Transportation In Cambodia

Transport in Cambodia

AIDS Awareness Month: Combating HIV/AIDS in Cambodia Transport
Roads and Highways
Urban Transport
Rural Transport
Railways
Inland Waterways
Ports and Shipping
Air Transport

As a post-conflict country, Cambodia is struggling to rebuild many of the economic, social, and physical foundations needed to ensure future growth and development. Since 1992 the World Bank has provided the country with technical expertise, more than US$645.2 million in loans and grants, and about US$90 million in trust funds to support efforts to reduce poverty and promote economic growth.

The Bank contributed to the building or rebuilding of rural roads (a major strategic development priority of the Government), and helped to establish guidelines for future transport sector reform through the Road Rehabilitation Project. A transport strategy adopted in 2002 provided some clarification regarding management roles for national, provincial, and rural roads. This has enhanced coordination between the relevant government ministries.
Despite these improvements, the quality of transport infrastructure remains a serious constraint to growth. A road maintenance fund was established in 2002 based on revenues from tax on fuel but an effective mechanism for management of the funds has yet to be established.

It is important that Cambodia continue to invest in its transport infrastructure, and that it looks at methods for ensuring adequate financing and effective delivery of services.
Data on road network condition

Roads and Highways

Cambodia’s road network measures approximately 38,257 km including 4,757 km of national roads and 5,700 km of provincial roads under the responsibility of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, and 27,800 km of tertiary roads under the responsibility of the Ministry of Rural Development.

The network has a major effort at rehabilitation since the mid 1990s. Road condition surveys in 2005 indicate that 40 percent of the network is in good and fair condition, 52 percent in poor condition, and eight percent in bad condition.

Cambodia’s road transport industry is still embryonic and inefficient, reflecting the poor state of the network, years of civil disturbance and comparatively low levels of transport demand. The fleet is fragmented, with only a few groups professionally managed and capable of investing in modern equipment. Most goods are carried on old, overloaded trucks with low levels of utilization. In more isolated regions, goods are transported mainly by motorcycle and animal-drawn vehicles.

There were 84,000 four-wheel vehicles and 248,000 motorcycles registered in 2003, but unregistered vehicles and motorcycles are reported to account for about 20 and 30 percent of the respective fleets, bringing the total to just over 100,000 four-wheel vehicles (about 102,810 light vehicles and 17,880 heavy vehicles) and 326,310 motorcycles. At 0.8 four-wheel vehicles per 100 people, vehicle ownership is very low.


The Cambodia urban transport infrastructure was severely damaged and/or neglected during the years of fighting. In Cambodia, all urban transport is road based and traffic volumes are growing rapidly, especially in Phnom Penh and Siam Reap. Public transport is limited to buses as there are no subways in the country.

There is no formally adopted road and road transport policy in Cambodia, and this particularly affects urban road transport. Phnom Penh has emerging congestion problems and there is a need for a strategic transport policy to set the proper framework. This needs to consider factors such as facilities for non-motorized traffic, the role of rail, and private sector involvement, especially in the area of establishing road tolls. There is also a need to ensure sufficient finance for urban road maintenance as well as paving unpaved roads in urban areas.

Rural Transport

Road traffic levels are also low, suppressed by poor road conditions, low incomes, and a vehicle fleet expanding from a low base. Traffic was grown rapidly since the late 1980’s as these constraints are being removed.

Railways

The Royal Cambodian Railway comprises two single-track main lines of meter gauge which carries passenger and freight traffic. With little traffic using the rail lines, individuals run their own private 'bamboo trains' which are small locally made units for carrying limited passengers and freight.

The rail distance from Phnom Penh to Bangkok was 655 km, however, the line is no longer completed. The Northern line runs from Phnom Penh for 385 km to the Thai border at Poipet. Since 1961, there has been a 15 km gap between the Poipet station and the Thai station of Aranyaprathet. Since the early 1970s the last 48 km from Sisophon to the Thai border has been disused. The Northern line was originally intended to be part of a through route linking Bangkok with Saigon, however, the Cambodia part of the Phnom Penh-Saigon section was never started.

The Southern line connects Phnom Penh to the port of Sihanoukville, about 253 km from Phnom Penh. The line was built between 1960 and 1969 but is not in very good condition at present.



Inland Waterways

Inland waterways include the Mekong and Sab rivers, and Tonle Sap. Phnom Penh is some 100 km from the Vietnam border by river, but the bends of the river prevents the passage of vessels more than 110m long.
Boats up to 150 tonne capacity can be used as far as Kratie. Larger boats can be used at high water. Between Kratie and Stung Treng 50 tonne boats can pass without difficulty in the rainy season but at low water levels the rocky conditions limit passable to smaller vessels of up to 20 tonnes. Above Stung Treng to Veunkham just across the Lao border only small boats can pass some 10-15 tonnes at low water and perhaps 50 tonnes a high water.
In recent years it has been reported that the flows in the Mekong river have been decreasing. This is further constraining river transport on this important artery.

Ports and Shipping

Constructed in the 1950’s and 1960’s, Sihanoukville is the main deep water sea port. The road links between Sihanoukville and the rest of the Cambodia, especially Phnom Penh, have been improved in recent years which have increased the effectiveness of the port activities. Phnom Penh’s port is on the Mekong River so access is through the delta in Vietnam and through Ho Chi Minh City.

Cambodia’s third port is Koh Kong which is situated near the Thailand border. This is only used by smaller vessels.

Farm

Khmer

Cambodia people 75% mostly plant farm.

Cambodia comprises a variety of peoples who are commonly called "Khmer." Many Khmer fled to America in the mid 1970s as a result of the warfare and persecution inflicted by the Khmer Rouge. New Entry

works with Khmer immigrants on its farm sites in Dracut.

Farmer Profile

Visoth Kim

Mr. Visoth, a 2004 graduate of the New Entry training program, harvests produce at his farm in Dracut, MA.

Mr. Visoth Kim worked on his family's farm while growing up in Cambodia. When he came to the U.S. he began backyard gardening and was able to bring some of the produce grown to local markets. He farms his plot at White Gate Farm in Dracut very intensively and uses carefully timed irrigation to get high levels of production. He produces water spinach, amaranth, chili peppers, jalapeño peppers, Japanese eggplant, bitter melon, pumpkin vines and long beans, which he sells at the Lowell Farmers Market and to local restaurants. Mr. Kim has a viable part-time farming operation, has served as a mentor for other Cambodian farmers, and has been invaluable to New Entry because of his role as a leader in the Cambodian community. He is always eager to share his knowledge with other Cambodian farmers and hopes to have his own roadside stand and Cambodian agricultural center in the future.

Country Facts

Most Cambodians consider themselves Khmer, descendants of the Angkor Empire that spread throughout Southeast Asia. After nearly a century under French protection, Cambodia gained full independence in 1953. But in 1975, the Communist Khmer Rouge forces under Pol Pot gained control of the capital, abolished money and private property, and ordered all city residents to the countryside to cultivate the fields. It is estimated that 1.7 million Cambodians died during the next three years, from exhaustion, starvation, torture, or execution. A Vietnamese invasion in 1978 pushed the Khmer Rouge into the countryside, but the few remaining Khmer forces surrendered in 1999. After peaceful elections in 2003 and one year of negotiations, a coalition government was finally established.

Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand
Capital: Phnom Penh
Area: Slightly smaller than Oklahoma with a total area of 181, 040 sq km, Land: 176,520 sq km, Water: 4,520 sq km
Climate: Tropical with a monsoon season
Terrain: Mostly low, flat plains, mountains in the southwest and north
Land Use: Arable land: 20.96%, Permanent crops: 0.61%
Irrigated Land: 2,700 sq km
Environmental Issues: Illegal logging and strip mining for gems have led to habitat loss and declines in biodiversity; soil erosion, overfishing and illegal fishing have led to declining fish stocks
Population: 13,607,069
Life Expectancy: 58.92 years
GDP per capita: $320
Under 5 mortality rate (per 1000 live births): 141
Ethnic Groups: Primarily Khmer with some Vietnamese and Chinese
Languages: Khmer, French, and English
Major Religions: Buddhism

Agriculture

75% of the Cambodian population is engaged in subsistence agriculture. There is very little modern technology involved, including little irrigation. Over 90% of the draught power for land cultivation is provided by oxen and buffalo.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries was put in place in 2000 in order to help increase infrastructure for agriculture. The marketing system is highly underdeveloped and many of the roads were damaged due to the country conflicts.

Agriculture Products: Rice, rubber, corn, vegetables, cashews, and tapioca

Traditional Foods

There are two basic dishes in Cambodia: soup and rice. Soup may include fish, egg, vegetables or meats. Rice is prepared in several ways and provides 68% of daily caloric intake. Seafood and fish are common in addition to vegetables and fruits. Soy products, mung bean sprouts, and bitter melon are also common.

Grilled freshwater fish, wrapped in lettuce or spinach and dipped into a nutty fish sauce, is particularly special.

Coriander, mint and lemon grass are three flavors which find their way into many Cambodian dishes.
The French influence in Cambodian is illustrated in the bread, baked turtles, and frog legs that can be found in the market. Cambodia eats the most bread of any of the Southeast Asian countries.

Foods for special occasions: Num Ansom: cylinder cake, Non Kaom: sweet, coconut sticky rice cake,
Samlaw Misuor: noodle soup.

People and Farm

The People in the farm doing their job

The Princess Golden Voice Singer

Ros Sereysothea was the greatest Cambodian female singer that ever

lived. She had a powerful and electrifying voice with a haunting, bell-like quality that resonates in the ears and in the soul.

Sothea was a tiny woman, standing only five feet tall, but she had a voice like an amplifier and she rarely needed a microphone. During her extraordinary career she performed thousands of wonderful songs in almost every imaginable genre.

Unfortunately, we know little of her life story except through the
beautiful music that she left behine. The little that we know tells us
that herlife was filled with heartache and that it ended in tragedy. She was a victim, like so many others during those years, but her golden

voice lives on. Ros Sereysothea’s birth name was Ros Sothea. She was born in 1948 to a country family in a small village in Battambong. Like many poor Cambodians, Sothea had a childhood defined by hardship. While accounts vary, it is generally agreed upon that Sothea's family could not afford to send her to school, and that she grew up not knowing how to read or write Khmer.

In her teens, she and her family began to make a living by performing as a traditional peasant band. Sothea and her brother Serey sang while the rest of her family played the music. They performed daily throughout the small villages of Battambong, and while they didn't earn a lot of money, and they occasionally struggled, the music did provide food for the family._____
Slowly their reputation grew. Sothea’s talent was obvious and her brother was also quite popular, and audiences were coming to see the family band. Apparently the band had a name, (since lost to history) but the people came to know them as “Serey-Sothea”, naming the band after its two featured singers.

At the same time that "Serey-Sothea" was winning over people while touring through Battambong province, the Cambodian music industry based in Phnom Penh was experiencing rapid growth and producing Cambodia's first real music "stars". When word got out to the villages that musicians and singers were making real money in Phnom Penh, Serey and Sothea were encouraged to go to the big city to seek their fortunes. They had nothing to lose, so Sothea and her brother made the move south to the capital city.

They arrived in Phnom Penh with no connections, and they started performing for free during the spotlight nights at the local clubs. After just their first night, the two were hired by one of the clubs to be their regular singers. The two of them continued to perform and get work at some of the other clubs around town, and Sothea quickly became a success.

The little girl from the village not only had a marvelous voice, she was also very charming and vibrant. Her beautiful and irresistible laugh would put a smile on your face and give you goose bumps simultaneously.

Her popularity grew across the capital and she began to work as a solo act, attracting growing crowds. The popular female artists at that time were good, but Sothea was something different. She captivated men and women when they heard her sing. Her voice could not only delight audiences, but also bring heavy tears to their eyes and sorrow to their souls. When she opened her mouth and sang her heart out, audiences were breathless.

With Sothea's immense talent, she had eclipsed her brother in both fame and popularity. She decided to break out on her own, but to keep making music under the name "Sereysothea" as a tribute to brother. Around this same time, Sereysothea's popularity sparked the attention of Phnom Penh record producers. She officially changed her name and signed her first record contract - soon her music could be heard on radios across Cambodia. She had her first hit around 1967 with the song "Stung Khieu".

During the following years, from the late 1960s to the mid 1970s, Ros Sereysothea produced some amazing music, classics in many genres. She even starred in a few films. It was during these years, the hay-day of Sereysothea's professional life, that King Norodom Sihanouk gave her the title, “Preah Rheich Teany Somlang Meas", the "Golden Voice of the Royal Capital" It was the first time the king
had given any singer such an honor.
During this time a new sound was emerging in the capital, led by the famed
male singer Sinn Sisamouth, the Elvis of Cambodia. He and Sereysothea developed a great professional relationship and would colaborate often, each the reigning king and queen of Cambodian pop music.

The two worked with other Cambodian musicians of the time to create what today is sometimes called Cambodian psychedelic rock or garage rock._____Influenced by western Rythm & Blues, Rock n' Roll and music from Latin America that Cambodians were hearing on US Armed Forces Radio during the Vietnam War, this new sound was a truly unique creation of the Phnom Penh music scene in the 60's and 70's. This new Cambodian rock music replaced and supplemented the instruments of traditional Khmer music with western style rock and roll bands. This hybrid music was a perfect fit for Sothea's high, clear voice; when coupled with bands featuring prominent, distortion-laden lead guitars, pumping organ and loud, driving drums, the result made for an intense, fun, sometimes haunting sound.

A characteristic of this new Cambodian rock is the often contradictory relationship between a song's lyrics and its music. Misery soaked lyrics of broken hearts and doomed fates are wailed out, all set to exuberant party tunes. The translation to Ros Sereysothea's "Have You Seen My Love" reads "I drink until I get drunk, But I can't seem to get drunk, The sky is all black, Love has wings to fly." Sothea belts out these mysterious and melancholy lyrics with a voice that is both joyous and anguished, grating and uplifting. In the background, the band gets the people moving with a funky, fun and upbeat dance groove.While Sothea’s career and the Cambodian music scene were thriving, Sothea was not at all happy in her personal life. During a Cambodian media interview in the late 1990’s, her living son mentioned that when his mother was alive, she constantly reminded him not to be a singer like her because she been through so much bitterness.

Her songs are proof enough that Sereysothea understood the misery and sourness that life can provide. When she cries in her songs, you can actually feel the sorrow that she is holding inside, a pure and beautiful expression of the pain coming from the depths of her heart.____

Sothea was never content with her love life. Being a female singer, she didn’t get much respect from her lovers. For a woman, singing was considered a sleazy profession by many. “Selling her voice” taints a woman in a way, making a part of her a public good, and thus diminishing her purity and value. But a beautiful woman with a beautiful voice is always appealing to men, and Sothea had several relationships, the most publicized of which with a son of the owner of the Preah Chhann Pign Vorng Theater in Phnom Pehn.

In the late 60's Sothea was married for a time to a Cham singer, Suos Mat. Apparently Suos was insanely jealous of her success and of the men who came to watch her perform, and is said to have beaten her savagely. The two divorced in the early 70's. Later, Sothea had perhaps her most fullfilling romantic relationship with a high-ranking army parachutist working for the Lon Nol government. While invovled with him, Sothea herself joined the army and even did some parachuiting. Unfortunately, this happy time was short lived - sometime before 1975 her boyfriend was killed in combat.

Up until 1975, Sothea continued to perform and record music in the still thriving Cambodian music scene. In April of that year it all ended when the Khmer Rouge marched into Phnom Penh. Along with everyone else, Sothea was forced out of the cities and into the Khmer Rouge worksites. There are several live witnesses who have described living and working together with Ros Sereysothea during the Pol Pot regime. Mrs. Tiv Heng, who is a resident of Kompung Speu province and Mr. Yim Sambath, a government official in Soriya Ordei Khan in Reusei Keo, are two people among others who were at the same worksite as Sothea. These two have told us something about Sothea's life during those horrible years.

According to Heng, Sothea was forced to live at the Phnom Sruorch, Kompung Speu work site, where the people were forced to work on irrigation projects. When the singer arrived as a "new person" the villagers did not recognize her, so she managed to keep her identity a secret.

But later on, as more people from Phnom Penh were moved to the site, she was recognized. In an interview Tiv Heng said, "Earlier people did not believe that she was Sothea - I was really happy. I think that if people don’t believe that, Sothea could avoided being killed. But later, the news about Sothea... was heard all the way to Angkar."_____

After discovering her identity, the Khmer Rouge leaders made Sothea sing songs that celebrated the new regime and reminded the people to work harder. Often, she would perform these songs in front of fairly large groups of people. In his interview, Mr. Sambath described such an occasion - "When Sothea was asked to sing in a meeting in the old town, I saw her sing in front of hundreds of people in front of the microphone together with a person playing Tro."_____"The song had the rhythm of "Anija Khmayng Komprea" (Sympathizing with an Orphan Child)." Sambath tells us that Sothea's singing "made the whole audience including myself fill with sadness, including the pain that Pol Pot had put on us." When she wasn't singing, Sothea was required to work at digging irrigation ditches like everyone else in the camp. Tiv Heng said that during the time she was in the lady group with Sothea, Tiv used to listen to her songs very often.____She noticed that Sothea had a lyric book full of revolutionary songs. Tiv Heng goes on to tell us "I know that Sothea wanted to sing the old... songs, but she would not dare since Angkar had forbidden that." _____ _____Even though she could sing, she wasn’t allowed to sing the songs that she loved, and she was only permitted to sing during celebrations and meetings organized by Angkar.

While the songs that Sothea was forced to perform during those years were simply propoganda, the listeners declared that her voice was superbly attractive. For a short time, Sothea's incredible voice made them forget about the pain that was created by the revolution.

In 1977, Sothea was forced by Pol Pot to marry one of his assistants. Sothea was unhappy with the marriage, and the couple quarreled often. Mrs. Tiv Heng has described this new husband as a very jealous person. She says that "Sothea told me directly that her husband abused her because he was jealous that she went to sing to other people. As she arrived home, he hit her."Sothea and her new husband's violent relationship was causing disturbances at the work site, and eventually the problem came to the attention of the sub district leader, who investigated the situation. It was decided that Angkar didn't need Sothea or her family. Tiv Heng says that she and the others thought "it was because of Sothea’s husband that Sothea and her family were killed."

It is unclear whether the couple's relationship was to blame, or if Sothea's husband had some other dispute with Angkar. Either way, it was known locally that Sothea had gone missing from the irrigation building site in 1978. Like countless others, Sothea had simply disapeared. Mr. Yim Sambath describes, "When the town people had not heard Sothea sing any more, they suspected that she could be dead." _____ Tiv Heng explains that "Some people said that they had seen Sothea riding on a cow cart with her family through Jeum Sangkae road to a new town.

People were happy that she moved to a new town, but I never saw people who moved out to the new town return. In fact, I believed that those who were taken by Angkar to the new town were killed. Later, I heard from town people that Sothea was taken to be killed in the south forest in Trorphaung Phlong."We have a varying account of Ros Sereysothea's death that comes from one of her surviving sisters. She claims to have knowledge that Sothea was seen in a Phnom Penh hospital, where she was severely malnourished. According to her account, Ros Sereysothea died in that Phnom Penh hospital just weeks before the Vietnamese invasion.

____In the wake of Pol Pot's genocidal rule, Sothea's music survived only on rare bootlegged cassette tapes and vintage vinyl kept hidden during the Communist years. The fact that many Cambodians held onto their copies of these classic songs, despite the risk to their own lives, is a powerul tribute to the love that the Khmer people have for Sothea and the other great musicians of the era. Today, these recordings are gaining exposure through reissues and compilations in Cambodia and abroad, and now over the internet in the form of MP3s. _____Classic Cambodian rock music, including songs by Sothea, Sinn Sisamouth and others, has been featured on the soundtrack to Matt Dillon's film "City of Ghosts".

Currently in production, the film "Don't Think I've Forgotten" documents the Cambodian rock scene during the 60's and 70's. "The Golden Voice", a short film about the end of Ros Sereysothea's life, has been accepted to the Beverly Hills Film Festival, and is now available on DVD. The Los Angeles based band Dengue Fever plays in the style of the classic Cambodian rock bands and covers some Ros Sereysothea songs. Check out the links section below for more information.

_____People who understand the Khmer language will want to visit our videos section to see an interview with Ros Sereysothea's two sisters._____(Thanks to g0ldenchild and Jatikhmer for most of this biography)