s the language I speak and the customs I follow. My aunty said to me that no matter where Cambodians goes (same could be for other cultures) we still retain our essence – still eat the same food, dress the way & the landscape still captures your imagination. I would like to go back and live some day. I’ve always enjoyed sitting along rivers and Cambodian is built along them – it never escapes you. I’ve developed a closeness to Cambodia, to it’s landscape, but mostly it’s people. You see their strife and you can understand what they are going through. You see their laughter, and the pain hidden behind that smirk and you feel a real sense of responsibility.

Some interesting facts about Cambodia…. (information you find out by speaking to the locals)

1. Rural workers who came to the city to make a living get paid ONLY $25US/month. Some are treated rather severely by their employers.

2. Most police officers get paid roundabout the same amount, which would explain the need to accept brides.

3. I saw some people sleeping on the streets in the middle market thinking they were homeless, but most of them had come from rural areas to trade and did not want to waste costs on temporary dwelling.

4. If you’re Cambodian, you don’t have to pay to visit major attractions such as Angkor Wat, as they consider each Cambodian owns a part of Angkor Wat. Makes sense

5. Most people are afraid to speak or do anything about the government in fear that they might disappear or as the locals would joke: “be feed to the alligators.” When I asked about politics and politicians, people always shy away from the subject and say it’s best not to speak about it.

6. Life seems to be constant trade. People wake up at dusk and are lined up along the roads, in alleys, with trolleys…

7. People seem to think the justice system is unjust? I think the corruption has contributed to this, where there’s no jury and the judge can be bride to give a certain decision.

But despite it’s problems, the country is still beautiful and is waking up from war and conflict. There are many people who are putting their lives on the line in pursue of human rights. I spoke to this girl and she said that what they have is better than the Khmer Rouge, so she can’t complain. But I disagree. I don’t think it’s right for anyone to be in a position where they are easily exploited and cannot fight for their basic human rights. How can a country be a democracy when people are scared for their lives to speak about their needs.

It is, after all, stated in the Universal declaration of Human rights, article 19 that: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”

Is it right for the government to take foriegn aid for themselves and imprisoned protestors? No it’s not, especially when the country is in dire need for decent roads, hospitals and schools. We drove pass the government official houses and all of them were mansions – the one Hun Sen lived in was larger than the others. This, as I was told, is not even where is lives. Surely that house could’ve built several schools and provided food for many people – of what the money was put aside for originally.

It’s also not right for employers to treat their employees or people they consider servants with disrepect, to be screamed at, and abused. In the pursuit of human rights, I don’t think there’s a point where we can say, we are better off than the past, so we are okay now. There’s always a need for a better life. Suffering shouldn’t end with the phrase: “life isn’t fair.” People should be able to demand equality and justice for themselves, because life is suppose to be fair.

Is also not right for the government to silence people. The ruling party should be their to help, not to threaten.

Some blogs of potential interest about Cambodia.http://ki-media.blogspot.com/ http://blogbykhmer.blogspot.com

cambodia

one word – amazing…

Cambodia paints a very different picture to the one I thought. The roads are dusty and orange as I imagined, but people seem content and chirpy with the conditions. (Fortunately, they are making the roads better.) Some of the kids speak English well and some of them even know how to sing in Japanese. Along the roads there are kids playing and running after cars; children hanging onto the front of motorcycles with big smiling faces – all of which is quite a wonder to see.

I came across this school as I was travelling from Palin to Battambang and we joined their volley ball game. The school was very small but there seem to be many kids flowing out, hopping along happily on the dusty roads.

On the way back a car stopped on the bridge, causing other cars to look for an alternative route. One of the 4WD’s got stuck in the ditch and people gathered around to watch the events unfold.

The people here are very proud of their heritage, especially Angkor Wat. They speak about how it’s an amazing feat as the detail of the scruptures are very finite, and after centuries, it’s still standing tall and majestic.

I finally got to see Ban Aranyaphratet. Not the place I was born though. It was quite chaotic as it was along the border, however a good experience nonetheless.

For once in my life, I feel like I have a home and don’t feel as displaced. There’s a sense of belonging here. After all, it’s my heritage and my culture. I think one of my main concern is the amount of children working.

the friendly people

There is something about Thailand that is incredibly relaxing. It’s not the roaring traffic that clogs up every turn, or the horde of people up and down the congested market road, that also serves as a two way driving land, but it’s how everyone seems to be so peaceful and regardless of situation they are in, there’s a smile.

Most of them are ethnic thai, and they get along very well. No road rage in chaotic commuting situations…. no street fights or dispute, instead… they seem to help each other out – whether it’s getting change for tourists or exchanging items for a sale. No one seems to be jealous of the other or cutting each other in the name of trading. I was looking for earrings and this particular shop did not have any, however she directed me to the next shop. It’s so rare for that to happen! I really love thailand – it still manages to retain lots of it’s culture in a rising urban wasteland… nature and life close to it is so hard to come by, but forunately there are those who still pursue that lifestyle… this lovely man below was making hats for us out of ferns that he picked on our walk.

Today I was hanging off a train in the outskirts of Thailand. It was very exciting. Dangerous! but there were no seats and it wasn’t going very fast so all was fine, except when some sort of leaf flicked into me. We went across the railway tracks that were built during WWII to transport artillery from Japan. It was beautiful going across the river. Lots of history built into this land. Worthwhile exploring.

Tomorrow I’m going to be crossing the place I was born that no longer exists.

Oh what a feeling I’m really happy! I’ve often imagine what it would be like. I’ve always heard stories of the place – of how people tried to cross the border by crossing paddy fields and landmines and avoiding soldiers at the checkpoint. All very heroic. Reminds me of tigers… of which I had an opportunity to observe today. They are beautiful creatures – calm yet fierce.

asian culture within a colonial waste pot

It’s 3.27AM in the morning and the street below is still buzzing with life – currents of motor vechicles zooming past at high speeds and locals conversing in revelry.

Intially, Penang did not seem to interest me. The bridge that we crossed was a wonder, but when we touched down in the city, it came across as a sort of wasteland, dressed in its corroded iron mess and littered in every corner. But as I explored the place, it seem to capture much of my attention.

It’s hard to believe that over 1.5 million people live here, but that’s the current head count in an area of 1,046.3 km2 – but many of the locals are workers, mainly in the factories that have been set up from foriegners or through street markets and the tourism industry.

The city of Penang really opened my eyes to the definition of third-world country. Not in the sense that it’s not developed, but it seems to be place where in order to advance certain other places in the world, places, such as Penang, needs to be available for industries to succeed. After all, it was colonised in 1786 and used as a trading port. It appears more to me, a place which was developed, and has now been left to corrode.

However, behind all the tattered windows and open drainage, there’s vast beauty. There are botanical gardens, flourishing with life and monkies and rainforests that stretch for distances. There’s a temple on a hill which still carries with it a strong resonance. There are beaches beautiful little villages along the shore where people enjoy the simple life – fishing, cleaning, drinking by hand. My view of what is third-world has definitely changed. Then again, “third-world” is ony an ideology. Asia is very rich in identity and culture. They have many languages, ideas, artforms, work and so forth to share with the world.

mountains are a truly magical place

When you see the clouds settle itself over the mountains, it appears almost magical – how they hang low creating this illusion in the skyline… but I’ve experience something almost magical while I was here. I was shopping for clothes at the night markets and stumbled across two lovely people who were at the same camp as my family…. who had also gone to Malaysia and were living in the house behind my family. It was truly remarkable – and very unlikely to have found them in Cameron Highlands, 5hrs out of civilisation. I overheard her speaking Cambodia, and as eager as I was, to converse in Cambodia, started talking to her and the conversation twisted into background story and her face went alight when I mentioned I had gone from Khao-I-dang camp to Malaysia. I showed them pictures of my parents and they recognize it automatically but could not put a name to it – I spoke to my mum on the phone that night and she gave me all these nicknames to mention, and went I did, they knew straight away and could tell me stories of how they went out to play soccer together and how they lived behind us – I’m completely overwhelmed. What a trip of discovery. They decided to stay in Malaysia, while my family and others went to NZ The world is truly small.

I went for a hike in the rainforests of the Cameron Highlands and came across the aborginal life, who, as the tour guide said… still live very simple life. I love that about Asia – you can choose the lifestyle you wish to live. This beautiful young girl, who reminded me of my niece, was peaking her face out the window.

A poem I wrote while I was in Malaysia and travelling to the Cameron Highlands

It’s unnamed

The sun soaks heavily in the tropics
painting the green grass brown
But the mountains still dance with
the palm trees in its ground

The clouds hang low across
The high-rising plains
A mysterious atmosphere
in between its mountain range

The wind blows softly
Kissing nature to its roots
pleading for it to take its toxins
to fuel its journey back to….where…

The market place is buzzing
from dawn till the sun dies
The locals here are busting
For a sale to fuel their lives

The dry voices are shouting
to every man that pass their eyes
“My friend! My friend! Buy a watch for your lovely wife.”

Tempted not to haggle as they sweat in the merciless sun
but hey! It’s their culture…part of the evening fun!