Reflection 2 on Phnom Penh City

This is maybe the last reflection paper that I write in this foundation year for Khmer Studies.  During this foundation year, I am really enjoyed studying Khmer Studies as I could learn about Khmer history, culture, custom, architecture, music, painting, festivals and many more. For this last reflection paper, I choose to write about Phnom Penh city. Phnom Penh city had been mostly destroyed during the 1970s and very few people living in the city during that time (ghost city), whereas, Phnom Penh nowadays is very crowed and much more modernizes than before. Phnom Penh has been the capital city of Cambodia since Angkor Era, but it had been once abandon for 360 years from 1505 to 1865. Later, Khmer king moved the capital city back to Phnom Penh during the French colonize period and it represents as the capital city of Cambodia since then. It has been developed noticeably after the civil war in Cambodia ended.  Below, I will reflect about the improvement of education standard and living condition in this city and the main issue which is happening now in Phnom Penh (land grabbing).

Many people in the countryside in Cambodia are moving to live in Phnom Penh city in order to find a better living standard or education. This illustrates that the living standard and the education system in this city is very good if we compared it to other provinces and cities in Cambodia. I could also see many foreign students studying in Phnom Penh; and many international schools and universities operating each year in this city such as Zaman University (2010). One of my foreign friends told me that he decided to come to study in Phnom Penh because the price of education in this city is much cheaper than his country as well as the price of living. This demonstrates that the education standard and living condition in Phnom Penh is international; together with low price compared to other countries in Europe. I am very proud as I could get an international education standard in my own city or country. However, it will be better if the Cambodia’s government could also develop the education standard and living condition in other provinces or cities in Cambodia as well in order to avoid crowed, which is not good at all. It is rare to see foreign students study at universities or schools outside Phnom Penh city in Cambodia. I can imply that foreign students did not choose to study at other universities or schools at universities or school outside Phnom Penh in Cambodia because the education standard in other provinces and cities in Cambodia is not well developed like in Phnom Penh. Coincidently, it is not safe to have many people just in one city, since there will be more traffic congestions, pollution and crimes. If the Cambodia’s government could improve the education standard and living condition in other provinces and cities, I believe that Phnom Penh will become less crowed, clean, and safe which will  attract more foreigners to visit or study in this city. As more foreigners come to visit or study in this city, it will also improve the economic in this city/country.

For the main issue which is happened nowadays at Phnom Penh city is land grabbing. I could see that many people living in some areas in Phnom Penh city such as Borei Kela and Beoung Kak were forced to move or evict from their homes in order to renovate or develop that areas. Most of the families that were forced to leave their homes in the developing or renovate areas were treated unfairly by the government or private companies which get authority to develop those areas from government. In this respect, they were given improper compensated homes or insufficient household as they have to leave their homes or lands. From this point of view, it shows that the development projects in Phnom Penh are not always good by seeing that a lot of the residents in the developed or renovate areas usually suffer from those projects. The Cambodia’s government should solves this problem as soon as possible since many of the residents in Phnom Penh now is really angry with this issue and there are usually many protestors march around the city recently, which gives a bad eyesight view to the city as Phnom Penh city seems to be unsustainable or in a turmoil. This also leads to the increasing the number of the crimes within this city.

In conclusion, the education standard and living condition in Phnom  Penh has been develop noticeable lately as many universities and schools operates each year in this city. However, the Cambodia’s government should pay more attention to develop the education system and living condition in other parts of the country too in order to avoid many people moving to live in this city which could create many problems such as crimes, pollution, and traffic congestion. Recently, there are a lot of complaints from the residents over the development projects as they have been forced or evict their habitats in order to develop or renovate some areas in Phnom Penh and they were treating unfair as they got improper compensated homes or insufficient households. I suggest that the Cambodia’s government should reconsider about those development projects and treats their residents fairly. Personally, I love to live in Phnom Penh city as this city is much less crowed than any other neighboring countries’ cities such as Bangkok and Ho Chi Min and the people living in this city are very friendly.