VUTHASURF

Phou Pheakdey, 4^th Year School Law student, presented his website at Barcamp Phnom Penh on Saturday. I feel so interested in his presentation. Ekasar (Khmer language) is the Cambodia law website. More than 4 years, he has started collecting Cambodia laws, including Cambodian Constitution, degree, sub-degree, Prakas, circulation, directive and so on.

He created the site by himself since 2007. Until now, more than 10,000 copies of Cambodia legislation have been posted on site and he is still going on to collect all passed laws in order to disseminate through his website. He said that now there are two private companies –Angkor Net and Annana- supporting his website. Angkor Net provides free intern

et for his team and Annana Company offers free office space, including electricity supply.

He received small contribution from his classmates, monks, and teachers who are supporting his to keep doing this work.

In the presentation, he told openly all participants, including students, NGOs staffers, researchers, government officials, that if they need Cambodia law, it is free for Cambodians.

He added that he has created this site in an attempt to disseminate all Cambodia laws to all Cambodian people who are able to access these documents.

Even me, when I want to search for Cambodia laws from government websites, It is hard to find out. By the way, Cambodia National Assembly should create the kind of this site in order to disseminate the laws because it is the body to make laws.

Popularity: 22% [?]

At least 77 Cambodian people have been killed by lightening this year in Cambodia; most of them are the Cambodian citizens living in rural areas. In comparison, the lightning toll is higher than landmine, only nine.

Traditionally, it is believed that when someone is strike by lightning, covering the victims with a white cloth will help them recover. The people were hit by lightning, especially during the rainy season.

Piseth posted his blog entitled “The Cruel Lightning in Rainy Season” and he expresses his doubt:

“I wonder whether it is because of the natural disaster or the loose of natural resources and as a result it brings this phenomenon? Maybe, it is because of the growing and expansion of magnetic area with all the cable and stuffs like that around the living area that’s why it causes such problems. In order to prevent or to avoid something like this happen then individual should be aware of that and should not go under the big tree or big light stand during the raining and not using any mechanic tools while it is raining. Prevention better than treatment!”

More lightning strikes could be because of more storms, broader storms, or storms that are higher in the sky than usual; Don MacGornam was quoted by the Cambodia Daily.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Normally, I was commuting from my workplace to my house but yesterday evening the monsoon rain was falling heavily. Meanwhile, the crowds of passengers traveling along the streets in Phnom Penh rushed to home. Most of motorists put on raincoat and some of whom did not. Most of them always keep it with them, in case it rains. Traffic jam always comes also, particularly on the main streets.

While I reached the traffic light, the large number of motorbikes, cars, and trucks close together and unable to move or moving very slowly in the middle of street. It is because that they were still trying to move forwards by violating the traffic light. By the way, they did not respect each other, therefore traffic jam happens.

Traffic congestion is caused by the human beings who do not comply with the traffic light, and not respect the passengers alike. The road traffic chaos will get worse and worse on the Phnom Penh city.

While during the chaos in the street, I did not see the traffic police officers at the sense in order to help ease the trouble of the traffic. But I always see the traffic police extorting money from goods trucks, taxi and so, while running though them.

During the rain, the drivers of cars and motorbikes rarely respect the traffic light. However, they know that they have to stop. All actors make accident happen.

Popularity: 12% [?]

More than 80 percent of Cambodian people are dependent on agriculture, especially those in countryside. Farming rice in Cambodia mostly depends on the rainwater rather than the irrigation systems. This year, some areas, which do not received the minimum amount of rain needed for rice cultivation, are causing problems for the rice farmers to delay transplanting.

Over the last weekend, I went to the area nearby the Phnom Vor Mountain, which was the former stronghold of Khmer Rouge. I met and saw villagers staying at home, not go to rice paddy. It is because that their rice paddies are shortage of water and they were waiting for the rainfall.

More than 70 percent of villagers here live on rice farming and small-scale crops. After growing rice, they have worked in plantation of cassava, durian, and sandalwood… etc. apart from this, they cut hay and dry it for making roof.

I met a man, aged 60 years, who was the former Khmer Rouge soldier and were closer to the former Khmer Rouge commanders, said that most of the villagers in this area are the new comers, but only 20 percent of former Khmer Rouge’s families still keeps stayed here.

I stayed there 4 days and 3 nights off the mountain, and there were three day-rain in a row. The farmers are rushing to their rice fields to pull out the rice seeding and to plant transplanted rice.

Popularity: 18% [?]