History of Phnom Penh

The establishment of Phnom Penh as the capital of Cambodia is, historically speaking, a relatively recent event. Yet the area has been central to Cambodia's economy and politics for almost 600 years. After King Ponhea Yat abandoned Angkor in 1422, he founded his new capital and five wats at Phnom Penh. The choice of this area at the confluence of two great rivers may have reflected a shift from an agrarian to a trade oriented economy. Later kings moved the capital several times, and Phnom Penh did not become the permanent seat of government until 1866. At the time, the city was little more than a few huts lining the river.

Beginning with earnest in the 1880s, French planners built canals to control the wetlands, and constructed roads, buildings and a port. By the 1920s, Phnom Penh was reputed to be the most beautiful city in Indochina. After Cambodia gained independence in 1953 there was a spurt of construction of modern buildings in a much more Cambodian style, but most development ended with the coup of 1970. As the war between the Khmer Rouge and the republican government spread, the city was laid to siege. On April 17, 1975, Phnom Penh fell to the Khmer Rouge and was completely evacuated. It remained almost empty until the Khmer Rouge defeat in 1979. People began to return to Phnom Penh and rebuild almost immediately. After the 1993 UN sponsored elections, tourism and commercial investment returned to Cambodia, bringing a boom of development in the city that continues today.

Siamese or mountain crocodile

Picture from endangered-species-1.com

By Dr. Jenny Daltry, FFI and Chheang Dany, DFW Cambodian Crocodile Conservation Programme

The Siamese or Mountain crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis) is one of the world's most endangered animals. It is a handsome, freshwater crocodile with a distinctive bony crest at the back of its head. It is reputed to be rather timid and not a 'man-eater'. Siamese crocodiles have originally inhabited all ASEAN member countries except the Philippines. The large (up to 4m) predators kept watercourses clear and helped to maintain healthy freshwater fisheries. By the 1990s, however, this important animal was widely feared to be extinct in the wild. Intensive field surveys failed to find any in most of their former strongholds.

The crocodile's decline began with competition with rice farmers for wetlands, but the deathblow came in the 1950s, with the rise of organised crocodile farming and the international skin trade. These crocodiles produce fine, soft leather and are easy to breed in captivity. To speek up their production, hybridisation with saltwater crocodiles (C. porosus - native to coastal parts of ASEAN) and Cuban crocodiles (C. rhombifer) was conducted. The thousands of 'Siamese' crocodiles in captivity today contain a bewildering array of mongrels, which only genetic testing can distinguish.

Picture from endangered-species-1.com

Today, two wild individuals have been confirmed in Thailand (one was famously discovered by the US-based Wildlife Conservation Society using a camera trap) and up to 10 are known in Laos. The news from Cambodia is more encouraging, with the recent discovery of breeding colonies in the Cardamom Mountains. Scientists from the Cambodian Department of Forestry & Wildlife (DFW) and the UK-based Fauna & Flora International (FFI) have identified 18 sites here to date, containing over 150 wild Siamese crocodiles.

The DFW and the FFI have learned that the crocodiles require deep, slow-moving rivers and swamps between 10 and 600 m. They prey on small animals, especially snakes and fish., and only rarely attack animals as large as a dog or wild boar. Breeding begins during the dry season and the young hatch after 70 to 80 days; the young remain with their mother for at least two years (it is at least a further 10 years before they themselves are mature). The adults construct burrows, but the purpose of these is still unknown.

Decades of hunting have taught Siamese crocodiles to be shy, but in some parts of the Cardamom Mountains, local people regularly bathe and fish among the crocodiles, which they consider sacred. They believe that killing the crocodiles would bring sickness or death on their families.

The Cambodian government has strengthened the protection for the wild crocodiles, notably by gazetting the new 401,313 ha Central Cardamoms Protection Forest.

Reference

ASEAN Biodiversity (2003), Siamese or mountain crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis), 3 (1&2)

How Cambodian Laws Discriminate Against Women

A CAMBOW Report
November 2007

In 1992, Cambodia ratified the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). This international bill of rights for women contains provisions to reduce and eliminate violence against women. By ratifying this instrument, Cambodia committed itself to protecting Cambodian women from violence and eliminating discrimination against women.

Cambodia's laws relating to specific forms of exploitation and discrimination against women, such as domestic violence, rape and human trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation, are severely lacking in protective measures and guarantees of equality for women in Cambodia. In effect, these laws contravene the CEDAW by discriminating against women.

In 2007, the government has yet to pass new laws to adequately protect women when they suffer from violence. In addition, the existing laws are not being implemented on a nationwide basis and many people including legal and judicial officials, local authorities and the general public - including, most importantly, women - do not understand these laws and their attempt to protect women's rights in Cambodia.

Domestic Violence

The Law on the Prevention of Domestic Violence and the Protection of Victims affords some measure of protection to victims of domestic violence and reflects the Government's attempt to introduce legislation to address this problem. However, significant changes are needed to this law in order for it to adequately eradicate domestic violence. In its current form, the law contains ambiguous meanings in key provisions such as the definition of domestic violence, marital rape and the authorities responsible for protecting victims of domestic violence.

Marriage

The Law on Marriage and Family is very comprehensive and one of its stated aims is to ensure the equality of partners in a marriage. However, its complicated and drawn out procedures for divorce - which require that the courts attempt to "reconcile" husband and wife to remain together - are extremely problematic for women who are victims of domestic violence.

Rape

Existing rape legislation fails to adequately define the offense of rape, most significantly by not referring in any way to the issue of consent. Rape is defined in the law as sexual penetration committed through "cruelty, coercion or surprise" - which in practice leads the courts to consider that rape must involve serious violence and injuries. This ignores the fact that many rapes are committed without major injury; rapist in Cambodia are often armed with a weapon, and make threats of violence or death, which may prevent victims from struggling with their attackers, for fear of being further injured or killed. The deficiencies in the legal provisions against rape in some ways reinforce societal attitudes which tend to blame or shame women who are raped

Human Trafficking

Cambodia is a source, transit and destination country for the trafficking of women. Although there are no clear statistics on the numbers of women being trafficked within Cambodia and out of the country, it is clear that this is a problem which affects a large number of women. Existing  trafficking legislation fails to adequately define the offence of trafficking by not taking into account the multitude of complex acts that can be considered trafficking. Furthermore trafficking legislation does not provide for the protection or rehabilitation of domestic and international trafficking victims.

Conclusion

Cambodia's law relating to violence against women are failing to protect Cambodian women from violence, exploitation in any form, and discrimination. The laws need to amended, drafted and implemented in accordance with the principles of the CEDAW.