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Asia Finest Discussion Forum > Asian Culture > Cambodian / Khmer Chat > Khmer Serious Talk
Nikkie_nid
Hey guys, i rarely spend my time in the serious thread. But, i think since i'm Khmer, i should get a headache for the sake of the country. Yes, Cambodia used to be one great empire, used to be one leading country and also, used to experience the darkest era and worst which could never be found on earth.

As for my opinion, everything has its own problems, so as the people. To talk about today's problem, we should talk also about the past.

Khmer Empire is our greatest being, in the history. But, what makes Khmer Empire downs? I read books and i come with my sense. There was a plot, by the eventual King "trasok Pa-em". Before, Khmer followed the "Tevareach" mind-set, which is to worship King as god. But after the rebel of King Trasok Pa-em, the power of the king descent. Start from there, Khmer Empire power started to fade.

In 16th Century, Khmer back on her way to re-become one great empire. We managed to establish a stronghold name "Lungvek Fortress", which can protect both the people and the king for harming of the outsiders. But once again, there were some interior problems. King and King quarrel, and lead the people into despair. The invaders seized the chance and destroyed the fortress. From the period, we became one weak nations.

In 17th Century, we were able to get back our freedom but the country has been heavily damaged. King "Chey Chetha II", turned his attention to Annam Kingdom. He wanted to establish an international relation with this country so that we can use its military to defence the invasion from Siamese Kingdom. Thing is not getting on as expected. The king married the Annam King's daughter, and on their first talk, they BORROW our land for temporary settlement. And temporary became Permanent.

In the 19th Century, while we struggle to get our balance back, we were dominated politically by the foriegn power house. But then, we managed to get our king crowned. King "Ong Doung", who used to lived in Siamese Kingdom, returned to Cambodia to help. He did help. He turned to French governement, like King Chey Chetha II, he wants new support. BUt AGAIN, there were mistakes followed. We entered a new era, this time, we were enslaved for 90 years.

In the mid 20th Century, King Norodom Shihanouk surprisingly fight and success in re-claiming the freedom for our country. But where there is hero, there is villian. There were revolutions, there were revolution against the revolution. The Khmer Rouge finally came, and kill 2 million people for pleasure.

Now, i'm done with the look back to the past, you guys should continue with what is the real problems of today's Cambodia?
Goombaking209
All of the above examples seem to lead me to the conclusion that the decline in khmer civilization is and was internal bickering
AEROFORCE1
From my point of view, I think its should b the same problem w Thai on jealousy and crap attitude, In house politic etc.

I also think we are so lazy Instead of produce or create things people here just spend time on fight with each other stop each other from success. Get things easy just that.

Cambodian need the strong government which not Corupt and the law that people respect ,but how?
FiRe_dRaGoN
I really wish the situation in our homeland was tht simple and easily fixed, but i guess it was never that easy.
MasterTango
i think........um....i dont know.....i dont live in Srok Khmai. i will move back though......eventually
Jennie
Well it will take them a few more years to take them back they way they were! But day by day things seem to be going up and down!!!!!! It just time to know what is really going on! We should stick together and fight for our country!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Menikani
The "real Cambodia's problem" today is the Cambodian people. The majority of Cambodian youth does not take action, are not politically motivated, has no sense of nationalism and are ignorant to what the hell is happening to their country. With this kind of mentality, don’t expect much progress from Cambodia. $hit, they still vote for Hun Sen every election… LOL! Damn!
FiRe_dRaGoN
QUOTE(Menikani @ Feb 27 2007, 08:34 PM) *

The "real Cambodia's problem" today is the Cambodian people. The majority of Cambodian youth does not take action, are not politically motivated, has no sense of nationalism and are ignorant to what the hell is happening to their country. With this kind of mentality, don’t expect much progress from Cambodia. $hit, they still vote for Hun Sen every election… LOL! Damn!


im with u for this one, i actually had a chance to talked to one uni student from cambodia, who does nuthin but miss school most of the time, and doesnt give a rats arse about cambodia. all they do is play around.
Happy Asian
Corruption is also a major problem there, like everywhere in the third world
SoCal
Here is one good news about Cambodia.
The Foreign Exchange Reserve of Cambodia has crossed the $1 Billion mark in 2006.

beerchug.gif beerchug.gif

http://investintaiwan.nat.gov.tw/en/env/st...n_exchange.html

Foreign Exchange Reserves of Major Countries (US$ Million)

2006/5 1,035
2006/4 1,027
2006/3 1,007
2006/2 982
2006/1 959
2005 953
2004 943
2003 816
2002 776
2001 587
2000 502
1999 393
1998 324
1997 299
1996 266
1995 192
1994 118
1993 24
Nikkie_nid
QUOTE(Happy Asian @ Feb 28 2007, 04:11 PM) *

Corruption is also a major problem there, like everywhere in the third world


I disagree. But actually, i partly agree.

Corruption is one thing, but its just one small thing. The big thing is, the government lets this continues undetected, unwatched and unlimited. Thats the real problem.
FiRe_dRaGoN
QUOTE(Nikkie_nid @ Mar 8 2007, 05:57 AM) *

I disagree. But actually, i partly agree.

Corruption is one thing, but its just one small thing. The big thing is, the government lets this continues undetected, unwatched and unlimited. Thats the real problem.


becuase thier stupid imbeciles!
Nikkie_nid
YEp... don't know how to fight corruption, but know how to cope with tha.t
orientalismsucks
QUOTE(AEROFORCE1 @ Feb 26 2007, 08:18 PM) *

Cambodian need the strong government which not Corupt and the law that people respect ,but how?

king i guess

QUOTE(Menikani @ Feb 27 2007, 05:34 PM) *

The "real Cambodia's problem" today is the Cambodian people. The majority of Cambodian youth does not take action, are not politically motivated, has no sense of nationalism and are ignorant to what the hell is happening to their country. With this kind of mentality, don’t expect much progress from Cambodia. $hit, they still vote for Hun Sen every election… LOL! Damn!

mmmm but angelina jolie cares about cambodia icon_confused.gif
i'm korean.... icon_confused.gif
Super Khmer
There are million of problems. It is not just in ancient time but also in present. Young and youth Cambodians in the country don't give a $hit about anything that happen in Cambodia. I said that because I was one myself. But really you can't blame them. they live in a country where corruption start when they were born (you had to pay the under-table money to the nurses or midwives to get a comfortable place in the hospital) and when they go to school they learn more about corruption. Need to pay the teachers to get good marks. So they learn that being corrupt is Ok and Cambodian people would like their daughters to marry someone who knows how to cheat and corrupt rather than someone who is loyal and honest to the government. And that have been passed on from one generation to the next. So it's not likely that you see Cambodia progress under Hun Sen.
KUH
The destroyed roads are a problem.
nobodyknown
The poorest country in the world,poor education , bad health system , destroyed infrustructures , low wager and so on.

Corruption, misleading premier, and human right violence.
AEROFORCE1
QUOTE(Nikkie_nid @ Mar 8 2007, 09:27 PM) *
I disagree. But actually, i partly agree.

Corruption is one thing, but its just one small thing. The big thing is, the government lets this continues undetected, unwatched and unlimited. Thats the real problem.

Once it detected ,watched and limited some one in your goverment might lost benefit then this might leads to conflict.Because our culture is similar people in your goverment or organization might respect on Seniority ,Hospitality ,Flexibility ,Kindliness when they working together.

However it bad for the citizen or client isnt it? Once the problem is happen it hard to find some one to responsible or we wouldnt know it just happen. That why coruption is happen here in Thailand and I can say Cambodia facing the same problem as Thailand.

ZturboZ
What is the real Cambodia's problem today?

A contagious attitude and outlook of negativity, complaint, and pessimism bog down progress or any real chance of making improvements to the society as a whole. By and large, Cambodians are more focus on living in the past. Hence, Cambodians can't seem to reconcile or let go of the ghost of their past wherein denying a chance to move on to a more hopeful and promising future.

A society is made of individuals who each and everyone is responsible for his/her self progress and happiness which in turn contributing to a society as a whole. It is imperative that each individual hold a positive attitude and outlook otherwise it is hopeless collectively as one society or one individual in particular. It is never too late to change the attitude. The attitude of how you see yourself, your family, your country, and the world. I don't care how poor you are or think you are, how corrupted the society you are living in, how....you can always start with a positive attitude and an optimistic outlook, then there will be hope.
crew.
QUOTE(ZturboZ @ Jun 15 2007, 08:45 AM) *
What is the real Cambodia's problem today?

A contagious attitude and outlook of negativity, complaint, and pessimism bog down progress or any real chance of making improvements to the society as a whole. By and large, Cambodians are more focus on living in the past. Hence, Cambodians can't seem to reconcile or let go of the ghost of their past wherein denying a chance to move on to a more hopeful and promising future.

I don't think it's fair for you to make such an outrageous comment like that. Cambodians do NOT live in the past. We are actually moving forward. Just because we talk about the past and are now strong enough on our own two feet to reclaim things that are rightfully our's does not mean we're stuck in the past. Misinterpretations of the past can have a detrimental impact in the future. Cambodians don't actually think on a daily basis about plans to overtake S. Vietnam or talk about how Thailand mistreated Cambodians and how they distort history. AF is a place for discussion, so let people discuss without some spokesperson for Cambodia's problems criticizing our place in the world.

Cambodians and Cambodia is actually emerging economically. Although our government may be accused of corruption and the likes, they are actually trying to bring the country into the modern era. The government has recently visited numerous countries such as Japan, China, Korea, etc...to invest in the country because they realize that Cambodia can no longer be a beggar country. The Cambodian economy has gradually increased and remains at a 9% growth rate. As for Cambodian Americans, we are doing alright. We've only been in the US roughly 30 years and managed to work together and bring Cambodia Town into existence, opening up Khmer businesses including banking centers and donut shops where we own some 90%. There are also plenty of international students and I've personally met some and they are extremely rich.

On a social level, Cambodians are alright. AF is not a good representation of each individual/ethnic group. It's more like a playground for overgrown kids that are living out the stereotypes each ethnic place on each other and most of the time for the sake of debating. Again, you should stop generalizing because anyone ethnic group also have this same problem. i.e. China/Japan; Japan/Korea; Vietnam/China/N. and S. Vietnam.


A society is made of individuals who each and everyone is responsible for his/her self progress and happiness which in turn contributing to a society as a whole. It is imperative that each individual hold a positive attitude and outlook otherwise it is hopeless collectively as one society or one individual in particular. It is never too late to change the attitude. The attitude of how you see yourself, your family, your country, and the world. I don't care how poor you are or think you are, how corrupted the society you are living in, how....you can always start with a positive attitude and an optimistic outlook, then there will be hope.

Good, but that statement can also be applied to anyone person/group. You are generalizing too much.
JuMong
Cambodia is probably better off with some sort of right wing nationalist dictator, who can solve the economic problems. I don't think their current government is working right now.

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In 2006, Transparency International rated Cambodia as 151 of 163 countries making it one of the most corrupt countries on earth. [2]The BBC reports that corruption is rampant in the Cambodian political arena[12] with international aid from the U.S. and other countries being illegally transferred into private accounts.[13] Corruption has also added to the wide income disparity within the population.[14]

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The population often lacks education and productive skills, particularly in the poverty-ridden countryside, which suffers from a lack of basic infrastructure. Fear of renewed political instability and corruption within the government discourage foreign investment and delay foreign aid, although there has been significant assistance from bilateral and multilateral donors. Donors pledged $504m to the country in 2004,[20] while the Asian Development Bank alone has provided $850m in loans, grants, and technical assistance.[21]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodia#Economy
MotelCambodia
The real problem is letting the USA change the laws and things about Cambodia to make it like the USA.

Goombaking209
I don't get it. The more funds Cambodia recieves, its seems the more blind the donor gets. They know exactly how corrupt the government of Cambodia is and they try to "persuade" the government to a less corrupt form yet they still persistently insist on donating more. Such countries such as the US, Japan, Korea, and the European Nations. I think they should stop already and let Cambodians figure out how to rebuild a Nation.
victord1
QUOTE(Goombaking209 @ Jul 14 2007, 03:54 PM) *
I don't get it. The more funds Cambodia recieves, its seems the more blind the donor gets. They know exactly how corrupt the government of Cambodia is and they try to "persuade" the government to a less corrupt form yet they still persistently insist on donating more. Such countries such as the US, Japan, Korea, and the European Nations. I think they should stop already and let Cambodians figure out how to rebuild a Nation.


They do it for the people. If they cut off the funds who do you think will suffer the most???? Do you actually believe that those leaders and their cronies care enough and will, using their multi-million dollar offshore private accounts, chip in to help build the country??? All they have to do is hop onto their private planes and go to other countries and live happily ever after.

We had just emerged from one of most destructive civil wars in the history of mankind, so, ofcourse, everything is in shambles. Every infrastructure is torn apart. We need time to build them up again.

Everyone is whinning about corruption, but tell me one country that doesn't have problems with corruptions!?!?!? Well, maybe the Vatican and Tibet don't have that problem. As long as men still have greed, there will always be corruptions.

It makes sense when people say that: 'well, if this government is not good, let replace it with another one.' However, which one do we replace it with?!?!? Prince Ranarith...the damn fool who, just like his father, doesn't know how to run the country despite having a PhD in political science?!?! Sam Rainsey??? Well, his utopia idea of what a country should be like is wonderful, but it only works when everything is set to go, but at the moment we just don't have that kind of luxury.

IMHO, we need a strong, determined and decisive leader to unit the country and lead us through this crucial period. We need a leader who can keep civil war from happening. Without war, we'll have peace and, most importantly, the time that is required to build our country.

Whatever we do, think of the country as a whole. We don't need internal bickerings. We've already been reduced from a great empire to the smallest country in Southeat Asia because of personal displays of individual ideas and chauvinisms. It's OUR LAND, people. Think about it.
Goombaking209
So are the people the ones who directly receive these funds or are the funds distributed to a government official who redistributes the money? By the way I see what you are saying.
victord1
QUOTE(Goombaking209 @ Aug 20 2007, 10:58 AM) *
So are the people the ones who directly receive these funds or are the funds distributed to a government official who redistributes the money? By the way I see what you are saying.


From what I know, some of those funds are coordinated by joint commitees of khmers and international teams, while a few is given directly to the government to manage.

Just like all of you, I'm at ease with the level of corruption going on in Cambodia at all. We definitely need to control and limit it to the minimal. But, you know another thing that ticks me off the most.......the official who corrupts and not investing it back into the country. There are quite a few officials, especially those who come from abroad, who cheat and steal public funds, and use them to finance their international interests, ie. buying lands, homes, and business in other countries. And these are the people who will bail out of the country without blinking when there's trouble. These people are leeches that suck the country dry of public funds and natural resources.

IMHO, education is one weapon that we can use to limit corruptions. We need to have a higher percentage of educated population. With education, one has the opportunity to discover the potentials that life and society have to offer. The government has done some great things lately by allowing selected students to go study abroad. Hopefully, those students will go back, and use their western-schooled knowledge to help and spread out idea in Cambodia.

With education one can come out of the well and see the world, the real world, not the imagined one. I'm sure some of you have met at least one khmer immigrant who has just come to the U.S. and is shocked at how hectic life in this country is, and at how the people here have to work hard to make a living.

Until then, the people in Cambodia will have to rely on the guidelines and, to some extents, the mercy of the leaders.
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