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Much has been said in the world's media about the exceptionally heavy rainfall and flooding that has been taking place throughout South East Asia over the past few weeks. The Philippines were very hard hit as they had to deal with two almost back-to-back typhoons.
Here in Cambodia we seem to be luckier in that we are far enough inland, with Vietnam giving us shelter, so we don't receive the full impact of typhoons. However we do get plenty of rain - and that, in a way, is an understatement. This year of 2011 was been the wettest for over ten years with the result that both the Mekong and Tonle Sap Rivers are at their highest for over a decade. Walking beside the rivers this morning I could see the waters are still on the rise.
In the countryside - even just outside the city - huge areas are under water with the result that many, many rice crops have been destroyed. In our second biggest city - Siem Reap - which is the main tourist area because of the Angkor Wat Temple complex, where normally you will find plenty of tourists sitting in coffee shops on the pavement enjoying a break from their sight seeing, today you will find only closed shops and knee-high water running through the entire city.
Statistics show that over one hundred people have died in the floods in the Kingdom and over one thousand animals have also perished. Schools and business in many areas of the Kingdom are closed and will remain so for quite some time.
In spite of all of the above - there is no air of "doom and gloom" in the Kingdom. No whining and crying about the situation but rather an air of "let's deal with it".
The Cambodian people have been through so much turmoil, unrest and disaster over the past 30+ years they have become remarkably resilient and maintain an air of "we will survive". I admire them tremendously. I was talking to one lady from the Province not far from Phnom Penh whose small piece of land is totally submerged and her small rice harvest will now not materialize which in turn means her small income is no more. She said that if this is something that nature sends to them, then they just have to deal with it and make the best of it. And deal with it they do. The smiles are still everywhere, even as they have to wade knee high through the water. The children play in the water and in the rain as if it was the greatest thing. Many of the people here may be poor - but they have faith things will get better and they are resilient to the n-th degree.
Contrary to what people may read overseas in the foreign press, the Government and those in authority here are very concerned about these events and are very quick to help those who have been affected by floods and whose crops have been devastated. Even His Majesty King Sihamoni gets personally involved. He visits all the badly hit areas in the Kingdom bringing food, clothing, money and blankets to those who need them. It is an inspiration to see him not just travelling in a huge motorcade, but striding through the water and the mud and sitting on the floor in the small village wooden houses on stilts talking with the people. The lady with whom I spoke and mentioned above said he is really a "King for the people and comes right into our small homes. That is what helps us feel good in hard times."
Disasters have been many this year - all around the world and who knows there may be more before the year ends. In western countries we tend to moan about them and wait for people to come and help. I am fully aware some people won't like me saying that but it is true. In Cambodia people don't wait - they get on as best they can and deal with their situation. If help comes, then great - but if not, then they deal with it somehow.
I have said it before and I will say it again - the people of this Kingdom - from the King right down the poorest and most humble person, are examples to people everywhere who have to face hardships. Don't just write them off as being "people from the Third World".
