The underside of Angkor Wat...

Sorry, today, no pics...I want to tell you about what we observed and read about what's happening in the backyard of Angor Wat...

In the french version, I wrote a long article about where the money that we pay to visit the temples go...but I think, for you, english readers, it will be better to read by yourself, the very explanatory articles here below;

http://www.talesofasia.com/cambodia-sokimex.htm

http://www.talesofasia.com/cambodia-interviews-AC.htm

For those who don't have time...let me summarize this way; only 50%of the tourists money actually go to maintening temples and function of the park...the rest is for a private company. I suppose this is not as schoking in your culture as it is in the french culture...but when you add the variable of a very corrupt gouvernement, you get a better picture...

Luckily, most of the restoration project have been undertaken by gouvernements of other countries such as France, Italy, Germany, China (their method is really interesting, but I don't think it qualifies as restoration, more as reconstruction...anyway, their site is "walt dysney"...), India...

The supposedly gouvernemental agency of APSARA, who is supposed to be managing the site and its environnement is supervised by a council from the UNESCO, presided by France and Japan...

By lack of funds and willingness, the flux of tourists is not quite controlled enough, which means they stroll all over the temples, causing lot of damage...not to mention the scultures that are constantly touched (and rubbing away) and the stones that are waiting to be reinstalled and where everybody sits...

Moreover, there was in the boundary of the park, a lot of villagers. THose are now forbiden to work on their rice fields, cut the trees, etc...plus, with the afflux of tourists, they found it is much more worth selling stuff to them...

I have nothing against the food stalls, traditional music band of disabled (land mine) people, old ladies selling encense...

But I do have a problem with the kids selling postcards or, worse, begging...by buying their stuff, well thinking tourists actually deprive them from proper education, as their parents prefer sending them to work, rather than to school...this seems obvious to us...but most people don't realise that!!!

Ok, the government is not providing free and good schooling as of yet...but a law has just been voted for 9 years free schooling for ALL kids by 2013. (they have a lot of work as there is only 570 secondary schools in the country)...but still...this is not good to teach kids to beg...and even worse...to prostitute them...

You think I'm harsh?

Well, our neibourgh from the Guesthouse got approched by a kid in the following way "can I play with your penis?"...and I don't think he was joking, given the reputation of Cambodia for that matter...

Enough for today...I just wanted to let you know that not everything is beautiful in those temples and that when lots of tourists come to such a poor country, this is causing a lots of problems, of which I have only brushed the outer lines...

Promise...next time, I will post some nice pictures!

06:50 - 10/04/2007 - Ajouter un commentaire