Yesterday I crossed the Indonesian border to arrive in Cambodia.
Like I told you (fellow bloggers) before, there hasnt been much time
for me to really experience Indonesian culture and their way to approach
certain matters.
And as my agency planned a meeting in Cambodias capital Phnom Penh
I had a deadline to keep.
I arrived on time for the meeting. I was properly prepared so there
couldnt rise any problems due to impoliteness or ignorance.
A meeting was scheduled with a local man, named Pan Tong (lives in Phnom
Penh) who knows a lot off Cambodias nation.
We talked about culture, religion, economy, politics
The kingdom is a constitutional monarchy with King Norodom Sihamoni as
head of state and with Prime Minister Hun Sen as head of government.
On October 1, 2004,
King Norodom Sihamoni was selected after the abdication of King Norodom
Sihanouk a week prior. Prime Minister Hun Sen endorsed Sihamonis selection.
The new king was enthroned in Phnom Penh on October 29, 2004.
He told me there were
several parties but only two really make the difference. The Cambodian Peoples
Party (CPP) is the major ruling party in Cambodia. They control the lower and
upper chambers of parliament. The opposition Sam Rainsy Party is the second
largest party in Cambodia.
(source: paper Metro)
During our meeting, all
hell broke lose. Cambodia and Thailand are caught up in a guerilla war. Near
the border both countries started fighting again.
We could hear army
troupes shooting at each other. Today one Cambodian died which makes in total
already 17 army men who have died due to this civil war.
Last Tuesday, both
commanders agreed to have a cease fire that already got violated the day after.
Both countries are
accusing each other to have been the first to pick up their weapons. Agony all
began in 2008 when both Thailand and Cambodia claimed the centuries-old Enesco
temple complexes.
Since the beginning of
this brutal war already 85.000 people flew across national borders.
I was about to do the
same. The situation became too dangerous and we will have to be particularly
vigilant the upcoming days.
What did I further learn
about Cambodia?
Theravada Buddhism is
the official religion of Cambodia which is practiced by around 96% of the
Cambodian population.
Agriculture has long
been the most important sector to the Cambodian economy, with around 57.6 % of
the population relying on agriculture for their living and rice being the
principal crop.
Last decade Cambodia
has seen rapid economical and industrial growth.
Oil and natural gas
deposits were found beneath Cambodia's territorial waters. Commercial
extraction began in 2011 (now). The oil revenues could (will) profoundly affect
Cambodia's economy.
This could be a massive step
forward.
Due to this tension Ill have
to skip several countries. Its not worth to get in this type of dangerous trouble
over an article. Tomorrow Ill take the plain from Cambodia to India.
In India I will scrutinize
poverty, demographics and the potential new world power.
