Yesterday we looked at a Cambodian film, I Am Super Student,
which has become an unlikely hit in the kingdom. This quirky title
belies its heavy theme: teenage drug addiction in Phnom Penh. While the
slickly produced film may tell a compelling story, lightened by a few
laughs, the movie’s premise is sadly rooted in reality: Cambodia has a
drug problem.
While large chunks of Southeast Asia have had to grapple with drug
abuse, due to geography Cambodia is unfortunately something of a
crossroads through which a myriad of highly addictive, life threatening
substances routinely pass.
“The manufacture, trafficking and use of illicit drugs through Cambodia
continue to grow, as the production particularly in Southern Shan State
in Burma triggers a spill over effect in surrounding countries,”
Olivier Lermet from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Phnom Penh told The Diplomat.
“In recent years, Cambodia has become a growing transit location in the
Asia Pacific region and is being increasingly targeted as a potential
producing base.” Read the full article at The Diplomat.
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