“I want to help street people”
Diana

Phnom Penh, capital of Royal Cambodia is a very ancient and old as well as a modern city. Over there, it’s a mixture of a little bit of Saigon, Hanoi and Bangkok… depending on what everybody feel. It has not at all its own characteristics, except words “Hu Tieu Nam Vang” (Phnom Penh rice noodles), but introduced by a Chinese origin (maybe Viet-Chinese).

Mekong River, when flowing into Vietnam from Phnom Penh, divides into two legs named Tien Giang and Hau Giang. In the same pattern of Hong River of Hanoi, Tonle Sap river starts in the direction Northwest down to Southeast like a natural mural (to be exact a trench) to protect Phnom Penh. When the Khmer Empire was on down turn, Kambuja Court left old capital Siem Reap and moved to Udon, then to Phnom Penh as its new capital in 15th century. Bassac is only a small branch that flows into Mekong to form an immense tri leg water body, so Phnom Penh bears another name Tri-leg River City.

I was welcomed at Sapaco Bus Station office by Ms S. and her daughter; her family had crossed borders in 80s; she was cheated by tricks and lost all resources with promise to be led through frontier to Thailand and now content to be resettled here with determination of never coming back to natal place of Vietnam.

Cost of living in Cambodia was many folds higher than in Vietnam so that mother and daughter had to live upstairs in a long building left over from the French time. Monthly rent was not below 100 dollars and still threatened by landlord to be raised very often.

A comment said that “no elsewhere Viet emigrates suffer more than right here in Cambodia”; this comment wouldn’t be overstated when almost every Viet emigrate here never could prove their origin; they left country as refugee to avoid troubles and mistreatment or look for ways to cross border for asylum elsewhere; once in here, they tried to survive day by day, un-recognized in troubling time, but in relatively peaceful period they were refused to naturalization or being documented. They drag their lives tens of years without belonging to citizenry, Viet or Cambodian?

Ms S. had found herself in this situation. They were both living by selling sweet potage right at ground level of the building. I had habit of not disturbing anyone even if I had to pass night on stone chair, so I asked her to lead me to nearby Asia hotel not minding to refute her unusual rented residence.

Under the eyes of former Emperor Bao Dai, in 1942 Phnom Penh was a “city of tall trees with broad shades under trees, a little bit like Hue, but more active in commerce with silk industry and cotton and rubber tree plantation freshly developed in recent years”. A quarter of century ago, in 1975, it was to be a dead city under Red Khmer banner.

Of course Phnom Penh of 2009 is different from the one of 1942 and 1975, ; but it seems nearly all roads named after inland or international famous personages, the rest after numbers, are kept untouched as in old days; some named after French famous personalities since decades, but none must not yet be changed.

Planned and designed by French more than one hundred years ago, inner road system of Phnom Penh is in neat order, spacious and open; there are no deep and winding and narrow paths like often seen in Vietnam.

One of the most beautiful roads in Phnom Penh is Norodom Blvd, perched on river bank with green trees on its both sides. It’s on this boulevard are located embassies, international organization offices with name tags written in both languages, Khmer and English.

Half century ago, on November 9th, 1953 His Majesty Norodom Sihanouk declared Kingdom was no longer under the French protectorate and was a fully independent state. Cambodian people had enjoyed of peace and progress, but not long… until 1975.

Pol Pot and Red Khmer Liberation were in power. Only in 4 years under the new regime, Cambodia was thrown into tragic disaster; the darkest page of its history, nearly 2 million innocent people had been killed with hoe blows and rifle bases. In a span of 30 years of destruction, irreparable bureaucracy and corruption, Cambodia did not grow as much as Vietnam, but on social evil activities it did not much cede either.

This country is still in bottom of its weakness, but accustomed to big spending … American dollars. The only advancement bigger made here than in Vietnam is that likely everyone could know a bit of English and, in particular, know how to spend dollars; American dollars were very popular and widely accepted as their riels, merchandise payment can be made in dollars, and your change can be made in riels by (even in shopping malls) sale clerks. From modern up to date machinery to salted fish paste, people accept payment in dollars easily and naturally without any reserve as … in Khmer manners.

In Cambodia, communication is conducted through cell phones, and desk telephone is a luxury item, only used in public offices or by big companies with Internet links. Because under Red Khmer, fixed desk telephone network was nearly completely destroyed.

When peace came, Cambodia had over passed the phase of restitution of the infrastructure of telecommunication network and stepped up straightly to 3G industries, the newest mobile phone system. In time of “Open Door” policy, presently 5 mobile information companies are active here; therefore mobile cost unit call in Cambodia cheaper by half than in Vietnam. So I contacted Ms S. and her daughter mainly through mobile phone.

In my sojourn time in Phnom Penh, the Phnom Penh Post delivered: 20 families affected by HIV/AIDS were chased out of their residences in Borei Keila and moved to Tuol Sambo, a place 20 Km away from the capital. Tuol Sambo is a “HIV zone”, without utilities, no electricity neither water. They were isolated from communities.

Before attainting Siem Reap, I was to stay in Phnom Penh in a couple of days to know much more about Children of Cambodia NGO and the temporary dwelling facility run by Finland fund for human trafficking victims and Hagar International of Switzerland, an establishment that feed and educate Viet girls rescued in Police round up, and especially AFESIP organized by Somaly Mann, a Cambodian victim, to directly save and bring girls victims back to center.

In addition, Health Care For Children, another non-profit organization, with an amount of 5000 dollars had carried out a community project; they worked with owners of restaurants and liquor bars in the area, followed in and out people and girls working or doing their profession, researching whether these girls were above 18 years of age and finding out if anyone were forced to unwillingly accept customers…

Alongside with VOICE of Vietnamese (overseas) in Siem Reap, these organization are making great strives to prevent child sex abuse. They need many Viet volunteers to work with them. Volunteer NGOs, due to lack of financial support, had moved to commercial field as a solution to increase their working capital and create jobs to needy people. Like VOICE in Siem Reap which was looking for measures of finding finance sources for its projects that would help girls and women to have honest jobs; Hagar had also tried to get more economic resources for their social activities.

In the production zone of their Hagar plants in suburbs of Phnom Penh, many poor women work in packing assembly line, at the same time, in next room technicians operate can packing machine to produce SO! Soya at a rate of 6000 cans/hr. Aiming at finding enough financial resources for their social activities, Hagar Soya company set up and started soy milk plant since 12-2003.

After that Hagar Soya concentrated its efforts to build storage, train man power and set up franchises or dealership. Price of a 180ml pack of So! Soya is about 1000 riels/pk. Production capacity of the new plant is expected to get 12000 liters/day and employ 40 workers on a surface of about 2000 square meter.

Planners of this program hope that after the success of Hagar Soya, other NGO organizations would be encouraged to follow suit, avoiding being limited to aid fund in the anti hunger and poor war in the less developed countries.

Executive Director of Hagar Soya, Gregg Burgess said:

(Quote from Burgess, NTY)
Hagar Soya Company was set up by Hagar NGO, a Swiss organization dedicated to help abused poor women in Cambodia. It began to produce fresh soy milk since 1998 and is supplying 500 liters of milk to schools, public offices and non profit organizations. Cambodians are used to drink soy milk than cow milk – too expansive and a scarce item in this country. In 1999 its expanding activities into areas beyond Phnom Penh was a big difficult challenge to Hagar Soya such as equipment and air trucks it need in distribution network.

A prompt solution was made; Hagar Soya imported equipment valued at 450 K of US dollars including milk mill at super high temperature which operates at faster pasteurizing process and increases conservation period from above 6 months to 1 year. That was an investment from IFC in World Bank facilities and financed by Hagar NGO.

Adam Sack in Mekong Private Sector Development Support Group of World Bank admitted that efforts of commercialization were not new, but successful exploit by Hagar Soya in Cambodia had been recognized was their effective ways in contribution to ameliorate poverty. Profits of Hagar Soya are pumped into social projects of Hagar NGO such as to erect schools and non profit facilities.

Hagar Soya is now one of four commercial structures of non profit organizations in Land of Pagodas and Towers. Kev Srey Mom, a one hand woman with 2 children has to run away from home for survival because she had been abused and beaten by her husband, is among 9 poor women thrown into miserable situation working in Hagar Soya plant. Work had helped her to overpass tragic life. She said:

“ Life was very tough before, I thought I were an unfortunate being, but now I have a job, I am obliged to this organization for having something to feed my family, my children could go to school. Presently I have a new life”.
Although some people could criticize of the transfer into commercial activities that do not fit into non-profit class and spirit of volunteer organizations, but the executive director of Hagar NGO, Pierre Tami, thinks that this transformation step would still be linked to social purposes of Hagar. He said:

“Commercial solution comes from fundamental necessity, because if you do not create any opportunity that would bring in some income to them, they wouldn’t have any hope at all”.

Since the days I was still in Viet Nam, I had heard very often their mouthed words, just grown up girls talked among themselves, “we should come to Phnom Penh to be call girls”; and even before that time, I was told by elders, in time I had not been present in this mundane world, some Vietnamese women had chosen Cambodia as an ideal place to sell their body.

Cambodians and Vietnamese Cambodians strongly believe in spirited devices and they are well known with turns of creating “Thien Linh Cái” (Holy Baby Skull). They believe that human embryos from 3 to 5 month old could become god-demons which would follow to protect who always keep them beside, present offerings and take care of them like their own children”.

While this is called “Hàn Nàm” by Vietnamese, Cambodians call “Kôm Krót”. Fraud card players, thugs seek these embryos in hope to be quick riches by unjust tricks. The communication medium between demon and wicked is dream; some believe demon could silently talk into boss’ ear and only its boss could hear it; some say that in daytime communication could be done through natural inspiration like someone lead the move inside. However “Thiên Linh Cái” could intervene in a short time basis only. When time of boss is nearing an end or boss is on the way to be caught or even to be killed, the demon would depart; boss must bury the embryo and after that boss could never avoid disaster.

I knew a woman who had gone in 60s of the past century to Phnom Penh to be a prostitute. She had asked for a Cambodian spirited item. She used her own child (embryo) to create “thiên linh cái”. It’s not known to be effectively powerful or not; but afterwards she became rich, when she crossed the border to return to Viet Nam, she was asked to help another woman to carry drugs, of course with some money, at that time she was still a teenager and was not suspected.

She had a safe border crossing and hid herself and did not deliver the merchandise, from which she would enrich herself until the day she went to America in April, 1975. What had she become at the end of her life? If you’re a Cause-Effect believer, you could figure it out yourself.

It seems that industry which exploits woman body has big boom and a good place advantageous to its business in Cambodia. Among about 17,000 presently active prostitutes in Phnom Penh, 30% come from Vietnam.

They are not only kilometers long along border Siem Reap and Thailand, but also in Phnom Penh, Sihanouk Ville and many other provinces in Cambodia plenty of brothels that serve pedophile abusers.

Even in Phnom Penh everyone know that red light zones are reserved to sex customers, such as Sway Pak, Saigon Bridge, even nearby “Killing Fields” zone, where are in exhibition skulls belong to whom Pol Pot and cronies had killed in time of terror of the Red Khmer Communism.

Once in Phnom Penh, bus drops off travelers in area near Toul Tompong market (also known as Russian Market). This is a zone reserved to Back Pack Westerners in Phnom Penh. Nearby is a concentration of cheap dormitories to Back Pack travelers.

Services such as exchange booths, restaurants, riders for rent, pull bikes (Tuk Tuk in Cambodia, imported or transformed from tuk tuk, sort of convenience lambretta in Thailand), bikes for rent… are found in plenty here. An amazing similarity between here and Vietnam is unlimited load capacity.

I am not a “tourist”, so I don’t want to go to interesting points for tourists like Lake Boeng Kak, Toul Sleng Genocide Museum, Killing Fields (Choeung Ek Memorial, 16 Km from Phnom Penh), where are still stored Pol Pot Genocide criminal proofs.

25 Km from Phnom Penh into its vicinity is located Killing Fields, remains that had witnessed genocide acts of Red Khmer in 1970s. It a beautiful field, but it was an immense grave. Red Khmer had killed millions of people through interrogation tech, starvation and execution under their power time.

My head is filled up with “in hell stories” of Vietnamese girls sold into this land, I could not hold in extra, inhuman, barbaric pictures…

Security seems better now in Cambodia, but it is wisely cautious not to go anywhere alone. Mme S. retold that at starting escape by foot and being stuck in Phnom Penh, once she was ready to cross the street to other side where her husband and some friends of his were waiting, suddenly a team of Khmer troops burst in and seized her then thrown her in the truck with intent to rape her (this happens regularly here).

Caught sight of this, her husband and his friends jumped over and struggled with them to save her. Fortunately the soldiers forgot to use their weapons; she was not hurt and safe to this day to feed her two children on this land of many evil things, a boy and a girl, to their adolescence due to her husband’s early death.
Pedo-abusers come here without sparing vagabond boys that sleep on streets; these boys are used to be victims of wicked men and aims for seducing acts.

If the inner city of Phnom Penh is better and easier to breathe due to not being overcrowded with people from all corners of globe like Saigon, it is not farther than some kilometers, we can recognize ugliness, poverty. Industrial zones like Cham Chao on Monireth Street, in the southwest of the city are concentration of biggest sewing plants in Cambodia; they are dusty and hot. When traversing, we can see female workers with burn skin, their dress soaked with sweat sitting for their lunch time under tin roofed structures while hot blazing sun pours down fire on their head and back. Due to this hardship, many female workers leave the factory and come to “red light zones”.

These are disguised pleasure facilities under false business name like massage parlors, karaoke music shops, dancing floors, drinking beer gardens etc… like in Vietnam.

Night club Martinis is a good example. It’s only to step over the doorsill with few words and few dollars you could have a girl right away.

One of my acquaintances who had come to these red light zones told me that almost all restaurant owners of this place are Chinese investors. By this fact, business name banners over here are often read Guang Dong, Zhou Massage…

The large restaurant Great World on 139th street, in between DeGaule Blvd and Kampuchea Krom is a disguised of this type… it has its own security team in neat uniform with name tags on to step up guard. Inside dozens of men with assorted nationalities are waiting to be served in front of huge crystal closet immersed in pink lights containing not under 40 girls clothed merely in two string piece, bearing number tags like items in a super market and sitting in ladder rows like on stage.

Blue tags refer to Vietnamese and red one to Cambodian girls. Those sit outside the window are Chinese, Russians etc… of all nationalities. One hour ticket costs 6 US bucks and allows the patron to call any girl with a minimum price of 20 dollars for one time. From time to time, a girl picks up cell phone to answer. Customer has only to call a cell phone number and here in a wink of eyelids a girl should be beside him and give him signal to enter the room. It’s a closed from inside wooden door room, rather spacious, with clean bedclothes and separated restroom. After an apparent massage with few strokes, she gives out signal to start… working. From entering room phase to “working” phase, girls do need to communicate with customers with their hands only without a word.

It does not include roofs on wood sticks which are separated into smaller rooms by pieces of plywood; inside each room a water jar can be found and water spills abundantly on the floor… and of course, these red light zones are much cheaper than camouflaged massage and karaoke institutes. Regardless of prices, cheap or dear for, once of body trade, personal dignity in these places is devalued as ephemeral as the same for everybody..

Twenty minutes of driving from Phnom Penh we can find Sway Pak, a familiar name to pedo-abusers. Once arriving here you would easily recognize Vietnamese children over the village, some are only 8 years old who could “invite” pleasure customers. One non uniformed American policeman said he had never seen anything like this scenery throughout his police career. He sadly disclosed:

(Possible quote, NTY)
“Some girls over here only at 8 or 9 years old invited me with their smile to do sexual things with them in order to get some bucks. So far I have seen smiles on innocent children’s face (like my children’s) when they are awarded to visit children’s entertainment land such as Disneyland only!”

As mentioned above, Phnom Penh is a transit point to Siem Reap, I was not interested in sightseeing; in free time I had to go on “investigation” or wandered about in Phnom Penh with Mme S. and her daughter, around Old Market, Central Market, Russian Market… and visited Wat Phnom Pagoda. Its height reaches 27 meters and was built in 1934; it is a community park and a place for religious ceremonies of the Capital’s inhabitants.

Inside there worshiped a statue of Sakya Muni Buddha. Remains of King Boli Wat are kept in a tower in the west. Wat Phnom Pagoda place is at the highest elevation of Phnom Penh; from the summit of the pagoda we could look over around the Capital. If you can save one dollar for riding an elephant free, in your appearances of a foreigner, you could not spare one… to enter and visit the pagoda.

Like in any other pagoda on the world, people rush to here to pray Buddha and Sky (God) for their peace and for… releasing birds or liberating animated things.

Looking at birds taken out from the cage a woman had bought to release them into skies, I could not help thinking of Vietnamese girls enclosed in brothel cages and wondering when they would be freed like those wings?

At night we promenaded the Common Place near Royal Palace. The day I arrived was the anniversary of Queen Norodom Monineath Sihanouk and so her huge portrait could be found everywhere.

Mme S. said in Cambodia, anyone who would contribute from 100,000 dollars and up to social benefits fund, could be promoted to royal count or countess by the King in person. To visit the Royal Palace, of course, you should turn inside out your wallet and pay your part. Why on earth have I to spend money in order to witness Royal dwelling structures who do not take in their account miserable life of people?

Cambodians have no longer loved, respected the “King Father” they had warmly welcomed home in 1993, because of any slight evolution event the whole royal family would be the first to board an airplane to move out of the country to seek safety in foreign soil. Furthermore, this Queen though born in Saigon has always denied her natal Vietnam to be proud of mixed French Italian origin.

Impressed by the splendor of Cambodian Royal Buildings, I recalled Ramayana Lyrics in Hindu Mythology with character Miss Xeda presented some time ago on Vietnamese archaic stage. Xeda is also called Sita; for the Cambodian-Vietnamese this fairy story becomes “Story of “Riêm Kê Story”. When Xeda was abducted by demon Ravana to Lanka, prince Rama together with his young brother Laksmana and General Monkey Hanuman, with help from Monkeys Kingdom, had built a stone bridge which could jump to Lanka isle, killed demon Ravana and rescued Xeda. I have also thought of princess Diana of English Royal Court who had to live with an open adulterous husband that was blessed by the Court and its docile flatterers always ready to fold their back in half. It’s very far away from her volunteer activities.

(Quote MM, NTY)
“I’m not a load of meat”, Marilyn Monroe had complained so before her tragic death came in; It’s also Diana who had repeated those words to express her wish to lead her own life. Compassion in her inner nature had pushed her to who were dying, patients, deprived of good fortune in the society… Exiting from a non aired hut in her visit to a mountainous hidden village, she exclaimed:

(Quote Diana, NTY)
“I’ll never complain about anything any more”.

In a hatred atmosphere at English Royal Court that was surrounding Diana, because of her refuse to put herself in strict royal ceremony line, a commentator said:
“Women hate is really a setback that moves everyone”.

Throughout her life in royal court, Princess of Wales had shown her true character in her trips to free hospitals, cancer wards and volunteer organizations…

She said to her friend: “If it’s possible, I will do this as long as possible. I do not feel tired at all”.

(Quote Diana, NTY)
Always close to Mother Theresa, Diana visited abused women asylum camps, homeless shelters, discussed any situation with voluntary officers in Buckingham Palace and developed any project with them.

In a trip to attend inauguration of a hospital at Merseyside, a heavy burden on her shoulders, she burst to cry when a patient sweetly touched her face with both caressing hands…

Declared before a conference titled Turning Point, Diana said:

(Quote Diana, NTY)
Sometimes reporter photographers saw her very confident. She had shouted aloud to them:

(Quote Diana, NTY)
“Why don’t you rape someone?”

Her daring over limited words had unintentionally started up a new movement “struggle for equality in sexes”, this slogan make people believe that women are victims of social order in which prevail men.

With such a word, I believe, if still alive up until now, Diana would not overlook the fate of Vietnamese girls that are being abused in Cambodia, like she had come to forgotten ones, saddened, feeling bittersweet… those whose basic human rights continue to be violated and scorched off.

And who knows? Humble tiny lives would have an ally who could direct them to another turn of life of hope.