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Phnom
Penh (Ah!)
Travel
Tips
- PHNOM
PENH
D. J. Ken - National Radio Text Service
IT'S ON!!! - WORLD'S UNTOLD STORIES - KILLING FIELDS LONG ROAD TO JUSTICE - WARNING CAMBODIA'S UCB BANK CHARGING
Thursday April 30, 2009 - Update Saturday May 2, 2009
WORLD'S UNTOLD STORIES - KILLING FIELDS LONG ROAD TO JUSTICE Justice and human rights are the focus of CNN's 'Killing Fields: Long Road to Justice' half hour news feature which is a must watch. The program reveals Cambodia's problems dealing with responsibility, integrity and the allegations of corruption in the Khmer Rouge trials. A Killing Fields interrogator Ta Chan who was responsible for the torture of prisoners is exposed on program. He refused to be interviewed for the feature but CNN obtained archive footage of him grinning and proudly showing one of his prisons in a province outside of Phnom Penh where he detained those to be tortured and most likely murdered. Chan remains free and has never been punished for his participation in the deaths of 1.7 million Cambodians in the genocide. Neighbors in his village were interviewed and expressed their fear of the man who played in the part of the deaths of some of their family and loved ones. The program notes that by the end of the year US $100 million will have been spent on the trail of ONLY five Khmer Rouge leaders. The telecast points out that much of the money is being siphoned off by government officials to the trials Director of the Office of Administration. On camera an employee explained that employees were instructed to give kickbacks in cash between US $30/40 thousand a MONTH to their boss. A front page story in the weekend issue (Sat/Sun May 2-3) of the Cambodia Daily named that Director as Sean Visoth who denied the charges in an email that he sent to CNN. The Cambodia Daily story notes that he has been absent from the courts since November 2008 The back story not televised but included in the Cambodia Daily piece is that due to the corruption allegations the UN Development Program froze their funding of the trial. The Cambodian government has expressed concern that if more people are tried than the five currently on trial that another civil war could break out. They also expressed their hope the trials will run out of money and be done with. The CNN's 'Killing Fields: Long Road to Justice' program repeats several times throughout the week. The initial telecast was Friday May 1. Check your local listings for the time and date in your area. For more information go to - www.cambodiadaily.com & www.cnn.com CHICKENED OUT We could never understand why tourists would travel to the other side of the world to visit a country and then eat McDonalds or Pizza. In Cambodia and Thailand for those of us who know the difference they make terrible fast food. In the past we've taken issue with Thailand's Pizza Company franchise that their pizza was too dry and lacked sauce, it was just dough, cheese and topping. But then we ran into a pleasant surprise from a tip from an American friend who suggested to try the KFC chicken. With decent food for a foreigner being a rarity in Cambodia this shop has got it right. Most importantly the chicken is cooked perfectly by being juicy, crispy and tasty. We rate it better than KFC's in America and we're addicted. It is as good as America's Pioneer Chicken which had several shops in Hollywood, California USA back in the 70's. That shop on Sunset Boulevard was so good it is where I met the famed rock N Roll legend Little Richard who certainly knows something about chicken. If celebrities go for it then you know it's good. The Phnom Penh shop doesn't have a Little Richard but aside from the great tasting chicken it is does have an extremely polite and well trained staff. This is the most polite staff of any business that we've visited during our 10 years in the country. The establishment is extremely clean and the air conditioning just right. KFC is located at 170 Monivong Boulevard on the bottom floor of the Asia Hotel. It's near the Central Market and Sorya Shopping Center. They also have a shop on Norodom Boulevard near the Paragon Shopping Center which is not as well managed and during busy time periods is in chaos. BIG A MOVED If you noticed that the Big A Super Market on Monivong Boulevard is shuttered the reason is they have moved to the Paragon Shopping Center on the ground floor at rear of the building. WARNING UCB BANK CHARGING The UCB bank has come under scrutiny as they charged a tourists credit card more than he signed for on several cash withdraws. The bank advertises that they do not charge a fee for cash withdraws. When the matter was brought to the attention of UCB management in Phnom Penh they said the problem was with the tourist's bank in their country. The tourist contacted his bank and was informed that the problem emanates from Cambodia as they also do not charge a fee for cash withdraws. The tourist has been dealing with his bank for over 12 years with no problem. The problem with the Cambodian bank surfaced after they made a personnel change. Here's our tip if you have made cash withdraws at any of the UCB banks in Siem Reap, Sihanoukville or Phnom Penh check your statements. If there are discrepancies contact your bank and report it. NATIONAL RADIO PUBLISHED IN 5 LANGUAGES We are published in five languages, English, Thai, French, Russian and Khmer (Cambodian language). Any of our foreign language material and our Roman Wanderaugh columns are legally available ONLY on our National Radio site. ENGLISH COMPREHENSION BETTER UNDERSTANDING AND TRANSACTIONS When making a purchase it is wise to talk to a person who: 1. Speaks good English. 2. Has a good COMPREHENSION of English. 3. Has good PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE. 4. IS HONEST and serves the customers needs. The serving the customer's needs issue came to light when my Japanese neighbor who speaks very good English purchased an Internet service from Camshin They first told her that she needed a telephone line thus having to pay for a telephone, a line and connection as well as the Internet installation fees and service cost. She later found that she didn't need a telephone but could receive the service by ADSL. There was another $200 Installation charge and equipment costs. The point being as a tip is careful who you gave your memory cards and business to so you can prevent theft, damage or aggravation.
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