austraLasia #2922
 
Cambodia - Don Bosco looking North?

SIHANOUKVILLE: 27 September 2011 -- Sihanoukville is about as far south as one can be in Cambodia. Ratanakiri province is almost - not quite - as far north as one can go before entering Laos further north or Vietnam further east.  Fr Al Rodas, from Sihanoukville, writes about a recent adventure to that spot:

"Dear All, on September 23 I visited the Ratanakiri province, about 600 kilometers north of Sihanoukville. I went with 8 instructors from the social communication programs, Sihanoukville and Kep. The purpose was to get to know the province and the situation of the indigenous Cambodian communities. This year, we engaged the two first indigenous young men in a Don Bosco technical section, Mr. Bun Heng and Mr. Bunpeach, who belong to the Kreng ethnic group. They will travel from Ratanakiri to Kep this coming Saturday, October 1st. Thanks to all of you who made a contribution to support their travel, enrolment, uniforms and academic materials in order to guarantee their involvement. In the beginning there were about 10 indigenous youth recommended by IDEAS organization (ideasratanakiri.blogspot.com/) "Indigenous Education in Ratanakiri", one of the three NGOs working with the seven indigenous communities in that province. Finally, four of them travelled to Sihanoukville in order to do the interview and exam in August, but only two passed (Ban Heng and Banpeach). I hope they will be the first of many to come. It is also a good opening to look for the development of a possible technical school in Stung Treang, now that the Stung Treang governor has invited Don Bosco to that region.
     The road to Ratanakiri is in fair shape. From O Bpong Mawn to Banlung the road (NR19) is unpaved, but there is good maintenance. Although the rainy season, the road was usable for about two hours and half (about 150 kilometers.) They say in the region that the road should be paved within two years. We could see the evident deforestation of a province that is usually known as a huge jungle and an ecological sanctuary. We did not cross any jungle tunnel as it was said from older sources and we didn't meet wild animals along the road. The rubber plantations and wood exploitation (legal and illegal), are reducing the habitats in an evident manner. The last part of the road, about 30 or more kilometers to Banlung is amazingly paved and well done. Banlung is a small but 'modern' city in the Cambodian way. Its main streets are as good as any Sihanoukville street. There is a good electricity service and people from different Cambodian provinces live alongside indigenous Cambodians.
     On Saturday morning we visited the headquarters of IDEAS Organization. Mr. Bunthae explained to us the purpose of his NGO in supporting the indigenous communities. We visited one nearby village. The indigenous inhabitants are rather distant with people they don't know, good prevention against annoying 'tourist voyeurism', so we relied in Mr. Bunthae and the two Kreng young men who explained to us some of the traditions of their communities. For example, there are some formative and academic materials written in their own languages in Khmer script, because some people of the community do not speak Khmer. The houses are mostly Khmer style with some original details such as a separate area for sleeping. We visited the lake, a natural wonder that is under the administration of the indigenous communities. The lake is a protected area and it seems like a volcanic crater. The water comes exclusively from rains.
     In the afternoon we visited the school run by Mr. Sitha Nan and his organization. It is a school for children from two nearby indigenous villages. It is about 25 kilometers to the north of Banlung, on the way to Laos. We used Mr. Sitha Nan's car which could handle the mud. The school is supported by a Swiss organization. It has until 7th grade and is adding on the grades year after year. The worry is what the students are going to do when they finish 12th grade. That is why we were invited. Mr. Sitha Nan asked us for the Don Bosco technical programs. The school has no electricity and the water comes from two wells. There is a library with few books. This is a place where a generator (solar panel or wind generator) for electricity would be useful.
     We returned to Sihanoukville on September 25, Sunday. We could see the floods especially in Kratie and Kompung Cham. Thus far, Siem Reap City is completely isolated due to the high floods. According to reports, seven persons have died due to this natural disaster. On September 16 our school in Sihanoukville was also flooded.

Cambodia is celebrating  the Pchum Ben, in memory of the ancestors, this week".