Phnom Penh (Ah!) Travel Tips - PHNOM PENH

D. J. Ken - National Radio Text Service

Barriers are created on the sidewalks in front of businesses. They prefer to extend their business and apparently could care less about tourists or pedestrian safety. Driving under the influence of alcohol is a major problem in Phnom Penh as well as hit and run drivers. - CNN's WORLD'S UNTOLD STORIES - KILLING FIELDS LONG ROAD TO JUSTICE IS ON AGAIN - WARNING CAMBODIA'S UCB BANK CHARGING

Thursday May 28, 2009

TOURISTS BEWARE OF DANGER

After seeing a young girl on a motor bike being run over and almost squashed like a grape by a hit and run driver the incident clearly brought into focus how dangerous the streets of Cambodia are. It also points out that there is a lack of precautionary measures to insure a tourist's safety.

The girl was going straight on Norodom Boulevard as the white Toyota Land Cruiser made a right turn and knocked her to the ground. We yelled out to the driver who was busy chatting away to his young female passenger to stop and he ignored our urgent request. We then took down his license number.

The girl was left lying in pain in the street and some passersby helped her to the curb. She had deep laceration to her legs and couldn't move. We tried to talk to her but she didn't speak English. Two police arrived on the scene, one in uniform and the other in plain clothes. Neither spoke English nor did anyone else in the crowd.

We gave the police the license plate number of the vehicle and its description. We also gave them our contact information i.e. telephone number and email. No one has contacted us and our understanding after talking to Khmers is that the license plate indicates that the driver has immunity.

On that same block a wealthy homeowner has claimed the sidewalk by planting plants and trees. This is obstruction is forcing pedestrians to walk in the street in harms way of hit and run drivers.

In the past we have noted how dangerous it is for a tourist to walk around in Cambodia. Barriers are created on the sidewalks in front of businesses. They prefer to extend their business and apparently could care less about tourists or pedestrian safety.

On Monivong Boulevard south of Sihanouk Boulevard the liquor business have their shops extended almost to the curb. At night they place large ice chests at the end of their display. That extension goes to the curb. Pedestrians MUST WALK IN THE STREET.

It's an area where there are many men's clubs and bars. Driving under the influence of alcohol is a major problem in Phnom Penh as well as hit and run drivers.

Since the time of our report the government has been cracking down on what is considered a breach of the law. Reports in the Cambodia Daily noted a government official said that the businesses think they own the sidewalk in front of their property. The businesses complain that if they cannot extend their business to the street that they lose money. The translation to that is money is more important than the safety of pedestrians yet Cambodia wants the tourism sector to grow.

Determined to grow Phnom Penh is heading into a serious problem that could endanger a person's health as well as safety. Construction is rampant throughout the city with building popping up everywhere. Many of these tall structures will have many workers to provide parking facilities. The problem is the construction design does not address that issue adequately.

A Nine story building with 400 sq. meter of floor space was recently completed on the very busy Norodom Boulevard. The structure also has 40 apartments attached to its back end. Both were built at the same time by the same firm. The underground parking in the office building has 40 spaces. The apartments had only 20 parking spaces in their structure. To accommodate the apartments they took away 20 spaces from the adjacent office building leaving them with 20 spaces. When we asked where are the employees going to park the man on the sidewalk.

The area is near the Independence Monument and is heavily trafficked and congested. It's also near Cambodia and Pannasastra Universities and ISPP (International School of Phnom Penh). At the end of the day traffic on Norodom is backed up due to parents or body guards vehicles being double parked when picking up their children.

When the universities make their transition from day school to night school there is more traffic congestion. Cambodia University president Kao Kim Hourn said that they have more students in the evening than during the day. He noted that the evening students have day jobs and are continuing their education by attending night school.

With the construction near major intersections and already heavily trafficked areas Phnom Penh is heading in the direction of the traffic nightmare that exists in Bangkok. A huge building is being constructed at the intersection of Sihanouk and Monivong Boulevards which is already one of the busiest intersections in the city. Numerous businesses are situated there including a major supermarket. There will be a lot of employees. The question is with a building that huge how many parking places will be provided for the employees and the business customers.

At the end of the business day how will the additional and the already existing traffic be facilitated? When the employees in the new buildings leave work the streets will be more congested. It's a comedy of errors that is reminiscent of the sign depicting the words PLAN AHEAD with the word AHEAD appearing to be falling off a cliff.

NEXT - THE CLUTTERED INNER CITY

Justice and human rights are the focus of CNN's 'Killing Fields: Long Road to Justice' a half hour Worlds Untold Stories news feature which is a must watch IS ON AGAIN. The program reveals Cambodia's problems dealing with responsibility, integrity and the allegations of corruption in the Khmer Rouge trials. The program which aired earlier in the month was televised today at 3:30PM in Phnom Penh.

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 from 1996 of him grinning and proudly showing one of his closed prisons in the Cambodian jungle where he detained prisoners to be tortured and murdered.

To this day 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.

Mom Va a former Khmer Rouge comrade of Ta Chan lives in his village. She expressed her fear of him while recalling the tortures he inflicted on Cambodian people. The tortures Ta Chan is said to have exacted included water-boarding, electrocution and beatings.

Also interviewed is Norng Chan Pal who was a child prisoner at Toul Sleng. He was saved when the Vietnamese forces took over the prison and chased the Khmer Rouge out of Phnom Penh. When CNN reporter Dan Rivers went to visit Ta Chan he says he saw him from a distance in front of his house but when they arrived he disappeared. His son came out to talk to Rivers and informed the CNN reporter that he and his family did not want to talk about the past. As Rivers pointed out, "Hundreds of men like Ta Chan go free."

The program also shows some footage of an elderly Po Pot who was expressing his anger that Cambodia was like living in Vietnam. The program shows footage of a coffin that was burned supposedly with Po Pots body inside.

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.

Trail consultants Andrew Ianuzzi and Robert Pettit also made comments in the feature regarding the corruption allegations. The programs closing credits thanked the Documentation Center of Cambodia for their contributions.

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

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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.

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. She was informed 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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