A Change of Guard

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Wednesday 18 April 2012

We have no choice, that's why we go to Thailand!

By Tho

Re: Thai authority treats Khmer visitors very bad, while Hun Sen provided VIP treatment to Thai visitors

There are many readers who replied to my letter to Khmerization. Many readers asked why many Khmers people go to study in Thailand? Why not study in the U.S or other Western countries?

It is a good question. But let me explain: We are born from poor or middle class families in Cambodia where our families can't support for tuition fees to study in Western countries. The number of scholarships provided by Western countries to Cambodian students are still low compared to the number of scholarships provided by countries in the region.

Your family maybe lucky, you have the money so you can send your children to study in expensive countries. Please open your heart.

You may be right. If I study in Cambodia, I have to pay for tuition fees plus accommodation, food and pocket money by myself.

For me, I have no choice. I tried to apply for many scholarships abroad. I couldn't pass. I selected only to go to study in Thailand where everything is free for me - tuition fee, accommodation, food and pocket money.

I have one question for you: Why does the Cambodian government or Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of Cambodia still accept Thailand's scholarships. Is it our fault? We are Cambodia's young generation, we are like blank paper and we know nothing about this issue. Please all of you, if you are politically mature enough, just do it to change the system! Don't blame Khmer students or young generation for going to study in neighbouring countries!

The second issue is: Why do Khmers go to work in Thailand ? Everything happened for a reason. Your blame is only partly correct. When you start to discuss with one story, don't just look at one piece of story, please look at a whole series of story.

I sympathise with many Khmer migrant workers because most of them come from poor families. They are uneducated people. Their families have no land to grow rice and no land to grow agricultural crops.

Why Khmers do not even grow lemon grass? Yes, this question is correct. But where do they get the land to grow it? Since the land in the village is owned by the high-ranking government officials or Cambodian tycoons, they couldn't have land to grow it.

Hun Sen's government always said " We have lots of jobs in Cambodia, why not work here?" The fact is, if there are jobs in Cambodia, many Khmers would not risk their lives to go to work in neighbouring countries where many were exploited, badly treated and even killed.

I give one example to answer your question: Nowadays, 70% of construction workers in Phnom Penh are from China, South Korea or Vietnam.

When the Chinese government donated the money to build national roads, bridges or Council of Ministers buliding, they sent their fellow Chinese to work in those construction sites. Why didn't the Cambodian government ask the Chinese government to help Khmer workers to work in those construction sites?

In Phnom Penh, even digging the land to install cables are done by the Chinese.

People have no choice. Please don't just speak, take actions. If you are the real educated people, please join hand to conduct a scientific research to find out why Khmers want to go to work or study in Thailand?

In my opinion, I don't think people want to go to work far from home. They go because they have no choice.

The reason, I shared my experiences about the issue of crossing the border in Poipet and Ban Khlong Luek is because I wanted the world to know that the Thai people look down us Khmers. I wanted the world know how bad the service was provided by the Thai authority in that area. I wanted them to help facilitate Khmers to cross the border smoothly!

WE HAVE NO CHOICE, THAT'S WHY WE GO TO THAILAND!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

If Cambodian want Buddha as national religous, Cambodians should follow Buddha way. If Cambodian think that Thai is bad, Cambodian No need to be bad as Thai.

Anonymous said...

We are not concern about our so call new generation is going to study at overseas including Thailand but we are concern about our so call new generation lack of ability and capacity.

Most of Cambodian is poor but they can manage to study without scholarship, I sell bread in the morning and in the afternoon I went to study until I had graduated from school of Pharmacy. I went to Canada for management school I worked for my own study there I have no family sent me a cent to support my education because my family were terminated by Pol Pot. You are may be a spoiler kid do not to face reality or hardship.

You do not need to go to Western countries to study in order to get a job, most of your generation lack of plan, you follow your friend to study, you did not search the market, how many Cambodian graduand have no job because they study the wrong course which did not offer in Cambodian market, you are looking for office work and high pay. I worked from low pay to high pay; I worked from volunteer to pay work.

Cambodia need a lot of technician in current situation not office work, however if Cambodia became world financial market then office work will be available.

If you get scholarship from Thailand then is good for you because everything was free for you, by comparison to other Cambodian you are so lucky to have this scholarship and why should whinge about.

Minister of Education accept this scholarship for the benefit of Cambodian student like yourself, there nothing wrong with that and you are not wrong with this scholarship also. This day you are not blank paper any more, you can learn and research for yourself and your country because of the advance of technology it make possible, if you still ignore then Vietnamese will swallow your country because of your generation lack of ability to defence and develop your own country. To become developed country you need have a lot of knowledge and knowledge came from research.

If you say you have no choice in Cambodia no one in the world believe you, Cambodia is a land of opportunity, fertile land that our neighbour dream of. Everything happened for the reason but sometime without reason, some people leave Cambodia for Thailand because they hate their wife or their husband they are not starving. Some they think go to Thailand to earn more money and to become rich instead they become slave.

Some people mismanagement for their resources, after Pol Pot everybody have something including land but this people sold them for motorbike and entertainment. We are not poor like Indian or Bangladesh who sold their body part for living but still they do not migrate to her neighbour.

You do not need big land to grow lemongrass you can grow in pot. Cambodia still has a lot of job was broadcast by ADB. You are new generation your job is your priority you are all have to united and make your voices heard by using strike as your tool to make government nervous, you must say loud and clear all bridges and roads and other infrastructures build by borrowing money form China or other country have to employ Cambodian workers otherwise new generation will not pay back.

You do not need to conduct scientific research you choice to go Thailand because of your lifestyle not because Cambodia has nothing to offer you, 14 million of

Anonymous said...

We are not concern about our so call new generation is going to study at overseas including Thailand but we are concern about our so call new generation lack of ability and capacity.

Most of Cambodian is poor but they can manage to study without scholarship, I sell bread in the morning and in the afternoon I went to study until I had graduated from school of Pharmacy. I went to Canada for management school I worked for my own study there I have no family sent me a cent to support my education because my family were terminated by Pol Pot. You are may be a spoiler kid do not to face reality or hardship.

You do not need to go to Western countries to study in order to get a job, most of your generation lack of plan, you follow your friend to study, you did not search the market, how many Cambodian graduand have no job because they study the wrong course which did not offer in Cambodian market, you are looking for office work and high pay. I worked from low pay to high pay; I worked from volunteer to pay work.

Cambodia need a lot of technician in current situation not office work, however if Cambodia became world financial market then office work will be available.

If you get scholarship from Thailand then is good for you because everything was free for you, by comparison to other Cambodian you are so lucky to have this scholarship and why should whinge about.

Minister of Education accept this scholarship for the benefit of Cambodian student like yourself, there nothing wrong with that and you are not wrong with this scholarship also. This day you are not blank paper any more, you can learn and research for yourself and your country because of the advance of technology it make possible, if you still ignore then Vietnamese will swallow your country because of your generation lack of ability to defence and develop your own country. To become developed country you need have a lot of knowledge and knowledge came from research.

If you say you have no choice in Cambodia no one in the world believe you, Cambodia is a land of opportunity, fertile land that our neighbour dream of. Everything happened for the reason but sometime without reason, some people leave Cambodia for Thailand because they hate their wife or their husband they are not starving. Some they think go to Thailand to earn more money and to become rich instead they become slave.

Some people mismanagement for their resources, after Pol Pot everybody have something including land but this people sold them for motorbike and entertainment. We are not poor like Indian or Bangladesh who sold their body part for living but still they do not migrate to her neighbour.

You do not need big land to grow lemongrass you can grow in pot. Cambodia still has a lot of job was broadcast by ADB. You are new generation your job is your priority you are all have to united and make your voices heard by using strike as your tool to make government nervous, you must say loud and clear all bridges and roads and other infrastructures build by borrowing money form China or other country have to employ Cambodian workers otherwise new generation will not pay back.

You do not need to conduct scientific research you choice to go Thailand because of your lifestyle not because Cambodia has nothing to offer you, 14 million of population can survive why can’t you a few.

Anonymous said...

Well, Tho made the right choice, he is smart that's why he got a scholarship to study abroad. Who would want to choose to study in Cambodia and have to pay everything by yourself while you can get a scholarship and study for free in a good foreign university? Tho, did the right thing.

While the commenter above can study at a university without help, not many people can do that, not just in Cambodia, but around the world, others cannot because education is very expensive everywhere.

But I wonder how he can go to study in Canada if, as he said, he is very poor. Did he get a scholarship to study in Canada? If not, then he must be rich because to get a degree from a Canadian university it is not cheap, maybe $30,000-$50,000 depending on what course he study.

But I commend both of you for achieving what you have achieved. You should agree with each other, not agree to disagree.

Anonymous said...

As the country can do for you and you should do for your country.

It took me for 10 years to save enough money for my 1.5 years management course fees in Canada, I worked part time as pharmacy technitian for my living expenses and transportation. I return to Cambodia with deadline visa and I managed to save S500 Canadian dollars to spend in Cambodia, now I work for pharmaceutical company from France, I have my spare time comment on Khmerization, I am partyless but pro Khmer and hate corrupted government Hun Sen.

I used to persuade my boss to give job to Khmer graduated, however they work for the company only one or two months they left they said salary too low ($190 from start when you have 3 years experience salary will increase to $500, up $900 with 7 years experience, $1300with 10 years experiences, they are looking at salary from $500 per month for their degree to start with).

Anonymous said...

How many full scholarship offer by ADB , world bank , full bright , European Union, Japan , South Korea ?

Do you think the background of Cambodian student study at high school is good ?

Anonymous said...

How many student finished high school in every year in Cambodia?

How many student can pass exam or selected to enter University of first year in Cambodia?

You are lucky, You can go to Canada, You can say everything.

Please open mind and give right to the people who haven't got the good chance or lack of education in the general class (primary school + secondary school + high school)...

I believe that discussion is from both way.

For example: We are discussion with topic "Glass factory" . If you don't have knowledge about how to make glass, the material to make glass from where...
How could you debate about "Glass Factory".