FACEBOOK FALLOUT

It goes without saying that any article about Siem Reap’s most popular Facebook page which discusses the bickering and bitching that occurs on said page is going to generate online bickering and bitching about the article itself.

Which is precisely what happened, with a 7Days article of last week truly trashed by an online administrator. This in turn generated a stream of anti-media, anti-Post clichés, followed by some reasoned posts that suggested the article was reasonable.

In the meantime, the Facebook page in question held a party at XBar on Saturday night to celebrate attaining 1,000 members. By all accounts the party was a great success.  But the word is that the online bickering went live on the night, with the result that a member was booted out of the party.

It’s a juicy morsel of gossip, but of course if we published that,  we would be accused of being negative.

On a final note, using old-fashioned email communication, Siem Reap’s Ben Gooding told 7Days what he thought of said piece: “Despite my initial reaction that anyone remotely interested in Siem Reap’s Facebook scene would already be a part of it, I found the recent 7Days report on the issue to be a real eye-opener.

“If I understand correctly, there are people that belong to an expat-oriented Facebook group. Some of them argue. One has been removed. There’s a party at X-bar.

“This is right up there with the Arab Spring in terms of illustrating social networking’s vital role in modern society.

“Please keep those of us who are not on Facebook updated with any further developments in this gripping saga. I want to minimize the number of sleepless nights I will have to endure worrying over what goes on among Siem Reap’s lettered classes.”

GOING TO THE DOGS

Siem Reap tourism is about to go to the dogs.  At least that’s apparently the desire of Nguyen Ngoc My, the man who first brought greyhound racing to Vietnam from Australia 12 years ago.

Now, according to Vietnamnews,  My is set to expand the sporting and gambling venture to new territories, one of them being Siem Reap.

Not much further news is forthcoming at the moment about this venture, but Manabout notes that greyhound racing in Cambodia was first flagged in 2000.

During the World Greyhound Racing Federation Conference in Sydney in 2000, a paper was presented titled, The Development of Greyhound Racing in Vietnam.

A footnote to that paper said, “Indo China Racing and Entertainment (Mr Nguyen Ngoc My, Chairman) has been granted a 30 year license for the development of greyhound racing in CAMBODIA.  A racing facility has already been identified in Phomn Phenn (sic).”