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June 07, 2006
Busy, busy, busy!
The details have fallen into place for the rest of our time in Cambodia, and I can't even begin to describe how busy we are! Looking at my daily planner, I can count four "blank" days before we leave on June 30th to go to Thailand.
For starters, this week, we've met with UNHCR to learn about the history of its operations in Cambodia. In an hour, we're going to the CARE office to meet with their staff. And tomorrow, we're going to the MSF office here in Phnom Penh for another meeting! And on Friday afternoon, we're travelling again to Kandal Province to visit a women's prison, to do interviews and photographs.
On Saturday morning, Emma and I, along with two people from the DC-Cam staff, are driving up to Stung Treng (Northeastern Cambodia) to stay with the sister of one of the DC-Cam staffers. From there, we'll make trips into the two most remote provinces in Cambodia: Rattanakiri (near Laos) and Mondulkiri (near Vietnam.) They're so remote that the two provinces, sharing a border, aren't even connected by a road, which is why we have to use Stung Treng as our base. The provinces are inhabited by indigenous hill tribes and are covered by dense jungle.
There, we will be conducting interviews, as well as meeting with NGO's doing development work in these areas. So far, I have a confirmed meeting with ADHOC (Cambodia Human Rights and Development Association), and I'm hoping to get a meeting with CARE up there too. It will be quite the adventure.
When we get back on the 15th, we have to prepare for an important meeting with David Chandler, perhaps the most famous author/expert on Cambodian history, on the 16th. This was all set up by Youk Chhang, who is far too good to us.
Between the 16th-18th, Emma and I will be attending the UNHCR-run film festival for World Refugee Day, as several films will be pertaining to the Khmer Rouge genocide.
On the 19th, we leave for Siem Riep to see Angkor Wat, and from there we go to Battambang Province. We return to Phnom Penh on the 23rd for a few days of relaxation, which probably means spending long hours in the DC-Cam office trying to get as much information as possible before we leave.
Oh, and one more thing. Emma and I recently found out there we're neighbors with Ieng Sary, Brother #3 of the former Khmer Rouge. He lives on the same street as us, just a few houses down. In the last few days of our trip, Emma and I are going to ring his doorbell and try and meet him. We'll see how that goes!
Posted by laraf at June 7, 2006 11:05 PM