HIV infections decrease

There is excellent news on the battle against new HIV infections in Cambodia. The infection rate decreased by half in 2006. It shows that the education programmes being run by many national and international organisation are successful. The message that condoms are essential to the prevention of new infections is getting through.

Cambodia gained 70,000 AIDS-infected people in 2006, which decreased by half from the figure in 2003, a senior health official said on Thursday.

Cambodia is very proud of this result, said Mom Bun Heng, secretary of State of the Cambodian Ministry of Health, while addressing an AIDS seminar in Phnom Penh.

The Cambodian government could now provide the delaying-life medicine for 20,000 AIDS-infected people, including 2,000 children, he said.

The government's budget for AIDS prevention in 2007 stands two times higher than 2006, while the disease is spreading from urban areas to rural areas.

Cambodia is one of the worst-hit countries in the region in the field of AIDS spread. In 1997, its infection rate ran at 3.3 percent of its population. (Source)

Advocacy work is an important part of the strategy. Educating people on the disease and its modes of transmission greatly help to reduce the discrimination that HIV positive people face every day. It is wonderful to hear such a positive story when most days all we hear is corruption this and killing that.

No one does it better

Thou art so leaky that we must leave thee to thy sinking.
- Anthony and Cleopatra

Check out the Shakespeare insult generator - kept me amused for hours!

Repairing a flat tire

This morning I discovered that I had a flat tire on the way to work and I brought my moto to a roadside repairman. He checked the tube and there was a fairly major rip and a new tube was required. Now I'd been to this particular repairman before and he had overcharged me to the tune of three time the regular price. It was my first tube change so I didn't know the price.

Ever since then I went elsewhere and got the regular price of $3. There were no questions asked in all the other places I went. It was always $3.

Getting back to today... this particular repairman was the only one between my house and my work and I was late to work so I thought I could negotiate with him, now that I know the correct price.

He cut the tube so there was no chance for just blowing it up for the 50 metres to my work and while getting it off the stand, managed to break one of the shock stabiliser. I was livid. He and the motodops gathered around laughed. I pushed it to work and the guards and drivers looked at it.

These guys were terrific. They bought me a tube and stabiliser, installed everything and wouldn't take a penny above cost. I am buying them presents for sure. My bike is now in perfect working order again.

It's amazing how often things like this happen. You get pissed off with a motodop or repairman for ripping you off even though you know the score and then somebody will come along and be so generous and giving. It keeps you off balance a little. Now all I have to decide on is what present to get!

Dying to be white?

In Cambodia, one has to search very hard to find creams / shaving lotion / deodorant without whitening cream. The elite have very light skin and the poor have darker skin. I'm generalising, of course, but for the majority it is true. Many Cambodians, especially young women, use whitening cream to attain the whiteness of the elite. However the creams and treatments they use are not great for one's skin.

Then there’s hydroquinone, a chemical used in photo processing that has become a common active ingredient in skin whiteners. Extended exposure to hydroquinone can backfire, leaving large dark patches of skin, or possibly worse: It has been shown to cause cancer in lab animals. In 2005, a pair of Dutch researchers referred to the widespread use of hydroquinone in skin whiteners as “a potential time bomb.” Accordingly, the chemical is banned for cosmetic use in the European Union, but is widely available elsewhere, especially in Asia. Hydroquinone is legal in concentrations of up to 2 percent in the United States, but the FDA is considering banning its use altogether in over-the-counter skin products. (Source)

Some of these young woman are literally dying to be white. White is seen as wealthy and desirable. They wear long sleeved gloves outside and walk with umbrellas to protect their skin from the sun. They gaze in astonishment at expats lying sunbathing, expats that are trying to tan. Culture clash.

Urban legends - plastic bottles

As a regular reader of Snopes I was well aware this one but it's amazing that such ignorance is still being propagated over the internet.

hi friend,

this is info i got fr my friend

Just Info please get more information from your Doctor for confirmation!!!!!!!

Hi ladies, just wanted to let you know some
VERY important information!
This information was given to me by my husband and I
know all the ladies in my life should know and please forward it to all
the ladies in your life.

My husband has a friend whose mother recently got diagnosed with
breast cancer. The doctor told her women should not drink bottled water
that has been left in a car. The doctor said that the heat and the
plastic of the bottle have certain chemicals that can lead to Breast
Cancer. So please be careful and do not drink that water bottle that has
been left in a car and pass this on to all the women in your life.

This information is the kind we need to know and be
aware and just might save us!!!!

Such rumours stuff up inboxes and cause panics. If I was to listen to every rumour I would not drink bottled water for fear of breast cancer, gallstones and everything else that is attributed to toxins. But on the other hand if I drink tap water I risk giardia, gastro-intestinal distress, worms, typhoid and the classic, arsenic poisoning. Now while is it true that tap water in Cambodia contains arsenic, the levels are much lower than in Bangladesh for example. Sometimes you just have to have a glass of water. I'd be grateful not to receive such spam again.

Who needs 2nd gear?

It's not as difficult, as I imagined, to navigate on a motorbike without 2nd gear. Although, it is the best gear for turning corner and snooping on the unsuspecting, it is possible to do without it.

I have been working with 1st and 3rd and it's fine with a bit of practise. Having said that, I'm considering getting the bike fixed just in case 3rd decides to throw in the towel - 1st to 4th would be more of a challenge that 1st to 3rd. Here's to finding a mechanic that wouldn't rip me off!

Donor's pledge $690 million in aid

Cambodia's international donors pledged $690 million in aid for 2007 on Wednesday, a 15 percent increase on the previous year that reflected recognition of government and economic reforms, a Cambodian official said. (Source)

International donors pledged $689 million in aid Wednesday, a 15 percent increase from last year, despite pressure from rights groups that aid be tied to better governance... Donors called for the passage of a long-stalled anti-corruption law and said they expected reforms to move faster with the added money... The aid was tied to conditions pushing the government to pass an anti-corruption law that has been stagnant for years. (Source)

At least the donor nations have the sense to attach conditions to the aid money, considering that so many millions get siphoned off into Swiss bank accounts. Yet in the past benchmarks have been set and ignored by the government and the donors that it is a tad difficult to believe that the donors will stick to their guns.

Despite the impunity that government officials enjoy, the adopting of the anti-corruption law would certainly be a step forward. Unfortunately until now there has been no impetus to adopt until now. Perhaps $690 million might be the tipping point.

Staff of the Cambodge Soir fight back

The editorial staff of the Cambodge Soir is fighting back. If you don't know the backstory, click here. They have launched a new blog to keep readers informed and to get their side of the story out to the general public.

Le quotidien cambodgien francophone et khmérophone Cambodge Soir est encore absent des kiosques ce lundi, et le sera encore mardi... Le site www.cambodgesoir.info est toujours bloqué par la direction. La rédaction continue de se rendre sur son lieu de travail, chaque jour, seule, sans directrice adjointe ni directeur, ni personnel administratif.

Nous avons besoin encore et encore de votre soutien : messages envoyés à notre collectif (collectifcs@gmail.com), pétitions, courriers adressés aux administrateurs de Cambodge Soir, aux associations de journalistes, à la Francophonie... Toutes les aides sont les bienvenues !
Merci encore !
La rédaction (Source)

The francophone newspaper Cambodge Soir is absent once more from newsagents today and will be again tomorrow. The website www.cambodgesoir.info has been blocked by management. The editorial staff are present work each day, whereas the manager, deputy manager and administration staff are not.

We need your support more and more - send emails to us (collectifcs@gmail.com), sign petitions, send letters to the management of the Cambodge Soir, journalists' organisations, French speaking organisations and businesses... All help is welcome.
Thank you again
The editorial staff (My translation)

The story needs to get out so feel free to email your support in English, French or Khmer. The editorial staff have been treated very badly by management and the newspaper has been in circulation for the past twelve years. It is of good journalistic standard. Personally I miss reading it in the morning.

Press not so free

Well the notion of freedom of the press in Cambodia is being stripped away threat by threat. Yet another reporter has gone into hiding following a death threat. According to Reporters without borders, Cambodia ranks 108 out of 168 for press freedom.

The second Radio Free Asia reporter in as many months has gone into hiding, this time following a death threat by telephone for reporting on illegal logging.

Lim Viseth, who was investigating reports of illegal logging outlined in a Global Witness report earlier this month, was hiding along the Thai border, where he spoke to VOA Khmer Monday.

"I'm concerned about my safety," Lim Viseth said.

He criticized Prime Minister Hun Sen for remarks in May aimed at another RFA reporter, Keo Nimuol, who also went into hiding.

Lim Viseth said he received a phone call Saturday, in which an unnamed caller told him, "Don't be nasty about the illegal forest report."

"Be careful," the caller said. (Source)

Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to which Cambodia is a party, states that everyone has "the right to freedom of opinion and expression" and also the right to "seek, receive and impart" information and ideas "regardless of frontiers." It does not appear that the government is fulfilling its duties with regard to this issue

What is interesting is that there are three indices for measuring how free the press is in a certain country. For example, Cambodia is classified as "not free" by Freedom in the World, "mostly free" by Index of Economic Freedom, and "difficult situation" by Worldwide Press Freedom Index. There is no consensus on the freedom of the press in this country, but when reporters receive death threats then I think it is safe to say that the press is not free.

The seven wonders of the modern world

Has everyone cast their vote for the new seven wonders of the world? There are only 17 days left to do so. From the Acropolis of Athens to Timbuktu, and Angkor Wat to Neuschwanstein Castle many cultures are represented. So will you pick Machu Picchu, the Statue of Liberty or the Sydney Opera House? Perhaps you prefer your wonders ancient in which case you can choose between Petra, Stonehenge, the Colosseum or the Great Wall of China. It is such a educational and democratic process that I recommend you to look it up even if it is just to see how many of the nominees you have visited or know of!

One of the aims of the competition to to draw attention to the destruction of cultural heritage that is taking place all over the world. Highlight you willingness to preserve the wonders of this world through your vote.