Work starts on cement plant

Cambodia started building its largest cement factory this week - a move which should eventually make it less reliant on imports.

Cambodia consumes about 1.5 million tons of imported cement last year at an estimated cost of about $105 million.

When the factory is complete in 2008, a second $100 million has been promised for a second production line - and the combined output is expected to produce about 2 million tons of cement annually.

[A] joint venture between Thailand's Siem Cement and the local company Khaou Chully MKK Co., the factory will employ up to 400 workers.

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Flaws in mass tourism

The risks and dangers of rapid tourism development - especially in World Heritage Sites such as Angkor Wat in Siem Reap - is highlighted in this report marking a decade since 10 countries banded together to market venues within the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) as a major holiday destinations.

World Heritage Sites will be in danger if current tourism management practices continue without change. Instead of tourism adding value to cultural sites, it will lessen the overall value and visitor experience of the site.

Management of the World Heritage Site Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia illustrates some of these dangerous trends. Visitor arrivals for 2004 were nearly 800,000, and the target for 2010 is 2.5 million. Yet, certain visitors are already complaining about the crowded conditions at Angkor, indicating that the carrying capacity may have been reached under current conditions. In addition, visitors have placed excessive pressure on the local water supply, and water shortages are now common in Siem Reap.

More than 100,000 local people, many of them unauthorised, are now living within the protected zone and are placing further pressure on the dwindling water supply. The town of Siem Reap is undergoing unprecedented economic tourism development, including the establishment of large numbers of hotels aimed at mass tourism. The tourism authorities are targeting mass tourism, especially from China (PRC), Japan and Korea (ROK). The increase in these tourist numbers is also triggering a development in the local night entertainment industry which brings with it some negative social impacts.

(- quotes from the Travel Daily News)

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No surprises ahead

Xinhua and the People's Daily makes this string of predictions about the forthcoming election. It claims:

... analysts here saying that it is the election without suspense with everyone knowing the results already.

Koh Rong island

Russian investor Konstantin Kagalovsky has reported met with Hun Sen at the premier's home to talk about plans to make the island off the coast of Sihanoukville into special economic zones.

It just a fortnight, it can be seen in links from this blog that the area has moved from being "the next Goa, the new Phi Phi" to a haven for foreign investment.

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Chapter Five is Alive

John Humphreys of Chapter Five has arrived at Siem Reap and offers a few charming first impressions.

So far I have found Cambodians to be very friendly, helpful and relatively
honest. ... Local kids still wave and shout 'hello' and it is easy to get
lost in the backstreets where the locals live.

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A victory, of sorts

Cambodia has released on bail four critics of the government. It's bail, so the threat of a trial still hangs over their heads. But the release is a welcome move.

The United States seems to be claiming credit for this development as the move followed sometime after Prime Minister Hun Sen meeting with Assistant U.S. Secretary of State Christopher Hill.

Furthermore, the US this week renewed its operation of a U.S. embassy in Cambodia.

And the United Nations has been quick to welcome the news of the release of the detainees.

Gate opens way for trade

News brief in the Saigon Times Daily says:

Southern Vietnam's Tay Ninh Province and Cambodia's Kompong Cham Province on Monday inaugurated an international border gate, paving the way for the two countries to step up bilateral trade.

Stones speak a story

Vaidehi Nathan offers this article speculating why similarities between Hindu temples and traditions in Cambodia are not given a bigger mention when discussing Hindu history in India.

He says a recent study by Dr Vasudha Narayanan, ( a Professor of Religion at the University of Florida), focuses on various temples and found many similarities in the two countries.

According to Dr Vasudha, the eighth century three-storied Vaikunta Perumal temple is the prototype for the 12th century three-storied west-facing temple at Angkor Wat, built by Suryavarman II.

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Another bod Cambodia-bound

Watch out Cambodia - our new friend LeftVegDrunk will be heading your way soon on a visit.

The planned trip also includes Laos and Vietnam - two other places which Tan and Trev can proudly say they have already visited.

LeftVegDrunk's interest in Cambodia can be see in this collection of posts.

We wish you good luck and good roads for your travels starting February 5, 2006.

Canadian ambassador, Donica Pottie, "very concerned"

As an update to yesterday's post, Canada has become the latest country to publicly criticise the political crackdown in Cambodia.

And the editorial in the Bangkok Post News pulls no punches. It says:

From illegal manipulation of the system to outright intimidation and bloody brutality, he (Prime Minister Hun Sen) has put Cambodia on a slippery slope to a violent dictatorship. Only international pressure now seems likely to stop him.

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Fragile press freedoms

Blanquita Walsh Cullum in the pages Washington Times makes a strong call for action to the world's civilized government for action in protecting free press in Cambodia.

He writes:

A new climate of fear has descended on Cambodia. And the world, as in the days of the Khmer Rouge, has largely looked the other way.

Meanwhile the daughters of jailed Cambodian Human Rights Activitsts continue push their case with a protest outside the Whitehouse.

Leak soaks key collection

A valuable Cambodian collection has been ruined by steam at the Sterling Memorial Library - which houses approximately 4 million volumes as the the largest library on the Yale campus.
The dampened collection is said to "includes the last known copies of newspapers surviving the Khmer Rouge's censorship campaign".

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Navy gift

The Vietnamese navy has given two patrol boats to the Royal Cambodian Navy this week at a handover ceremony at the Ream military base in Sihanoukville.

Call for Australian Govt to aid Cambodia

Australia has been slow to join in debate, but the Shadow foreign affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd is urging the Federal Government here to take an interest in Cambodia.

ABC News quotes him as saying:

"The Australian Government should be joining in the chorus of international protests about these actions by the government of Mr Hun Sen in Cambodia".

"We have a Foreign Minister, Mr Downer, who spends his days delivering public sermons to anyone who will listen on the future of democracy in Iraq, while at the same time it seems remaining silent about the demise of the democracy or the potential demise of the democracy in Cambodia here in our own region, our own backyard - that's unacceptable," he (Mr Rudd) said.

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Boots and All

Alison De Jong, 39, has collected 700 pairs of football boots and had them shipped to Cambodia so that kids can play a football tournament in Siem Reap. See the full story here.

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View from the Globe

The Boston Globe has posted this series of 10 shots of Angkor Wat. Check it out.

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Quick to post

Jim Goodman is three days into a tour of Cambodia and has already posted some fine shots of Udong and the markets at Phnom Penh. Check 'em out.

A slideshow

Intrepid India

For those of you wondering why Tan and Trev have missing regular posts here for the past few months, then perhaps this string of scenery from India might help explain.

We are about one-third through the process of captioning and loading our shots for viewing.

Meanwhile, it's back to regular business here.

How still makes Ikat?

Ikat is a style of weaving that uses a tie-dye process on either the warp or weft before the threads are woven to create a pattern or design.

It gets a big mention here as a tradition being kept alive in Iran - although the Batak of Cambodia also rate a mention in this news article.

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Life's A Beach

There is high praise for Sihanoukville in this International Herald Tribune article by Alexander Lobrano.

It is so nice to know our visit 12 months ago puts us ahead of Alexander's predicted trend-setters. Like us, can you say "I remember this place when ..."

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Back from Abroad

Posts here have been sparse of late - and there is a reason. Tan and Trev have been travelling again. Our journey on this outing was a return trip to India.

We are combing through pictures now - with a promise to post a bunch soon. (Although we'll stay true to this blog's theme and leave the airing of India scenery for somewhere else. We'll post a link when they are ready).

So without further ado, it's back to business for this blog.