Saturday, October 18, 2008

Oxfam kicked us out of our apartment

I totally forgot to blog about that: shortly before we decided to leave Cambodia we got a rental contract termination notice from our landlord. We figured out that he will rent the whole building to a NGO. Thats means, the NGO payed more then the expats living there. And it was the Oxfam-Mekong-Something.

Imagine: They spend more money for the building then expats with good salaries. So, if you want to donate to oxfam, think before.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Plans for Cambodian carrier put on hold

The Phnom Penh Post - Plan for new national air carrier put on hold: official
PLANS for a new Cambodian national airline, announced in May, have been put on hold as a result of difficulties with ongoing negotiations with an Indonesian investment group, government officials say.

Deputy Prime Minister Sok An was tapped to spearhead the deal in partnership with the Rajawali Group, but discussions with the Indonesian investors have not yet been finalised, he told the Post last week.


Some people say, the Indonesian company is not longer interested. We will see, maybe it's about how much money they have to pay to the government for getting the contract. But in total it's typical for Cambodia: The government isn't even able to set up a national carrier. That's so sad.

Firetruck ends up in pond - school burned down

Story from Phnom Penh Post
Two Kumrou Primary School buildings burnt down in a fire after a firetruck sent to put out the blaze plummeted into a pond in Mongkul Borey district, Banteay Meanchey province Saturday. The police said 12 wooden black boards, 12 teachers' chairs and 144 students' chairs were lost in the inferno. The neighbours criticised the fire department for arriving late and driving recklessly. They added that the fire could have spread to the neighbouring buildings and to the fire truck itself.

Friday, October 3, 2008

Thai-Cambodian Soldiers clash at border

CNN reports a bout a clash at the Cambodian-Thai border.
Soldiers from both Cambodia and Thailand were wounded Friday in a brief clash along their volatile border, officials from the two countries said.

A Cambodian soldier is shown at the Preah Vihear temple in late July.

Cambodian (Des)-Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said a Cambodian soldier was slightly wounded when Thai troops fired a grenade from their territory. He said Cambodian troops returned fire, with the "military incident" lasting less than a minute.

It actually so stupid what happens there. To dumb regimes are playing war - without any reason. These temples are nothing, not a tourist attraction for Cambodia, because Hun Sen will keep his money for his own purpose instead of any infrastructure, and the Thai government is just using these to bring the attraction from the protests to another place. Following the old rule, if you have a problem inside your country, start a war and people forget. It's working in USA since the Iraq war and its working at the Cambodian-Thai-Border.

My fellow Cambodians, please dont't follow your dictators policy. Don't send food to the soldiers, your government and the thousand advisers have enough money to feed them.

Oh, and like I suggested some weeks before, if the clashes are getting more serious, we should set up a bordercamp. I will bring my Nintendo Wii with me, and then we ask the two leading generals there to fight on the Wii. I suggest a Boxing competion. The Winner has to pay the following beercamp. And after, we all gonna go home in peace. Got it?