rani

Don't panic folks, it's just a minor adjust to your dials

Please be advised that after many fine years at typepad hosted by the lovely and ever-generous Mick, I need to urgently report that this blog is MOVING to wordpress. Thanks to some kind of IT miracle (ie Mick), no content will be lost! Woohoo - the new blog will still be jam packed with spiders and llamas and new cousins and crazy Cambodians!

Gentle readers, fear not! You can continue to follow Rani's adventures at Raniworld - don't forget to adjust it on your "favourites" list.

Election aftermath

So I had a slack morning because we couldn't go to work until midday because of political protests about Sunday's election. Interestingly enough, there are still a lot of very black inked fingers around - maybe it's permanent?

It's election time

Yesterday Cambodia had a national democratic election and considering that, of the 8 million registered voters, 5 million are signed up to the Cambodia People's Party (the CPP), it's kinda no surprise result.

Everything basically shut down to allow Cambodians to return to their home provinces to vote (no postal voting here) and once they've voted, they have to dip their index finger in ink to prevent double voting. 

Svay Rieng

Well this week I went to Vietnam (well, the border marker anyway which totally counts!) but the trip was actually to see the prison at Svay Rieng, one of the provinces - bad facilities but an inspiring prison chief doing a lot with very little (we had a meeting in a barn with a leaky roof, the office).

But I feel like we were away for ever because we had a ball and so many adventures!  Like crossing the river on the car ferry where they were selling everything from fried frogs to fried crickets. Cheryl and I stayed at...THE CASINO! It was hilarious - our 2 Cambodian colleagues were like wide-eyed kids at a  circus and one of them actually said 'This is one of the most exciting days of my life'! I think it had a lot to do with the amazing buffet that was FREE for every meal (understandably, nothing makes a Cambodian who's lived through the Khmer Rouge days happier than unlimited free food)! In fact, in the casino, even alcohol was free.

The little border town was like a mini Las Vegas - with a big strip of bright flashing lights and heaps of Casinos, with more under construction. It seemed totally surreal to have rice paddies being ploughed by buffalos outside and US$1000 betting chips (with many a pyjama-clad Vietnamese and Cambodian lady at the tables) inside. All the casinos had signs saying no guns, no cameras and...no durian fruit!   So all in all a picturesque and very eventful trip.

Motorbike quizz: Can you ride like a Cambodian?

Think you can ride a motorbike like a Cambodian national? Take this simple test and find out!

1. If you were a Cambodian and you drove a motorbike to work, where would you park it?

(a)  In the carpark.

(b)  In the most inconvenient place you could find to create an impediment for pedestrians.

(c)  In your office.

2. If you were a Cambodian and you bought a new motorbike and your friend asked you about the size of the bike, “size” in this instance refers to?   

(a)  The power of the engine.

(b)  How many people can fit on it.

3. If you were a Cambodian riding your motorbike in peak hour, what part of the road would you most likely need to ride on?

(a)  The footpath.

(b)  The side of the road with the oncoming traffic.

4. If you were a Cambodian riding your motorbike into the oncoming traffic on the wrong side of the road and someone in a 4WD who formed part of the oncoming traffic beeped at you to get out of the way, would you?

(a)  Move as quickly as possible to avoid injury or death.

(b)  Give them a baffled look because they’re clearly in the wrong.

5. If you were a Cambodian riding your motorbike and you encountered a red traffic light, would you?

(a)  Stop and wait for it to turn green.

(b)  Ignore it – traffic lights are for suckers and foreigners.

6. If you were a Cambodian and you had precious cargo on your motorbike, like say, your entire family, helmets would be worn:

(a)  Always.

(b)  Never, you can fit more people on the bike that way.

If you answered (b) to all of the above, then CONGRATULATIONS you’re eligible to ride. If you didn’t, go ahead and ride anyway, you can always bribe a traffic cop. Please note, an answer of (c) in question 1 is technically correct; however, (b) is the answer to aspire to.

Tensions run high

So the situation on the Thai/Cambodian border is getting a little tense over the Preah Vihear temple. It's a shame Angelina's post-natally tied up or I'm sure she could sort it out in a flash.

But The Cambodiana Daily is on the case.  At the pagoda, the soldiers, armed with light machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, stood just meters away from Thai guards who had placed a US-made M-60 light mahine gun and a B-40 rocket on a rocky out-crop beside the pagoda's entrance gate (all in the name of preservation I'm sure!).

Cambodian soldiers radioed in the number of infiltrating Thai troops every few minutes. Lieutenant Colonel Kim Chhai said his orders are such that "all I can do is count the Thais". He (really logically) explains: "The Government doesn't let us fight. That is why the Thais are so aggressive." Chhay Borin, Deputy Director of Immigration Police, adds the insight that "if we were ordered, they would all be dead." Good to know!

Apparently some Thai troops attempted to say "hello" in Khmer, so one Cambodian officer responded with a smile "I am well. I am just waiting on my orders and I will shoot you instantly". Gotta love a turf war over a sacred monument - it really brings out the best of humanity.

Guess who owns a vintage vespa?

 

                                                                         

I feel like a kid at Christmas! I can't say that when I woke up yesterday morning I thought it would ever be the day I would become the proud owner of a beautiful vintage vespa - a white Sprint 500 in great condition. I had the boys from The Club with me to test the engine etc. It was a very random transaction because Mr Chan doesn't speak any English and was refusing to sell that particular bike...but we couldn't work out why. But he eventually agreed and we negotiated the price and bingo! Rani owns a vespa. Then I worked out he could speak French which made things a little easier on the communication front.

This morning we went to breakfast extra early to be ready to pick her up before the footy. Ian kindly drove her home for me, with Fred and I following in the car! Then on the way home I spoke with the previous owner, David, who said I'm very very lucky to own that bike because he didn't want to sell it. But he said he agreed when Mr Chan rang him to say there was a girl who had fallen in love with it and was very interested in buying it, so he said yes (although I do suspect by that time Mr Chan had already taken a deposit,,,). David wanted to check it was going to a loving home and not just going to be on-sold for profit. I'm going to meet him tomorrow, to get the key and some parts. He told me he bought it from a 90 year old Cambodian man in the Provinces who was very sick and who just loved the bike. He said it's in awesome condition. So I promised to keep it and love it and I do! I do!

Apsara and Wendy

It was nice to see some familiar faces when I had a lovely (long) lunch and a swim in the rain with Wendy and Apsara when they came to visit Phnom Penh from their home in Ho Chi Minh City. Apsara informed me it's a quick flight: "you go up, drink some apple juice, and then come down". 

Happy Scrappy and me

                                                                               

I am housesitting at the moment and looking after Scrappy dog, who is always excited to see me and is rather fond of licking my toes.

Election politics and...you guessed it: Cambodian traffic laws!

So it’s election time in Cambodia and The Cambodia Daily is on the campaign trail.

An opposition party has accused some civil servants (police officers and military officers) of removing licence plates from their state-owned vehicles to campaign on behalf of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP). The spokesperson claimed some other vehicles were covering their state number plates with party logos.  The spokesperson added that the behaviour should not go unpunished as to do so would undermine the fairness of the election and tarnish the reputation of police (especially given that it is generally the Senior Executive of the Police who are issued with state owned vehicles).

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior (MoI) said individuals need to remove state or military plates for campaigning to comply with the election law. When asked whether this violated traffic laws (bearing in mind that under the new Traffic Law driving without number plates carries a prison sentence of between 6 days and one month plus a fine), the MoI spokesperson said it was up to the traffic police to enforce the law. 

So gosh, what to do about enforcing those pesky Traffic Laws during election time, eh? Well, the Phnom Penh Traffic Police Chief has decided:

“We cannot stop them during the election campaign rally; otherwise they will be disappointed. If we can forgive them, we close our eyes.”

Cambodian Law on the Prevention of Domestic Violence and the Protection of Victims

Chapter 4 of the Cambodian Law on the Prevention of Domestic Violence and the Protection of Vicitms deals with the "Prevention and Protection of Victims". Article 13 provides:

In order to prevent domestic violence which is occurring or is believed to occur, the authorities in charge shall intervene urgently by seizing the weapons or concrete objects that have been used or could use by the perpetrators.

Imagine an episode of Cambodian Law and Order where Police are called to a domestic violence situation:

Policeman: Sir! I'm going to have to ask you put the house down, I repeat, put the house down and step away slowly - no, no, not that way sir! That's a concrete pavement and could be used as a future assault weapon - you don't want to make us confiscate the whole street now, do you sir?  

Law and order

According to The Cambodia Daily, source of all good stories uniquely Cambodian, a municipal police officer was killed and another seriously injured after being struck by a speeding SUV outside Spark Nightclub (not a place I frequent) on Mao Tse Tuong Boulevard on Wednesday morning. You heard it here…second!

But this time you’ll be pleased to know that the Police did some excellent detective work because, despite the SUV speeding off from the scene, they managed to arrest the driver of the vehicle an hour later. Police have the driver, a student from France, in custody.

But crime-solving rates are set to sky-rocket in Phnom Penh as the aptly named District Police Chief Ouch Sokhon advises they’ll soon be able to close off yet another of their investigations because the case would be solved…“between the victim’s family and the car driver”. Bingo: case closed - good work boys!

The overvigilant and the undervigilant

The Cambodia Daily reported that the other night body guards in a 2008 Land Rover got out of their vehicle and fired at a Tuk-Tuk driver who had come into slight contact with their vehicle. The shooting took place at about 7pm, on Sisawath Quay the major tourist restaurant area in Phnom Penh (and an area I frequent). Fortunately, the body guards missed the Tuk-Tuk driver but unfortunately, hit a passing moto driver in the leg (he is now recovering). 

In typical Cambodian style, the Local police confirmed the shooting but added that they have no information to work with - “We did not see anything when we were there because they all left” - and so the investigation is now considered complete: case closed! 

Election news

There's an election in Cambodia on 27 July 2008 (although the result is a foregone conclusion) and Prime Minister Hun Sen has ordered a ban on selling alcohol at bars and restaurants over the national election weekend – for 48hours from midnight on July 26 to 11.59pm on July 27. The Prime Minister says: “Cambodians and foreign citizens must co-operate with the government”.

However, the National Election Commission Secretary General has said that those who do not obey the directive will not be prosecuted: “This is an ethical social participation". Imagine trying to get Australians not to drink, ethically !

Wrath of the house gods

So my stomach of iron has let me down and I've been illin' for the past four days. My Cambodian colleagues tell me that I am sick because I incurred the wrath of the house gods by moving 4 times in a month.

I have indeed just completed my fourth move prompting Fred (who kindly provides most of my transport needs) to query whether I had a stalker. I don't, although on my final day of apartment-sitting, the security guard said "Good morning, Darling!" - um, I don't know where that came from as that's taking our relationship up about 10 notches given our conversation usually consists of a greeting and a query as to whether I am "walking walking?". 

My new house-sitting digs has a pool and a dog called Scrappy.

Not so much retail therapy, but beautiful shoes

So I went to my first Department store in Phnom Penh on Saturday. There wasn't much that caught my eye, except for one skirt. But the saleswoman flat out would not let me try it on because she said it would be too small. I was rather miffed because I'd chosen the "large" size (Cambodians being rather on the teeny tiny side) and I really think it would have fit, but I wasn't even allowed to test for myself.

So, in order to satisfy my inner material girl, I've been frequenting a shop called Beautiful Shoes, where you can get custom made leather shoes for $15! Just yesterday I commissioned some strappy snake skin sandals that are going to rock!  I asked, and they assured me the snakes were farmed...anyone know how Aussie customs will feel about that?

Cambodian Traffic Laws

I've seen all manner of things on the streets of Phnom Penh - 12 monks in a tuk-tuk, six kids on a moto, woman breastfeeding on a moto, sheets of glass being transported on a moto...Apparently if you have an accident, it's cheaper to kill someone (a flat rate of $1500) than pay the injury compensation money. This means that you don't stop to check if someone's alive when you hit them, you stop to reverse back over them to ensure they're dead rather than merely injured.

After more than a decade in the making, Cambodia's new traffic law came into force in September 2007. According to The Cambodia Daily the traffic police admit they haven't been able to fully implement some of the provisions, such as making motorists wear safety helmets and stopping drink drivers. You can see the very healthy respect they have for traffic lights in the picture to the right.

90% of moto riders don't wear helmets. Apparently it's a hard law to implement. Why? Police chief Tin Prasoer says: "It has long been customary for Cambodian motorists to not wear helmets. They say they are too tired to wear helmets".  And in relation to the drink driving laws: "If we implement it our people will have difficulty".

The Director General of Transport at the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation says: "My only duty was to draft the law". He doesn't know why the law hasn't been implemented but he is "very upset" about it. I'll garner the Police Chief could shed some light: "We are doing it step by step" but "It is close to the election. We don't want any reactions...If we stop motorbikes there will be reactions from road users".

But you know who has been out in the streets on the weekend at busy intersections trying to educate the people about the new laws? The Boy Scouts.

Revenge of the puffer fish

Check out this article about the revenge of the Cambodian puffer fish.

Fred had a trip out to the provinces, and naturally was treated to some special hospitality by Cambodian counterparts. At one point he was told that he was very lucky because the lizard he was eating was "very rare...nearly extinct!"

Petrol prices and rice shortages

Well, I moved into housesit apartment this morning, but I feel a bit disconcerted because the owners witnessed an armed robbery in the street, just in front of their place yesterday afternoon - two Korean guys got held up with a hand gun and robbed in broad daylight (that's daylight robbery). 

Apparently things are getting a bit desperate with the increased cost of living.

Battle of the sexes

We had a prison workshop yesterday - I'm finding the work really interesting and it's curious that some of the most serious problems in Australia (like drugs) are simply not an issue here.

Cheryl and I were the only women in the room. No-one questioned my qualifications or experience, they just wanted to know whether I was married. Hmmm.