KFC = animal cruelty or PETA = delusional?

PETA's got another idiotic and vaguely insulting campaign going.

An international animal-rights organization has urged Prime Minister Hun Sen to prevent the U.S.-based fast-food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) from opening in Cambodia, claiming that it threatens Cambodian culture, people's health and leads to animal abuse, local media said Wednesday. (Source)

Model Sarah Jane urging a boycott by posing naked with two chickens and the slogan 'chicks agree'. Aside of the obvious sexism, PETA is delusional with regard to the 'animal cruelty' issue. They are worried that KFC will hurt the poor chickens. Well since I've been in Cambodia, I've seen live pigs, ducks and chickens strapped to motorbikes. At the zoo adults throw stones at the animals to make them move and domestic animals are savagely beaten. Big deal on the KFC chickens!

PM rejects daughter for being gay

This seems to be a case of do as I say, not as I do. The PM is disowning his adopted daughter because she is gay. He is afraid that she will claim assets from his family

Cambodian's prime minister said Tuesday he was severing ties with his adopted daughter, who is a lesbian, but appealed to people not to discriminate against gays.

Hun Sen said he plans to file a civil court case to disown his adopted daughter so that she cannot claim any inheritance from his family.

"We are concerned that she might one day cause us trouble ... and try to stake her claim for a share of our assets," he said. (Source)

And he is apparently terrified of lesbians. He has actually imagined the following scenario.

"I felt very regretted with her and that the lesbian case happened in family. I and my wife will send a complaint to court to deprive her of any will and property of my family," he said.

"I and my wife adopted her while she was 18 days in 1988 and she used my family name from that time. She brought her girls to my house and slept together with them," he said.

"We are concerned that one day her girls take bombs and poisonous materials to our house and we all will die. Who knows in advance? I have five children and one adopted daughter," he said. (Source)

"I sent her to study in the USA, but she went to have a wife and someday she might bring her wife to our home with a grenade" (Cambodia Daily 31/10/2007)

Of course homophobia and paranoia are playing a role here but is the strong man of Cambodia terrified of homosexuals? He is afraid that his ex-daughter's girlfriends would murder him. Where does that fear come from?

Unfortunately people pay closer attention to actions than words. The PM disowned his daughter for marrying a woman and yet a government spokesman claims that ain't the fact that she's gay but her behaviour...

He is worried that his family name Hun might be used ... His point is that parents should not discriminate but the court should be aware if his daughter creates any problems outside the home, it won't involve him. (Cambodia Daily 31/10/2007)

Oh noes not his family name associated with homosexuality! That is discrimination. Calling for an end to discrimination doesn't hold much weight when one publicly disowns a daughter for marrying another women. Such claims ring false when one is terrified of being murdered by gays.

Unfortunately homosexuality is still quite a taboo in Cambodia. If you read the comments, following the sources I used, quite a nasty picture begins to form. Hopefully acceptance will come with time.

UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador Geri Halliwell says...

How on earth did a Spice Girl become a Goodwill Ambassador? I remember being so disgusted when I heard that. What does Ginger Spice know about population and birth control?

Halliwell is due to talk about a recent charity trip she took to meet mothers in Zambia and a group of 30 or 40 experts have gathered to hear her speak. There are no fans here - just sensibly shoed, middle-aged, Lancet-reading delegates who listen in polite but unimpressed silence. Halliwell has nothing new to tell them about African mothers and, when she speaks about her experiences, she sounds a tad forced. It is not really her fault: the truth is that she is a singer and a dancer, not a public speaker. She is clearly way out of her depth.

Not enough it would seem. Now maybe UNFPA just couldn't get anyone better but my beef with her is her internalised sexism.

I'd like to see it [feminism] rebranded. We need to see a celebration of our femininity and softness."

Her ignorance is astounding. Feminism is not a brand, Geri dear. Feminism is about gender equality and the freedom to make our own choices without reference to the patriarchy. Most women find the notion of feminity and softness abhorrant because embodying those characteristics is to pander to a patriarchy. Be a good girl. Laugh when he makes a joke. Listen to him devotedly. Don't argue or be aggressive. Never complain that he has the sexual skills of a 16 year old. Shut up and take it. That's your softness, Geri. That's the sort of femininity that you would 'rebrand' feminism as. Hands off our movement.

Of course she has to have a crack at the feminist = lesbian argument that is used to scare young women away from feminism.

So, is Halliwell a feminist? The question clearly hits a nerve: what, she asks quickly, do I mean by feminism? Well, I tell her, for me feminism is about the fact that women still aren't treated equally, which raises issues of justice. OK, concedes Halliwell, maybe she is a feminist: but she has a few distinct caveats. One objection seems to be that she fears feminism will emasculate and demoralise men: but her bigger problem is its image. "It's about labelling. For me feminism is bra-burning lesbianism. It's very unglamorous.

Emasculate men? No rational man would be emasculated at gender equality. Men claim to be so rational and logical as opposed to women's perceived emotional state of mind. Then, examine your ideas if you feel threatened by feminism. What are you so scared of? The majority of men that I meet are feminists and believe in equality. The idea that feminism is emasculating men seems to be an appeal to one's maternal side to be gentle and abandon this notion of feminism cos it hurts the menz. Well bollocks to that!

Unglamorous? Wow. If Geri Halliwell thinks feminism is unglamorous then let's run for the hills. What do you mean by glamour? Do you mean being the patriarchy's pet poodle? Be quiet. Sit still. Appear soft and feminine.

The Spice Girls were never a feminist icon. 'Girl Power' was the producers' wet dream; it was nothing to do with asserting female power. It was the cold hard cash. Why on earth did anyone think that that was feminism. At least it's over now, reunion tour aside.

UN day

Most people choose complain about what the UN does: the salaries, the bureaucracy, the lack of intervention. Few celebrate its achievements: humanitarian assistance, defence of human rights, peace-keeping. The world is better with the UN in it. It is our world and the UN is everybody's organisation and I, for one, am celebrating.

Happy UN Day

Proselytism is the new colonialism

Missionaries have always roamed the earth looking for convicts but I find it a little racist and arrogant to come to a country like Cambodia to 'convert the savage' and 'save the heathens' especially through faith for food programmes.

“People have to be given the opportunity to get to know Jesus so they can go to Heaven. This is the main purpose of our presents [sic] in Cambodia”. (Source)

Examine, if you will, the arrogance. We are right. You are wrong. Our religions is right. Your religion is wrong. It's heaven or hell mateys - eternal bliss or eternal torment take your pick.

Christianity is in focus as well as helping people in need. “Development and Christianity goes hand in hand”, says Annelise. “As Christians we are not only concerned that people get to know Jesus. We also want them to be helped in their everyday problems. Those two things are inseparable for us. But notably this is irrespectively of peoples own religions”.

“We believe that human beings will be saved if they are Christians. We want other people to be saved by believing that Jesus died for our sake. It is very important that we not only help in life on earth, but also give them an opportunity to find an eternity afterwards”. (Source)

Do development and Christianity go hand in hand or is that simply a mantra for proselytisers? Actually such efforts are disruptive and divisive in a society. The majority of people in Cambodia are living on less than a dollar a day and when missionaries offer food for conversions, people convert. I know a woman who converted for the rice to feed her children but in her heart she is Buddhist.

Christianity is of vital cultural significance in the west. Works of art, literature and sculpture by the greats have religious themes. To understand such works, it is necessary to understand the meaning behind them, the religious and cultural. Asia is different. Colonialism aside, the images present in Asia's great works of literature, art and architecture are taken from Buddhism. So why try and force a square peg into a round hole.

Why not work towards development without the repugnant faith for food programmes. Christianity is about forgiveness. Would a declared Christian refuse to feed a starving child because the child is Buddhist or Muslim? If the answer is yes then off to read your Bible again because you fail at Christianity.

”When we came here there were only four per mille [sic] Christians in the country. But now it must be two or three per cent”, she says. “This is because God is alive and he wants people in this country to believe. People cannot believe by themselves. But God can let God into their life and then he create faith. He wants people in Cambodia to belong to him. That is how we think it is”, she finishes. (Source)

Well I was under the impression that the Bible said to love your neighbour and to treat people in the way Jesus taught. That does not mean withholding food or proselytising. Why push the hard sell? Working together for the development of Cambodia without mentioning religion, is demonstrating Christian ethics far more than preaching at the huddled masses. After all, you never know who are are converting. That person might turn out to be a mass murdering war criminal.

It seems to me that proselytising is a new form of colonisation - rich whiteys bringing 'the truth' to poor brown people and disregarding their beliefs. Cambodia has an ancient and high civilisation. Who are you to come and preach here? Do you look upon yourself as civilising the barbarians? Many Cambodians look at the west as decayed, amoral and decadent and do not wish the same fate for Cambodia. They do not need missionaries to preach western morality to them and do not accept it.

Missionaries get over yourselves and your truth. Stop the colonisation through faith based programmes that are present in almost every developing country. Development only - no strings attached.

No democracy here

In Cambodia, prime minister Hun Sen is delighted to have elections so long as everyone understands he has to win or there will be civil war. (Source)

Victory or war! Such threats are quite unnecessary. His political party won 98% of the vote in the Commune Elections earlier this year and what bribery doesn't achieve, threats and intimation will!

There's an article in the Cambodia Daily today, therein the PM declared that the people must support him or risk disappointing the king but claims that this is not electioneering. How is it anything else? No one appears shocked at the threat of military action. Life continues as if all was normal and the leading political party had not just threatened to attempt a military coup on a democratically elected government.

The CPP is threatening civil war if they lose the elections. A threat backed up by military force is more akin to a military junta like Burma than an allegedly peace democratic Cambodia. Such threats should motivate the populace to question the rhetoric and vote with their conscience. But it probably won't. Who cares about politics when you can't feed and educate your family?

Stand up for the MDGs

Don't know what the MDGs are? You can get more information here. The first goal is to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. We all play a part so stand up and be counted.


In 2000, world leaders pledged to cut poverty by half by 2015. Yet mid-way to the deadline, it is clear that many countries will not reach this goal — unless they do something radically different.

7 out of 10 of the world’s hungry are women and girls. Stand up against women's poverty. Learn more here. To stand up and be counted click here, view the e-card and then sign the petition.

Cosmo just doesn't get it - STILL

Despite the huge backlash against hack writer Laura Sessions Stepp, Cosmo still grants her the opportunity to bore us with her woman-shaming attitudes and judgemental condescension.

From Jezebel:

Laura Sessions Stepp was the first to speak at any length, and she basically rehashed the article she had written in Cosmo peppered with some of her usual anti-hook-up propaganda. Blah, blah, women should be dating and not just having casual sex, blah, blah, there wouldn't be so much assault if they had real relationships.

It's your own fault sluts because everybody knows that there is never any rape of and by people in relationships. Forget about what every survey says, that 90% of rape is committed by a friend, family member or intimate partner of the victim, if it doesn't fit with your little theory. Being in a relationship doesn't save you but makes your more vulnerable. It would be a fine thing, Sessions Stepp, if you did a little fact checking.

Two of the three men on the panel, Neal Irvin, the National Director of Men Can Stop Rape and anti-violence activist Joe Samalin, focused their commentary on the need to educate men. "The way we socialize men to think about sexuality is the reason they're confused about gray rape," said Irwin. "We're taught that men are the seekers, women are the gatekeepers." An interesting point, but neither Irvin nor Samalin gave concrete examples on how to help educate or socialize the men in question.

Some blah blah about socialisation but no attempt for men to take responsibility. Blatant acceptance of the words grey rape as if it were valid. No questioning of the term. Women are blamed for not protecting their virtue. Nothing new there.

Linda Fairstein, the former chief prosecutor in the Manhattan D.A.'s Sex Crimes Unit, was the only commentator who said anything remotely useful in terms of defining gray rape. "There is no such thing as gray rape in the criminal justice system," Fairstein explained.

"Men are responsible," Fairstein continued. "They shouldn't be having sex with wasted women. Vomit should probably be a red flag... But teaching responsibility to young women is just as important. You don't have to drink eight drinks. You don't have to get blotto."

And some facts - grey rape does not exist. Finally. But... it's still your fault. You were drunk. What did you expect? Be a good girl. Don't drink. If you drink and are raped, it's your fault. Don't take drugs. If you take drugs and are raped, it's your fault. Always be on the alert. Live your life in fear. It's never the man's fault, you must have done something to deserve it.

The pervasive notion of grey rape, that Cosmo seems to be promoting is a dangerous one. It is basically letting rapists off the hook because yeah she might have said no be she meant yes. It's perverted. I've said it before: no consent is rape. I don't take if the people in question have slept together before, or have been fooling around or if one or the other is intoxicated. No consent = rape.

Why are women forced into the role of a child. Children must be protected because they are unable to protect themselves. Women are adults and do not need to be preached to and shamed by magazine's hacks, governments, church leaders, and big brothers. Just do your damn jobs. Enforce the law and prosecute rapists. Stop blaming the victims. Would you blame a stab victim for getting stabbed? Would you blame a murder victim for being killed. So why do you blame a rape victim for getting raped?

I suggest a boycott of this piece of shit magazine, not only because of the serious grey rape issue but also because of the content.

Cosmo was started to discuss sexuality in the swinging sixties but these days it is a parody of the Stepford Wives: "Be a good girlfriend"; "How to please your man"; "How to give the perfect blowjob". It might as well be, "how to keep the house tidy", which would fit in nicely with the spate of recent articles on how housework is feminist, and "I'm nothing without a man by my side", which is cropping up all over the place.

NO MORE, Cosmo, NO MORE

Pchum Ben

It's the festival of the dead in Cambodia.

The fifteenth day, of the tenth month, of the Khmer calendar marks the Pchum Ben festival. This is a time when the spirits of the dead ancestors walk the Earth. And the living can ease their suffering by offering them food to eat. (Source)

Everyone returns to their home province to honour the dead.

I'm taking the long weekend on the coast. Just another couple of hours and I'm out of here!

Under arrest

Yesterday a cow was arrested for murder in Cambodia. They say stranger things have happened but really, have they?

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: A Cambodian cow was taken into police custody for causing traffic accidents that resulted in the deaths of at least six people this year, a police official said Tuesday.

The white, 1.5-meter (5-foot) tall cow was standing in the middle of a main road Monday night when a 66-year-old motorcyclist crashed into the animal and died. Most Cambodian roads are dark at night.

Earlier this year, the same cow was responsible for another traffic accident that resulted in the death of five people and several injuries, when a truck veered off the road and crashed as its driver tried to avoid the animal.

Pin Doman said he was holding the cow at his police station.

The cow's owner could also face a six-month prison term under a new traffic law that holds people responsible for accidents caused by their animals. (Source)

Snakes alive! It's a killer cow. Someone should call an animal rights group and get this cow a lawyer.

"Serious?" She said sarcastically.

Misogynist

Don't you think it's almost worse when a misogynist hides behind a veneer of equality instead of admitting it up front? If you hate me for being a woman, don't try and hide it under respectability.

I was cornered by a man, I thought I knew quite well, on Saturday night. This man had slept with two of my friends unbeknownst to his girlfriend. He treated one of them really badly. He wanted information from me. He wanted to know who had told the world about his cheating.

He spoke to me as if I was unaware of the facts. Both women had told me their story. I was there when he pursed them. He pursued them ruthlessly and constantly and then cried like a baby when I said that I did not believe that he felt guilt over his cheating.

He believes that both girls tricked him into faithlessness. Yes he actually believes that. He claims that both pursued him. But I know better because I was a witness to both 'courtships'. He's re-enacting 'blame the woman' that game that we have been on the receiving end for time immemorial. Eve gave Adam the apple but he chose to eat it. Surely the patriarchy isn't claiming that he didn't have free will. Secondly, it's a myth. Get over it.

He is obsessed with finding out who spread rumours about his dalliances, afraid that his partner will find out. It is strange that he wants a name, someone he can threaten, even two months later, despite copious public displays of affection.

Of course he believes that only a woman would spread gossip like that. Of course he is wrong.

He demanded information from me. He was messing with the wrong person. So I let him feel the sharpness of my tongue. I called him on his misogyny and his lies and his treatment of my friends. I let him feel every piece of anger I had stored up instead. He denied it for a while but I broke him. Did he honestly believe, knowing the whole story, that I would side with him, a person who blames my gender for his actions? Never.

In his professional life, he preaches tolerance. In his personal life, he seemed full of hate and blame to me. I never would have thought it of him.

Idiots visit Burma

What could be more idiotic as deciding to backpack through a country ruled by a military junta that has just cracked down on its protesting people and shot a few foreigners? I can't think of actions more moronic at this particular moment.

Yes it's true. Seven foreign residents of Cambodia, all between the ages of 20 and 27 have gone on a holiday to Burma. The UN advises against travel. Their own governments have prohibited travel and some have imposed sanctions (no prizes for guessing which one). They are under the delusion that their tourist dollars will go to the locals. Yes I'm sure the military junta will be happy to allow seven young international students to wander around taking pictures and making notes. They will not be able to choose their own guest houses and restaurants. The 8pm curfew will make things a little less fun I'm sure.

The phones lines have been cut. The internet is off. Bloggers are on the run. People have been killed. Interns are going a touristing. Many people tried to reason with them but well there really is no accounting for stupidity.

Free Burma

Bloggers in Myanmar

The bloggers we rely on for our news of what's going on on Myanmar are on the run. Most of the web access has been cut off and we are all waiting for news.

The bloggers themselves have been halted, despite their best attempts, by a reaction from the government akin to taking a two-by-four to a spider. The ruling junta--the State Peace and Development Council--turned off the internet in Myanmar. Now, unless a website is hosted within the country of Myanmar, everything is off; that includes everything from Google to Amazon. By simply turning off the central line in to the country, the government has been able to effectively stop any unauthorized information leaking out.

So now the five intrepid bloggers who kept the world in the loop are now on the run. They are sleeping in a different location every night, and waiting to see whether the democratic movement has been crushed, or simply put on the back burner. More here

Sexism abounds

The HIV/AIDS rate in Cambodia is decreasing thanks in part to advertising and promoting awareness. Always one to stick his oar in, the PM has lambasted some of the media spots, while showing a typical Cambodian male disrespect for women

Cambodian Premier Hun Sen on Wednesday said that an educational advertisement on TV seems to encourage people to have more sex, rather than tell them to adopt condom as necessity to fend off HIV/AIDS.

"The spot looks like saying Cambodian ladies are hungry for sex " but not promoting use of condoms, he said at a graduation ceremony of health students.

The public interest advertisement showed that two men were refused by some fashion models and kicked out of the room by the security guard. Later, they came back with condoms in their pockets. Two models then agreed and went out with them. (Source)

How can anyone think that it is acceptable to single out a section of society to denigrate? Why is accusing women of being sexual beings an effective insult? It's just another example of the double standard. Men go to prostitutes several times a week. Women who have more than one sexual partner (always her husband) are ejected from society for being whores.

It shows how unequal women are in this country and how the inequality and blatant sexism is being propagated by those in power. Disgusting.

Racism and visas

I am livid. My friend has acute appendicitis and needs immediate medical evacuation to Bangkok. My friend is from a country that needs a visa to enter Thailand. She is lying on a trolley in Cambodia, while her husband rushes around town trying to get her an emergency visa so she can have an operation. You would think that they could make an exception.

My friend is African. The last time she went to Bangkok, she had to submit to a special medical exam only for Africans. I think she is being discriminated against because she is black. And there is nothing I can do, but hope that she can get her operation in time.

I wouldn't trust anyone to open someone up in Cambodia. The healthcare standards are just not high enough. At least the hosiptal in Bangkok is modern and clean - it's where rich foreigners have elective procedures. I hope she gets that visa.

The politics of clothes

Why can the men in my office come into work with an opened neck shirt when the women are required to wear jewellery and make-up? Talk about a double standard. Of course there is no specific obligation to dress a certain way. The organisation I work for is very accepting but I feel the eyes of judgement on me when I reject the "woman as decorative" mindset and wear whatever I damn well please.

At staff meetings, I want to scream at the glances I get. Yes I am a woman. Yes I am not wearing make-up. Yes I am not wearing jewellery. No you cannot fucking judge me, especially not in your open toed hippie sandals and an open necked shirt with stains. My body is not public property.

The decorative role of women is demeaning. I reject the standards set by society but I still feel the humiliation of non-compliance. In a casual office setting, all should be set to the same standard. If men can come in dressed without ties, then women should be able to come in without earrings.

I understand that office professional is in vogue all over the world. I understand the politics of interviewing for the job. I wear earrings at most of my jobs but here I wear a motorbike helmet and often lose earrings putting it on and taking it off. It is a practical consideration in addition to a feminist equality rant.

Now I'm not dissing the "look good, feel good" point of view. At home I dress up cos it makes me feel good but I'm in Cambodia now. In Cambodia, one is always sweating; one's tailor can never get the clothes exactly right; security warns you not to wear jewellery because of thieves (one does anyway); one feels so far from home that fashion is the least consideration.

My work clothes are perfectly acceptable, but I lack accessories. I also lack the money to sparkle myself up, which I can live with. I prefer to spend my extra cash on books and entertainment, especially considering my job.

Nobody sees me in my office where I am hidden behind huge piles of paper. Why should I wear heels when nobody can see my sneakers? Why wear make up when it will, firstly, sweat off and, secondly, get mixed up with the twenty years of dust I blow of each piece of paper? A little practicality please!

The only dress code is in the judging eyes of my co workers. I will continue to ignore it but I do wonder... Will my dress sense work against me? Will my boss remember my sneakers when he's writing my reference? Will I be always remember as the woman who didn't wear the matching earrings, necklace and bracelet? Maybe I will and if I am, j'emmerde le monde!

Cambodia's position on Burma

Cambodia's position on the Burmese military dictatorship is a little sketchy but an article on KI Media today makes things a little clearer...

Cambodia is one of the stronger supporters in the region of the Burmese military government For example, when the Burmese junta tried to get the rotating chairmanship of Asean in 2006, the only country standing for the junta was Cambodia. The junta, however, lost the position.

Cambodia supports the military junta in Burma. Not very surprising really, but disappointing, considering the lip service paid to the public about building a better democracy.

The media can become "a knife that cuts both ways"

Just in case there was any doubt about freedom of the press in Cambodia, the DPM has answered that question.

Deputy Prime Mr. Sok An emphasized that media are an active agent to provide information, with the goal of providing facts and to mirror the society, in order to help correct extreme activities in society which are influenced from outside, so that they return to more appropriate ones, not to affect the value of our cultures, traditions, or the high moral of society, and to maintain national identity, so that it can survive under the influence of the currents of globalization. Due to this role, the media have to be at the same time conservers and developers of society with specific and appropriate goals.

“Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Sok An continued to point out that the media can also be a ‘knife that cuts both ways,’ because they can be an enemy of social development, and they can lead the nation into trouble, if they are not used appropriately in their role, by neglecting the aspect of the possibility of having a bad influence. Considering this, how should we arrange the media in order to maintain their role and high effectiveness in social development?

“However, Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Sok An expects that after this seminar, the media, especially radio and television, will move further to new successes in the development of the national society, the maintenance of stability and peace, and of the values of the national cultures and traditions.”(Source)

Yes indeed, how can we best control the media to reflect the opinion of the government? How can we get all these pesky reporters to go after the opposition and sing our praises? How do maintain the traditions of asking no questions, obeying orders and never questioning authority? Well how about intimidation and corruption! Or warnings from the second most powerful man in the land!

To control the media, is to control the voice of the people. Without a voice, democracy does not function. The Cambodian people want a democracy so why is the rich elite aiming for a plutocracy? Because they can, I suppose. It's really quite disheartening to see the slow careful demolition of democracy.