NPR Radio story about our class

Hi everyone,

Hope you are all well – I am posting a short radio story I put together about our class.  It was heard by probably a million people here in the United States.  Lots of people told me they liked it and want to visit Cambodia.

(CLICK HERE TO LISTEN, IT MAY TAKE SOME TIME TO LOAD) cambodia-story-small

Oh!  And GOOD NEWS!  I found a place that sells coconuts.  BUT I do not have a big knife to open them.  So I had to use an electric power drill.   Everyone laughed at me.  See photo:

 

I miss you all. 

-David

Do you know how i miss!

How are you so far lecturer? how about your wife? and hello to all friends here. Maybe you all rarely cheeck our blog even me. i still remember our past events when we were at Cham Bok. Do you remember that? It is a great time for me. i hope we will have a good chance again soon. It is almost the end of my speech, i would like to say i miss you all and i am so happy that i have a good opportunity to know you all. Finally, i wish you all the best.

Here is the our picture at Chorm Bok. You can see them more at my hi5: http://cheata-place.hi5.com

Medicine Use in Cambodia(final Edit)

Intro: Cambodian rural finds it difficult to get access to professional treatment though there is growing number of health centers. Most of them still buy medicine at food-stores in their village without prescription, saying they do not have enough money to go to clinics. Sometime that can be dangerous. Touch Yinmony reports from Takeo. Reporter: Chom Salon, 37, a former who lives in Bati district Takeo province said about his own experience relating health service in his hometown. Since the past when he gets sick he always buy medicine in his village without discussing with any doctors because his family condition. He said that he can not be able to buy an expensive medicine to takeSound bite: I buy medicine in my village I can save my money I spend too much money when I buy it at market. I cannot find any money to buy medicine so I decide to take it. In village we can owe them, if we go to market we have to have money in the hand. Reporter: Salon knew about the essential of treatment the illness in the hospital but the family condition makes him not to have any better choices than this one.  Sound bite:  I want to go to the hospital whenever I got sick I want doctor to check me immediately, at home sometime it can be better or worse. I want to go to the referral hospital, health center or higher hospital I don’t want to stay here because I am afraid of being hazard,and like I take some medicine today sometime it gets better or worse I decide to access it because I have no any choices.  Reporter: Depend on the data of the Cambodian Pharmacists Association, 50% of the patients are using medicine without prescription. That why,  the medical advisor of WHO William Mfukor worries about people like Chum Salon. Sometimes he says they end up taking the wrong drug.  It doesn’t cure the sickness.  And it can even hurt them if they take too much.Sound bite: So it is advisable that people of Cambodia should not use medicine without prescription.  They should always try very hard to get prescription from the doctor.  It’s only the doctor who has been trained in diagnosing (figuring out) the disease who will be able to prescribe the right drug to fix the disease. According to data from Cambodian Pharmacists Association pointed out that in Cambodia there are more than 1000 pharmacies do not have permission from ministry.  The director of Association Yim Yann says that’s about half among of all pharmacies in over the country.  Yann agrees with the current policy, which is to let the provinces license pharmacies.  But he says there are still problems.Sound bite: now this process is that some places are good and other places still have any problems. We need to broadcast on over the 24 provinces we have to broadcast more to the medicine sellers.  He thinks it could take ten years to fix things.Touch Yinmony, a student of Royal University of Phnom Penh. 

Abortion are increasing, but some worried it can cause danger

Intro: Abortions are legal in Cambodia.  But not all abortion clinics are.   Some operate without a license from the government.  And some experts worry that the people going to those illegal clinics may be putting their lives at risk. Chhin Sothea reports from Phnom Penh.

NATE SOUND?

 Looking from the outside, it is just like a small pharmacy and it is hard to tell that it is a clinic. But for the neighborhood in Boeng Kok II district, they were sure that it was an illegal clinic which does the abortion. In the back are five beds and one small room for operating the abortion. That is one of the places where some experts concern that it can cause some problem to the clients.  

Mr. Chorn Saroeun, is project manger of Marie Stopes Cambodia, an NGO that runs, legal licensed abortion clinics.   

 

(Sound bite 28 seconds): “First of all those who run the illegal clinic might have no skill, they might used unclean material to operated the abortion and affect the viruse to the cliencts. Now we are facing the virus such as Epotip, reprodutive health disease and HIV. Besides that the womb can be teared by those unclean material and cause to flow many bloods, some time it can cause the client die.”  

However the owner of the illegal clinic who did not want to give her name says she had operated her clinic for almost 7 years. but she says she had never caused any danger to clients. (Sound Bite 22 seconds): “the problem is that some girls come to have the abortion to often. Some come to have abortion for six times in the following month after their first abortion.  Having the abortion too often, it causes the prolem to the womb and they might not make the baby or only a long time that they might have the baby again. What If the nurse is not opereattion well, the clients may have no baby forever” Law says no abortion after 12 weeks, except in special circumstances.  And if the girl is under 18, she needs permission from a parent.But in this clinic, none of that is required.  The owner says she will do abortions after the 12 week limit, but it costs. Between 30 $ to 200$, depend on the size of the baby while the price at Marie stopes is cheaper – about 60000 Riels ($15).Still people go to the illegal clinics. Ms. Chay Svaychea art, is a nurse at the National Center for Mother and Children Protection says her organization is trying to make those places safer. (Sound bite 9 seconds): “now we are trying to train those illegal clinics to follow the law, we have the law long time ago but now we just to train them to follow the law” For the owner of illegal clinic above, even the expert asked her to file for the license for sometimes, but she didn’t want to do it.(Sound bite: 17 seconds): “To tell the truth, if the ministry of health didn’t force me to file for the license, I still ignore with the license since I don’t have my own house, I rent the house, and I move the house for several times, and I don’t know when will the governer ask me to leave Beong kok. Sometimes, I think it is hard for me so I don’t care about it.” She says the number of people coming to her clinic has been increasing slowly. Sometimes she can get 20 clients per month. Most of her clients are 17 to 25.  At Marie Stopes the number of abortions has inching up also.  In the first ten months of 2007 they had about 1300 clients.  Chhin Sothea, DMC, Phnom Penh. 

OPERA-SAMBATH-FINAL

Intro: sculptures on the temple walls in Cambodia show that Opera has been popular here for thousands of years. But that’s changing. Traditional opera doesn’t attract big crowds anymore. One art centre is trying modernize the opera. And they’re attracting new audiences. Chey Sambath report from Phnom Penh…  Music of a traditional opera called ‘Wishing’  Khmer opera was known through melody, costumes full with golden jewellery, and techniques of dancing.  Music of ‘Revitalizing Monkey and Giant’This is the Monkey Opera that was modernized to fit the present interests. Sou BunRith, cultural coordinator at Amrita performing Art, says some parts of New Monkey have been changed such as clothes and decoration.  Soundbite: actors no need to wear the heavy mass, wear black T-shirt, hole a flashlight, … they could act more natural because no narrow clothes tied their bodies like before.Sou BunRith says young people just come to watch the traditional Operas.Soundbite: all of what I had done is to preserve the culture and tradition. Different people, different times, and difference interests. Young people should have right to choose what they want.  “So I think that Revitalizing Monkey and Giant is a sing of development and by the presence of it, all Khmer opera will survive later on.”  [MUSIC IN HERE] Eng SiThal, director of Cambodian Arts Association, thought that the Revitalizing M&G and some other reproducing do not affect Khmer Opera perform greatly, but it shows the movement of Khmer art.  Soundbite: If we know and recognize what is the original and modern are,  that is enough. Nothing could be concern. Keeping the same is the enemy of art, yet changing is the improvement. Unless Angkor Wat temple is tear down, that is the time could be concerned that may lose everything of art.  Many operas have now been redesigned to grab the crowd attention. Especially, traditional music instruments is being played with modern instruments and made both national and international surprise.  Music of Contemporary Opera (where elephant weep)Vice president of Department of Culture and Art, Pock Saran, has directed some new operas.  But he thinks they need to be done with care.Soundbite: it would be good if there was association that work on checking and editing new performance of art because so far there are some performances played in improper way, some try to make opera to make more attractive and modern without thinking understand what is opera. They cause many problems and it was acceptable. He says the Ministry of curlture and Art is planning warrant to check out all improper art performing. MUSICSign off: Chey Sambath, RUPP student, from Phnom Penh….

Teenagers.

Intro: Nowadays, performing on stage or acting in the movie is very interesting for young people especially students. Whenever there is song or beauty contest on TV, a lot of them applied for it. Most of them think that they will get a better job after passing such challenges. Kong Rachana reports.

Nat sound: (Sound of music while the Super boys and girls performing on stage) 

Reporter: ON A STAGE AT THE TV STATION CTN Super boys and girls do a catwalk on the stage of CTN. Everyone is between 18 and 22 years old. They are handsome cutie and also they can perform very well without any fear. The candidates expect that they will get a good job from the TV station after passing.

Sound bite: “I think this contest (Super boys and girls) is good that teenagers can show their real ability, bravery and also know a lot of friend. If I passed I would get at least a job from the station.” 

Reporter: THAT IS Mr. Chea Sovanna a candidate of the Super boys and girls.

Reporter: It’s not different from Sovanna, Mr. Prak Chamroen who used to join another contest called Freshie boy and girl think that joining this contest is not only for fun but also a chance to show the khmer tradition and basically get to know the society.

 Sound bite: “I feel I want to help the Khmer society, promote culture, patrimony in order to make new generation know by performing Khmer tradional dancing and do some help in community such as visit orphans and do some other activities like educating people about using drugs and so on…”“To be a star is always happy, no sad and improper at all.”

Reporter: Mr. Eang Sithol is a director of Khmer association art thinks that it’s a good idea to have such contest more. But he suggest that the producers have to make sure that they will have a real goal and intention in order to make the candidates have a good future after the contest. On the other hand, Sithol continued that he had experience about some people lost their future especially their study because they take some time to earn money by just go to sing or acting. 

Sound bite: “What’s more importance is that every producer must have a clear goal and aim otherwise when they like and decided to abandon their own career or study in order to join with the contest but after that they will get nothing. It seems like we (the producer) bring them to the hell. There are some students quit their study for a while because they think that when they go to sing, do fashions show or acting for a short time they will get some money but after no such job to do they cannot go ahead or back. As a result they can’t even follow the class so their future is end……” 

Reporter: According to Mr. Kouch Keven is the director of CTN’s program producer said that now is a generation for teenagers and they need more entertainment rather than education program.  

Sound bite: “Actually, most audience likes more entertainment, they don’t like education, they like to see the program about question and answer about the general knowledge.”

 Reporter: Kouch Kevin added that every entertainment program he has produced so far, thousands people are interesting and attend to join. PEOPLE FROM THE COUNTRYSIDE ARE EVEN COMPETING.I’m Kong Rachana reporting.

Sex Workers

Kuy Mengheang Host: Currently indirect workers at parks, karaoke and bars are rising remarkably more than brothels. Kuy Mengheang reports from Phnom Penh About over 10 pm, a group of girls dressed short and sexy. Some of them standing and others sitting were likely to wait for some one and the others were walking up and down at parks near independent monument of Phnom Penh.  Sound bite: aunt! What are those girls doing at there? They are sex workers. Why do you know? They are talking with men with motorcycle and then they go with men. The number of sex workers at the parks, bars and karaoke had rose dramatically. Na Vy, a sex worker at park by national monument, says that she just left the brothel. Sound bite: “before I lived with my boss. I was angry with my boss if I do not sleep with a guest. My boss cursed and used bad words on me but now it is convenient I want to earn money, I earn but if I do not want to earn; I do not earn.”  A 20-year sex worker Nita says she face some problems because customers cheat her.Sound bite: “I went with a guest but I arrived at guest’s place. There are 6 or 7 persons and they forced and raped me.”  Currently a document from National Aids Authority showed that indirect sex workers at parks, bars and Karaoke have rose up to 12762 in 2007 but there were 6846 sex workers in 2004. This career is not valued and some one thinks that that job affects on Khmer tradition. Although some girls do this job, former deputy chief of Sangkat Tonle Basacc Heng Vansak said that the main cause is unemployment.  Sound bite: “the government should consider how many people jobless are and how many people poor are because they vote for the government. I do not criticize only government but I criticize sex workers too.”  While indirect sex workers are rising, Phnom Penh municipal police chief Touch Naroth said that the authorities are resolving the problem.  Sound Bite: “I will take measure on that issue because it is wrong with law”  Some night sex workers are fortune but other nights they become not lucky, they met night gangsters. Gangsters threaten sex workers and took money from sex workers. The other nights sex workers do not almost have guests because of gangsters. In the near future, will sex workers do the job? Kuy MengheangReport from radio DMC  Phnom Penh                                

Finding Gem stones at Takeo Province

Intro: We already heard the gem stone exists at Pieline but recently on the mountain at Takeo province near Vietnam border people are digging and finding stones. Some say they found three Koyuns of gem stone in one hole. TIEP-Seiha reports from the mountain.

-Nat sound of the gem hunters are digging the whole on the mountain-

Reporter: A group of people are digging for precious stones on a mountain where locate in Kirivong district Takeo province. On the mountain some of the gem hunters carry pitch-axe and the others handed other tools with expecting that they will find stones today. They speak without stopping their digging.

-Nat sound of the gem hunters are saying about the stones in their whole-

Reporter: We were not able to have the stones assessed by a professional. But the gem diggers say people sometimes pay them 800.000 Riel ($200) per kilogram of the stones. And some rich people come to watch them dig and sometimes pushing the door open to try to buy them.

The gems were first discovered here in a year ago at three mountains namely Morhasey, Tambang Samlor, and Phnom Toteng. Ms. Phath Sam is an old woman who lives nearby says she had a dream.

Sound bite of Ms. Phath Sam: there was an old man wearing with white told me that this is a mountain that has a lot of precious stones please did not move to other place Yoy Yoy..

Reporter: Her dream now come truth. Ms. Chum Yun and her term is a lucky group that found three Koyun of the stones in one hole at Phnom Toteng. And now her family’s living is better.

Sound bite of Chum Yun: Most of the stones that my group found is light black, strong white and the side of the stones some are small and some are big like our arm and our thigh. And the merchants came to my whole and bought the stones. Our group gain nine thousands dollars for the three Koyun of the stones, so we got fives million Rile for each.

Reporter: Mr. Reach On gets up at 4:00 in the morning with the food that his five has packed with a scarf. It’s now 9 o’clock his group has not discovered a place to find stones yet. He goes to hunt the gem everyday. And Reach On says that to find stones is very dangerous. Sometimes we can die immediately.

Sound bite of Mr. Reach On: when I was digging I felt so afraid about landslide. I did not collect my stones all so that other people picked the stones up from my whole a lot, too. The whole villagers found the stones from my whole after me. Reporter: However, an old people had gone in the mine hole because of landslide. But many people still want to take the risk. The chief of Prey Ampok commune, Mr. Ney Neang says about half of the people in the commune are looking for gems. Neang is happy the commune has stones. But he also has some worries.

Sound bite of the Chief commune: if we based on the law it is illegal because the stones are in the public land. And if the top powers order me to do, I have no excuse. But until now the district authority have not taken action yet. They maybe thought that the villagers are so poor and for me I stand with the villagers.

Reporter: In Ratanakiri and Pieline, where there are gems things haven’t always gone so well. Some analysts say the people there are still poor and the money gems hasn’t made it into the national budget. The Excellencies of Takeo province was not available to comment for this story.

TIEP-Seiha student of Media Management from the mountain…

Khmer Opera Being Saved

Intro: sculptures on the temple walls in Cambodia show that Opera has been popular here for thousands of years. But that’s changing. Traditional opera doesn’t attract big crowds anymore. One art centre is trying modernize the opera. And they’re attracting new audiences. Chey Sambath report from Phnom Penh…  Music of a traditional opera called ‘Wishing’  Khmer opera was known through melody, costumes full with golden jewellery, and techniques of dancing.  Music of ‘Revitalizing Monkey and Giant’This is the Monkey Opera that was modernized to fit the present interests. Sou BunRith, cultural coordinator at Amrita performing Art, says some parts of New Monkey have been changed such as clothes and decoration.  Soundbite: actors no need to wear the heavy mass, wear black T-shirt, hole a flashlight, … they could act more natural because no narrow clothes tied their bodies like before.Sou BunRith says young people just come to watch the traditional Operas.Soundbite: all of what I had done is to preserve the culture and tradition. Different people, different times, and difference interests. Young people should have right to choose what they want.  “So I think that Revitalizing Monkey and Giant is a sing of development and by the presence of it, all Khmer opera will survive later on.”  [MUSIC IN HERE] Eng SiThal, director of Cambodian Arts Association, thought that the Revitalizing M&G and some other reproducing do not affect Khmer Opera perform greatly, but it shows the movement of Khmer art.  Soundbite: If we know and recognize what is the original and modern are,  that is enough. Nothing could be concern. Keeping the same is the enemy of art, yet changing is the improvement. Unless Angkor Wat temple is tear down, that is the time could be concerned that may lose everything of art.  Many operas have now been redesigned to grab the crowd attention. Especially, traditional music instruments is being played with modern instruments and made both national and international surprise.  Music of Contemporary Opera (where elephant weep)Vice president of Department of Culture and Art, Pock Saran, has directed some new operas.  But he thinks they need to be done with care.Soundbite: it would be good if there was association that work on checking and editing new performance of art because so far there are some performances played in improper way, some try to make opera to make more attractive and modern without thinking understand what is opera. They cause many problems and it was acceptable. He says the Ministry of curlture and Art is planning warrant to check out all improper art performing. Sign off: Chey Sambath, RUPP student, from Phnom Penh….