Editor:
I returned from my holiday to be informed that our Australian
colleague's fiance, a Khmer, had been murdered because he didn't surrender his
motorbike at gun point. She was with him on the night of Dec. 28 when they went
down by the river to check out the full moon; she was there when he was shot by
two well-to-do males who'd been sitting next to them on the
riverbank.
Even in my short acquaintance with him, I could see that
Keavuth's determination and dedication would contribute significantly to the
eventual solution of Cambodia's rural development predicament.
It seems
that security is worse now than it was before UNTAC's arrival. The world is
weary of hearing about the warring factions in this country, and about the 2.5
billion dollar price-tag of Cambodia's "reconciliation". It seems the only
lesson to have come to Cambodia from the UNTAC effort is that guns are even more
the opiate of the people and that without them, there can be no life, liberty,
or pursuit of expensive material goods.
So, the UN came, oversaw the
general elections, spent lots of money in the process, created a short-lived
booming economy for a while, then left, Meanwhile, the world thinks it saved
Cambodia.
But what seems to have actually occurred is that "The Killing
Fields" are increasingly being replaced by "The Mean Streets". What's the point
of sprucing up the river front if only thugs can go there? What was the point of
Keavuth's surviving the Pol Pot era if he was to be murdered at exactly the time
the country most desperately needs his skills?
I write this out of sheer
anger: I greatly miss Elisabeth in our office (she's returned to Australia) and
I know that LWS misses Keavuth's initiative and enthusiasm. What's it going to
take for this beleaguered country to put an end to the sacrifice of its human
resources?
- Nancy E. Richardson, Phnom Penh
Contact PhnomPenh Post for full article
Post Media Co LtdThe Elements Condominium, Level 7
Hun Sen Boulevard
Phum Tuol Roka III
Sangkat Chak Angre Krom, Khan Meanchey
12353 Phnom Penh
Cambodia
Telegram: 092 555 741
Email: [email protected]