LETTER TO CAMBODIAN…
THE TRUTH ABOUT SOME NGO’S BUSINESS
The Cambodian have no idea what some NGOs are talking about their lovely country.
For years, some NGOs created and fostered pedophilia scares, falsifying and manipulating information just to justify their existence and to collect money through donations,
This sort of charity is a monster which reproduces itself!
In some countries, certain NGOs devoted to the children welfare, through internet and some media, told us a lot of lies about Cambodia, and they carry on lying.
The so-called “friends of the children” are causing more bad than good to Cambodia, its people and the entire world.
Often, who speak about, don`t live in Cambodia.
Often what they know about Cambodia, are only the prejudices that they are talking about.
Responsibilities are heavy.
By painting Cambodia and particularly the coastal city of Sihanoukville – known by few abroad – as a morally loose environment, they spread the idea of a horrible country wherein even the most horrible depravation is normal.
By fostering suspicion, misunderstanding, inaccuracies and generalizations – all hard resistant concepts – they conditioned tourism.
Doing so – made the bad “fame” on entire Cambodia – they slowed down the flow of responsible tourists and increase the sex-tourist business (which is on the rise due to the increasing demand based on rumors alluding to the abundance and of its cheap costs) – and pedophiles, maybe.
Thanks to some NGOs – internet is full of their allarming advertisments – many turists prefer not to go to Sihanoukville altogether – too much sex trade, they say – choosing to go to Thailand instead, or they visit the town with the wrong impression, also drawing rushed up and negative conclusions.
Somewhere in the collective imagination, as developed from prejudices, Cambodia is rotten and those living or travelling there, hide something dark…
This is not true!
Not for Cambodian, and not for who know the reality.
Of course, in the past was different: civil war, poverty, hunger. It is useful for some NGOs, to show the problems as 10/15/20 years ago.
Now the situation is completely different, and changing every day.
The third world is not in South East Asia any more.
Globalization is everywhere.
Computers, internet, telephones, media communication and rich people with luxury goods, are in front of everybody`s eyes.
Do not confuse children that play in the street (like many of us that lived in the countryside) with potential victims of pedophiles…
Do not confuse kids that help the parents at work with inhuman condition of life.
Do not judge all from the fast appearance of the western`s eyes.
Pedophilia, illustrated by showing children sad faces and by sensational statements designed to develop public disgust and attract media attention, is the easier mean to collect cash from donations.
Do not trust those whose interest is only to show a horrible scenario.
They are only looking for exposition, publicity and money.
Do not confuse criminals for angels.
They show limited situations, willingly omitting to specify how distant from the day-to-day reality these situations are.
From some Italian NGOs sourse in internet:
- unfortunately, nowadays only few foreign tourists visit Sihanoukville just to relax and enjoy the sun, the majority being “ogres”. Sex tourism is a serious issue. Many children are approached with the excuse to offer them what they need: food and care. These often turn into sexual abuses…
- Sihanoukville entices tourists for several reasons, mainly because of the sex tourism industry. Recently it has been defined as the “Thailand of 20 years ago”, with explicit references to the abundance of sexual tourism (also involving underage) and the weakness of the public institution in combating this phenomenon…
- children are physically abused or endangered of sexual violence by their parents, neighbors or foreigners…
- children are thus fast becoming the primary target of the increasing number of pedophiles visiting Sihanoukville…
- desperate children who see a ray of hope in the few dollars offered to them in exchange…
- the beginning of 2008 shown an increase of tourism in Sihanoukville. With thousands of tourists interested in the beautiful beaches, many are attracted by the sex industry. Among these, are those looking for children. Young girls (aged between 11 and 16 years) living in poverty are particularly at risk. They are pushed to work in bars, karaoke or night clubs for Cambodian, Indian or other foreign tourists. Therefore it is sufficient that they are able to speak even just a few words of English learnt while trying to sell goods on the beach to be recruited. In those places these young girls everyday run the risk to be abused and few end up working as prostitutes in the area close to the port…
- the hell of Cambodian brothels where children are sold for 10 dollars…
- the pedophiles beach…
- the ogres heaven…
(http://www.aiutareibambini.com/component/progetti/progetto/440-lotta-al-turismo-sessuale-e-alla-prostituzione-infantile
http://genascihk.wordpress.com/2010/05/30/protecting-street-children-in-sihanoukville-cambodia/
http://www.aiutareibambini.it/index.php?option=com_content&id=79
http://www.aiutareibambini.it/index.php?option=com_content&id=89
http://www.repubblica.it/2009/10/sezioni/esteri/cambogia-pedofili/cambogia-pedofili/cambogia-pedofili.html
http://www.aiutareibambini.it/index.php?option=com_content&id=140)
http://www.leiweb.it/people-e-news/news/09_g_pedofili-cambogia-turismo.shtml)
This is their tone (all translated from italian language). These are one-way statements!
Thereafter, they announce that a child safe NGO is operating in the area, with bank details to collect donations.
“Action Pour Les Enfants” – one of the most popular Cambodian NGO that figthing against children abuses – declares that since 2003, 141 individuals have been arrested in Cambodia upon accusation of being pedophiles; 37 are Cambodian nationals, 19 are from other Asian countries and 85 are Westerners (From APLE data in December 2010).
(http://www.aplecambodia.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1349:november-16-2010-cambodia-no-longer-a-pedophiles-haven&catid=103:2010&Itemid=356)
141 people in 8 years, in the whole of Cambodia! About 18 people per year…
These are not staggering numbers…
What about in other country? And in the Catholic Church?
The same article indicates that in 2009, 36 individuals were arrested, while Samleang Seila, director of the same NGO – indicated in a 10 December 2010 interview with the Cambodia Daily, at page 29 – said that 17 foreigners were arrested in 2010, down from 26 on the previous year due (according to him, to the efforts of APLE).
Mainly foreigners are usually accused of this heinous crime.
If committed by Chinese, Koreans, Japanese, Vietnamese, Laotians, Malays, Singaporean, Indonesian, Indians and Thais (which could be confused with Cambodians) in Europe and America, these crimes will not have the same media attention.
But last year, a front page article on the Phnom Penh Post – based upon information from the NGO ECPAT, also covered by the Bangkok Post – “broke the news” by denouncing that the majority of individuals having child sex here, are not foreigners but locals.
Cambodia is not the “worse country in the world”. At all!
Life is very good. UN ranks Cambodia as “zero risk country”, a quiet place.
It is not an easy place of prostitutions and pedophiles.
If you come to visit the country without prejudice and open your heart to emotions, you will discover its beauties from Angkor Temples to postcard-like sceneries.
Beautiful people, simple, humble, pure, respectful, educated, proud, spiritualized, positive and true.
And a community of expatriates not worse of any other European city.
There are no foreign pedophiles picking up kids on the streets or outside schools – neither in Sihanoukville nor in any other town. They would be beaten or jailed. Foreigners in particular cannot go unnoticed if they behave in a suspicious manner. Police is everywhere (everyone here knows someone from the police) and monitors any movement.
Some NGO, by shouting loud every time someone gets arrested, taught how to catch those with bad intentions. Advertisement with dedicated telephone numbers are scattered everywhere, on tuk-tuks, tourist maps or on the streets, bearing pictures of foreigners holding hands with children, jails and handcuffs. Media report the news of arrested and sentences.
It is not true that you can bribe people to avoid arrest. Pedophiles are prosecuted also when back in their country of origin.
Cambodian culture and morals despises sexual abuses on children: the Parliament approved some new law criminalizing various forms of abuses on minors.
There are no underage prostitutes or children offering themselves under the sunlight (with the exception of some teenager instructed by NGO and appositively sent out to solicit pedophiles or insane people and then have these arrested).
At 8pm everyone is sleeping, almost everywhere, in particular the young ones.
Most certainly you will have to go look for them in the most dangerous and depressed area, at your own risk and danger, amongst drug addicts and other criminals, just like in Europe or everywhere else – or most likely worse.
There are no children dying of hunger, they will be cared for. Solidarity and care towards kids exists! There are no child soldiers…
Stop to lie!
On the other end, there are prostitutes – with their number increasing (as advertising by some NGOs). It`s offer against demand.
Which are very useful for these purposes! To create chaos about informations…
To show the country very poor and people desperate (they are not) and attract more sex-turists, pedofiles and so, more money and reasons to fight them.
Mototaxi and tuk-tuk drivers (all of them are potential NGOs workers because they get an advantage or commision or additional salary from some NGOs for share information), are also involved in the dirty business.
Sometimes they are so stupid and uneducated when they talk with foreigners.
Supported by some NGOs and some policeman that work together, they think only how to trap the perfect victim – a single western man, better if he is old – in many different ways.
Many prostitutes are from Vietnam – or with Vietnamese decent.
They are relatively cheap – as advertising by some NGOs – when compared to other places in the world.
The most beautiful – and less used – are for the locals.
In the tourist bars many are quite old, drunken and sick; not exactly powerless virgins that they describe in their posts…
Frankly the majority does not really know how deal with the life they choose: problems, robberies, violence are ordinary occurrences to the customers.
Those forced to become prostitute do not represent the general condition of women in Cambodia.
Don`t generalize please.
Cambodian girls – not Vietnamise, there is a difference – will date a man only if he has serious intentions and with the approval of their family.
They won’t even speak with foreigners…
No communication at all (at least no honest one); a lot prejudices, diffidence and fear.
Many brothels or karaoke parlors have been shut down or are under surveillance.
Child sex merchants have no easy life…
But in the intentionally created disorder, some NGOs that “pretend to help the children”, in their propaganda, want to make a confusion between:
- pedophiles (sick criminals sexually attracted by children)
- sexual tourists (old retired individual or nerds who pay for prostitutes of over 18 years of age – therefore not children);
- foreigners looking for an occasional encounter even of a sexual nature or willing to pay for sex once in a while (just like it happens on Friday nights in Germany, Italy, Austria, France, England, Cambodia, Venezuela, etc..);
- expatriates (their number is increasing – that perhaps have families but they don’t work for that kind of NGOs);
- poor people conditions (most of the time poor but with dignity) with miserable families beggars;
- poor provinces reality (Prey Ven and Svay Rieng, close to the Vietnam border, have some different problems), with Cambodia territory all;
- children 5 years old, victims of pedophiles (just to make it horrible) with children 14-15-16 years old, victims too (sometimes massage and make-up workers that walk on the beach send by adult to trap stupid foreigners);
- Cambodians all, whom normally do not sell their children…
The occasional tourist only enters into contact with a superficial reality.
It happen only in very few tourist destinations while the country has more than 15 millions inhabitants, many of which very young, with the great majority living in the countryside.
This is an appearance which is convenient to maintain false impressions and expectations (mototaxi and tuk-tuk drivers proposing – only to foreigners – bum bum massages and drugs of every sort; rude children organized by adults, who cry out lies to get some benefit).
Who is behind them? Who created this system? Who control it?
Please get a look to this website that show who are that make this dirty-children-business.
Some Cambodians from the “anti-human trafficking and juvenile protection department” and who involved in the children-welfare-business (an umbrella of NGOs – the bad information come always from the same sources), get an advantage from the situation.
The Cambodian Daily recently reported (pag. 25 on August 25, 2011) that: “The responsability for investigating rape crimes within the police force, shifted in June from the anti human trafficking and juvenile department to the penal police department”.
“Penal police are more expert at investigating and more able to crack down on cases”
The reality is Cambodia is well different.
Families, happy children playing, going to school, nice people, monks, cultural traditions, dance, music, food, normal life….
Even in Sihanoukville!
Cambodians love their country.
For them Sihanoukville is simply a quite big growing town (with about 200/250.000 inhabitants) with kilometers of beautiful beaches…
Seems that some Italian – manipulating false information about pedophiles – found the
easy way to make business on Cambodian children.
The Cambodians are unaware of the manner in which their country is described in Italy. No one understands the Italian language, therefore no one protest.
Italian also don`t know anything about Cambodia.
If the Cambodian Information Ministry could be informed, should object it…
It is not any more a simply foreign affair to ignore.
The defamation influencing the tourist, damage the reputation and the dignity of Cambodia all.
Between Italy and Cambodia there are no commercial or economic interests or cultural exchanges. There is no embassy or diplomatic presence.
But Italy is the only state that do international adoptions in Cambodia now.
Because foster corruption, have been prohibited by other states.
Lat June in Phnom Penh, Deputy Minister Mr. Carlo Giovanardi, signed a new agreement, with the Cambodian Minister of Social Affair Mr. Ith Sam Heng, about make adoptions easy for eight Italians NGOs.
http://www.aibi.it/ita/concluso-il-progetto-cai-lon-carlo-giovanardi-arriva-in-cambogia/
The interests between the two countries are:
- donations and humanitarian aid - sometimes only gifts – even at political level: bilateral meetings financed by the state or by NGOs – with public money.
- long distance adoptions. People from various places around the world, created this business in internet… Easy with a right words and good website!
Sometimes the money for which there is oversight which ends up in the wrong hands.
A lot of false information that encourage families to became liar and miserable just to get an advantage from their children.
Those Cambodian directly involved with such NGOs only notice the reality directly linked to their actions, often to draw a profit from it.
It is good that money come to Cambodia.
But there are different way to get it.
Honestly. Not from lie!
Not spreading prejudices between Cambodian about foreigners (the psychosis about every foreigner could be dangerous for children) or between foreigners too (even a grandfather with a niece is looking with suspicious in this era).
Please, don`t think that because some NGO use the money also for help the poor people, they are justify to collect its in every way.
Criminals that spread and manipulated false information about pedophiles – this is the only way to address those generating damages Cambodia – are free to say whatever they want.
They openly criticize the Cambodian Society and Institutions, the police and even the Prime Minister.
In any event often who write, live outside Cambodia in some richer country (where they get the money for???); often hiding in the shadow, behind an NGO names.
The donation are used in Cambodia, to buy everything without control, even people.
A new kind of Economy started here.
Fortunately many NGOs in Cambodia are good – even some Italians.
Please don`t let the blame that some NGOs will attract with their dishonest behaviour (we hope the scandal will start soon), to cover the majority of NGOs that work well.
Why others NGOs - from more serious countries or with other targets – don`t follow the “Italian way to make money”?
The “mind” of the Cambodia slander – about the false informations in Italy – is Mr Caruso Francesco, originally from Torino.
From Hong Kong where he lives and apparently bought a house, for many years he devise campaigns for long distance adoptions and fights against tourist child sex, denouncing alarming abuses on the Cambodian children.
His foundation, “www.aiutareibambini.com” (translate by “helpthechildren”. Somehow linked with “Save the Children” and a complex umbrella of NGOs, as well as APLE and Child Safe in Cambodia – whom more likely are not aware of the lies he tells, or pretend not to know – is connected with Sihanoukville based NGO, Mlop Tapang. On the internet he boasts being one of its founders in 2003 – together with an Irish Lady and some Cambodians.
With the help of complacent journalists – some unknown professional, other being second level reporters for important newspapers or Tvs, relatives, friends, friends of friends, photographers, educators or virtual individuals (like in certain blogs, where the same person posts both questions and answers) – he spreads misinformation on Cambodia and Sihanoukville.
He is free to write whatever he wants – internet is a huge trash bin like no others.
Only in Italian language he is so aggressive. In English he does not write the same.
The NGO Mlop Tapang in their articles – in English, dozens posted on the internet – use different language to put their message across. They speak of education, schooling, projects.
What is serious is that in Italy somebody listen and believe him, sometimes giving him visibility and credibility, allowing him to make his profit (in September-October or under Christmas, when donations increase) and therefore to create more damage and prejudices to Cambodia.
He does not visit Cambodia, the country he speaks much about, that often; only few days in a year, when he has to give interviews with journalists.
“He takes care of the financial issues” they say of him at NGO Mlop Tapang in Sihanoukville.
In other words he is the “bank”, transferring money – made from false alarming and fake information – from Hong Kong to Sihanoukville.
Be assured that when funds are collected improperly, they will end up being used also in an improper manner by those here self appointed “champions of justice” who understand “morality” in the same way.
At NGO Mlop Tapang they received and spent a lot of Italian donations.
Money has no smell or color!
Responsibilities fall upon many individuals:
- those that profit from the situation, either directly or indirectly or secretly;
- the journalists, whom are paid to prepare certain scandalous media reports and cannot oppose to it as they are sent to Cambodia – and well treated when there – to “help the cause”;
- those impressed by all such prejudices, whom superficially listen only to one voice and do not further look into the reality of Cambodia – it will be sufficient to move away a few meters from the tourist areas – and thinking to do good, spread those information and unknowingly become a cog in the machine;
- those that keep quiet for fear or lack of interest.
A real example of trash journalism appeared on the Italian magazine “Panorama” on 9 December 2010, at page 162.
(http://www.aiutareibambini.com/download/Eventi/Panorama_3_12_10_Cambogia.pdf).
They want this to appear as news, but it is only damaging propaganda!
The article entitled “The hunter of ogres”, sounds like it was written directly by Mr Caruso.
Stella Pende – who signs the article for the magazine – maybe when she came in Sihanoukville, spent only few hours in the five stars hotel and in the NGO, only.
Here is a short portion (but all of it is false and incorrect):
- Francesco accompanies us with a tuk-tuk through the monsters’ favorite itinerary: the street where children are begging, the bar for tourists, the benches on the seaside. This is the map of infamy. The last stop in a gas station where, just a few days ago, an Italian was arrested: he hid there with 3 very small female children. One of them, though, managed to run away screaming “call immediately the Italian man”… “he is the one who save the children and is called Child Safe”… (all translate from Italian language)
Lies! Misleading, incomplete and manipulated data.
Let me say:
- the arrest of an Italian man at the gas station occurred exactly on 4 March 2008 – two years, nine months and five days before the article. Non “just a few days ago”.
Old news! From Italy those moral detractors have been telling stories since this fact.(http://www.repubblica.it/2007/12/sezioni/esteri/pedofilia-indagine-germania/italiano-arrestato-cambogia/italiano-arrestato-cambogia.html);
- in Sihanoukville there is no street where children usual beg for money. Only in the main beach sometimes happen, where the turist are; they often go around to collect rubbish or sell goods, and disturb foreigner, maybe because they are sent, control and protected by adult and some NGOs;
- at the bar for tourists there are no children (the owner, a foreigner, will have problems with the Police otherwise).
Don`t worry; somebody could send them when the journalists come;
- the benches near the beach (there is no seaside) are not the itinerary favorite by the monsters, but just a normal place close to the beach; many adult are around all the time;
- nearby the gas station (one of the two in the town centre) there are poor families who send their children to beg. Adults supervise and control them. The female children in question (you can see their picture on the internet although their face has been covered) were there until few months ago, looking for “troubles”;
- the “Italian man called Child Safe” lives in Hong Kong and not in Sihanoukville. Not one child know him?
- www.aiutareibambini.com (of Mr. Caruso Francesco, Mlop Tapang and who knows how many other NGOs names) received 2 million euro donations – share with some other friends of children – from “Mediafriends” (non profit organization established by R.T.I. S.p.A., Mondadori S.p.A e Medusa S.p.A. belonged to Italian Prime Minister Mr Silvio Berlusconi). Mondadori owns the media magazine Panorama.
- in 2010 (up to December) the number of foreigners arrested for abuses over children in Cambodia – 181.000 square kms, 15.000.000 inhabitants, 2.000.000 tourists – was 17 and not the false and exaggerate number that the article report.
See also “Le Iene” guests of Cifa NGO. Another example of italian-lies propaganda.
(http://www.video.mediaset.it/video/iene/puntata/105357/pelazza-pedofilia-in-cambogia.html)
It is appropriate to report about pedophilia, but not to exaggerate the tones – although many normal people refuse to hear about it.
In case of suspicious it is necessary to adopt a conscious and responsible attitude and inform the Police, and not Caruso.
Cambodia means humanitarian help, donations and NGOs (non profit organizations).
Cambodia society is based upon the support model introduced by the UN (UNTAC) in 1992-94.
Since then, influx of foreign aid money increased every year.
Currently, half of the country budget is constituted of humanitarian aid…
China offer aid for make infrastructures; US for the new colonialism NGOs.
The public opinion is divided among those supporting and those rejecting this system – or perhaps from those who benefit from it and those who don’t.
Certainly the aid that come without work and worth, make people rich in a false prospective.
Brand new SUV like Lexus, Toyota and Range Rover, moto, computers, mobile phone, 5 stars hotels, luxurious restaurant, business class trips, waste of money, favors…
Poverty it’s a business!
Money keep flowing in!
A large chunk of this money stops at the top, but some manages to trickle down to those at the bottom.
The system is sick and impossible to understand in its complexity.
It is so complicated that it looks like it has been carefully designed and planned, embedded with its own defence mechanisms.
It generates corruption, dependency and social divisions.
It allows buying respect, consideration, protection and impunity.
Some individuals protected by a well defended and impenetrable system without oversight have found fertile soil to enrich themselves, creating the appearance of a respectable image -unfortunately what you do it is not really necessary, it is all about how people see you, if you have money and authority you will be venerated.
Part of the profit earned behind the back of poor people and of those helping you in good faith, sometime is being reinvested to generate additional profit: business activities, purchase of land or houses, all under the name of Cambodian families or companies.
The NGOs spread everywhere, in any sector.
They are the real “mafia”. The new owners.
They rule. They “buy” people and protection.
Recently a new law regulating their activities, their properties and their financing methods is being approved. Finally!
Foreigners manage them quickly and easily move from an NGO to another.
Usually, they don’t mix with the local population or with those who do not share their environment.
Foreigners eat in the same restaurants, frequent the same places, shake the same hands, congratulate each others, sometime cooperate, sometime tolerate each other without entrenching.
The newcomers, volunteers but well paid, in order to integrate themselves in the system have to accept it.
Many Cambodians work in the more than 3.000 NGO disseminated over the Cambodian territory. Sometime they are entire families, long distance relative, neighbors…
Thousands and thousands work in the large system or trying to work for it.
Working for an NGO is more looked for than a post in a bank… salary is higher.
Do not believe any more to the 50$ a month salary.
Some NGO pay 250$ a month plus other benefits, such as food, rent, moto, medicines, dentist, doctor, free of charge facilites, etc…
There are many honest individuals, off course!
Cambodia people are mostly good and honest.
They benefits only of few privileges, for themselves or for those whom they care for.
To take advantage is normal, more or less according to opportunity and moral.
Stealing from aid money – destined to this goal – or from foreigners in general (because they have more money) is normal; it is seems as less serious – even before the law – that stealing from anyone else.
Those poor and miserable being helped by the NGOs often get as more as possible and learn how to say thanks and accept only those with the power; keep tender they hands, lying and cry for help.
Cause to the situation, some families always send they children to beg for money – only where the foreigners are.
It is the simplest thing to make a living.
Thanks to Italian donations, NGO Mlop Tapang in Sihanoukville has become the richer and most powerful NGO in the city.
They bought tens of motos, cars and trucks; hired more personnel; cooperate with tuk-tuk drivers and food sellers (that pretend to catch foreigner pedophiles looking around for all single white man with suspicious).
They have built a new headquarter – a sort of an army barrack with cctv cameras and sofisticated allarm; increased their advertisement campaign again pedophiles; increased the number of those they assist (not only street children); expanded area of operation, started new projects; new activities; bought houses, guesthouses and lands, bars, tour operator, hair saloon and various shop.
They organized courses for anti-pedophile squads, monitoring the territory.
They foster suspicions, diversity, a mental block, racism and lack of interest for any different culture – the western one – and for human being.
Protected from indiscrete eyes, they spread their message to children and adults. Probably they taught – a sort of brain washing – that foreigners are dangerous, morally loose and sick, going with children.
Children easy repeat what some adult teach them to say…
(“C`era una volta – Il paese dell`orco cattivo” – other italian special scoop about pedophiles from RAI TV, guests also of Mr. Caruso in Mlop Tapang.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zOk83TiH-8).
Tens of staff, with motos and red t-shirts, drive up and down the town losing petrol, until sunset…..
With the dark they disappear. Or they go to bed -as everyone else here.
Everyday, yellow trucks pick up children – those who want to go – to take them to their headquarter to play. More often, they do a kind of school-bus service for children (from the Public School to all around Sihanoukville).
They look with diffidence towards those foreigners who have mixed with the locals.
They never talk with expatriates or turists.
Sihanoukville street children in Ochheuteal Beach (the main one), are probably the country worse mannered.
But even in Siem Reap (in the tourist area only, they follow more or less the same behaviour).
Thanks to an NGO?
The Cilld Safe workers with their blue t-shirt, are busy to talk at their hand-phones. In the tourist destination they stand in public place; often outside National Museums or nice hotels. In the night time they disappear.
They say that people are poor and they can`t do anything to stop them to beg.
At the main beach, children have learnt not to be afraid of foreigners – only when they are in a group and in public places – to lack respect and to exploit them.
With Cambodians, they are respectful and well mannered.
At the beach bars is a continuing come and go of dozens of children, trying to sell the same stuff but don`t sell anything.
Who is behind them? Who give them the goods? Is it an NGO or it is a kind of racket?.
Sometimes they steal things; always telling one lie after the other:
- they need money to pay their school.
Cambodian khmer schools are free – except for stationery. The government couple of years ago had arrested teachers asking for money from the students. NGOs also provide for free education;
- they are orphans.
Often their parent or who take care are close by, sometimes only few meters outside the beach. They are talking, cooking and playing card, waiting for children to came back. After a change of clothes (dirty for who collecy plastic bottles) and different goods provided (from bracelets to flowers, to bracelets again; from fireworks to food) they sent children to work again.
More than one time, I sow a mother that beat a newborn bady for make him cry and then ask for “gnam-gnam” from tourist.
I sow children wear nice clothes to go to Pagodas and then changed for beggar.
I sow children from normal families, ask money from tourist like a game…
- they have no food.
No one dies of hunger in Sihanoukville.
- or for medications.
Khanta Bochea Hospitals, 4 in Cambodia, all set up by Swiss Doctor Beat Richner who has been involved for more than 40 years, provide for free medical care every hear to tens of thousends of children. Everybody in Cambodia, poor or rich, know it and in case, reach the Hospital from everywhere (free transpotation also).
But others NGOs never tell people about it.
In case, they could not ask for more money to open a new children Hospital…
- they need money to help their family.
Many children pay the mototaxi to go home. Many go around talking at hand-phone. Many play electronic games. Just like children everywhere…
Stop to lie!
Stop encouraging misery!
Must stop giving money to kids! Don`t buy anything from children.
Send them away from tourist area; everyone would like them to study and play…
At times the children sit close to you without disturbing; other times they make fun of the tourists…
If don’t keep them away they can even start touching people (it is normal among Cambodians – it is a demonstration of sympathy and affection or the way to get something…).
For NGOs, and for who has prejudices, it is equivocal behaviors…
Young girls with adult-like make-up propose massages and pedicure…
They are not guilty. They are sent there by the adults.
This is the system.
Some NGOs benefits with the publicity from this situation.
Only there, attention!
Just outside tourist areas – likewise in the rest of Cambodia – you cannot longer find children asking you for a dollar or telling lies.
They grow up with respect – for those older than them – following Khmer Culture.
Cambodia is in a moment of huge development, in every sense.
Many do useful things for Cambodia, each do their small part…
Almost everyone loves and respects children, not only those self-proclaimed “friends of the children”.
There are hundreds of serious NGO, from all around the world, that working for the welfare of children.
We wish that in the future, the Cambodian Government improve the education-system encouraging the children and their parents to attend to the ordinary institutions and school.
With the global world communication, lies are short legged. People get to know quickly.
There are about 2.000.000 millions tourist in Cambodia every year; 200.000 of which coming to Sihanoukville.
Cambodia is no longer a poor and miserable country, mysterious and dangerous as it has been painted.
They will tell you that “things are improving, much better than before, thanks to the “friends of the children”, but there is still a lot to do”.
They will increase their propaganda…
They will change their goals, they have already started doing it…
Someone will continue to speak of “foreigner pedophiles paradise” and “ogres” but others -perhaps belonging to the same network – will add to children with AIDS; children use for organ trafficking; drug addicted children; children collecting garbage; children smoking yaba; children who don’t go to school; children who drink sewage water; children that have no medicines; children dying of hunger; children living in shanty towns, children that play with dangerous fireworks, children…
Lies!
Please His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni, do something to stop this false propaganda about Cambodia.
Please Mr Samdach Akkak Moha Sena Padey Dekjo Hun Sen, clean this shit.
Please journalists from everywhere, come in Cambodia to investigate and report about the real situation.
Please everybody, do something to stop this dirty business.
Help the children to became men, not beggars.
Prof. Bruno Mayer
