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News From the Jungle

It has been quite a while since I updated this blog. I thought now, with the 3rd Wave on us, would be a good time : HANDLING THE 3RD WAVE…

I sit here in Cambodia, hopefully isolating my wife and myself from the 3rd wave of Covid-19. The country shut itself down in 2020, containing the few cases. By December there had been less than 500 cases of Covid in the entire country. Then the variants entered the picture. Far more contagious, they spread like wildfire in Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh. Then they broke out into the rural provinces. By the time I post this there will most likely be more than 10,000 confirmed cases; and they’ve been found in every province. Lockdowns, testing and quarantines will slow the spread, but what Cambodia needs is vaccines. So far only 8% of the populace has received a ‘jab’. In our family of NGOs, comprised of about 50 people, only one person has received her jab. Most of the vaccines here arrive from China. But the Chinese vaccine can be given only to those under 60 years of age. Those over 60 need the Astra Zeneca. The Astra Zeneca vaccine provided to Cambodia by Covax is manufactured in India. While Cambodia is expecting 7mm doses, it appears the situation in India may significantly reduce that number. Cambodia has purchased vaccines, and has more on order. They are not available in the numbers needed. And Cambodia is not alone. Dozens of countries around the world are waiting, while thousands die daily. China has provided vaccines to 80 countries around the world as well as 3 international organizations. China and India have been the two countries providing most of the available product to smaller, poorer countries. Some are gifted, and some are sold. There is just not enough available to meet current demand. This pandemic is a global catastrophe. The worst of our lifetime. It will not end with individual countries hoarding vaccines and giving them out to their citizens only. My country, the United States, promised billions of dollars to Covax so they could distribute vaccines around the world. A con job of massive proportions. There are no vaccines available to buy, so how do you share. Do a short google search to find out which countries have locked up the supplies. It’s not the poor ones. The US has purchased enough vaccine to inoculate its entire population 4 times, the UK: 4 times; Australia: nearly 3 times, the EU: 2.5 times, and Canada has purchased enough vaccine to inoculate each Canadian 7 times. The United States is sitting on tens of millions of doses of Astra Zeneca, which is not even approved for use in America.

China is providing vaccines to all its citizens residing in Cambodia. I asked the American Embassy if vaccines would be provided for American citizens living here and was told “no”; that we needed to depend on the Cambodian government system to provide us with inoculations. Cambodia will provide vaccines at no charge to all foreign nationals. Jabs will be provided by the Cambodian government as supplies and distribution permit.

The statistics show that as vaccinations increase, the number of people in hospital, and deaths, decrease. None of this is done alone. We’re going to beat this virus by working together to defeat it. I spoke to a girl’s school in Japan a few years ago. A Christian school. One of the students asked me if I was Cambodian. It stopped me for a moment before I said “Yes, and I’m also Japanese, and Russian, and German and Chinese and American. You begin each day with the Lord’s Prayer. The very first line says, ‘Our father, who art in heaven’”. I asked her if she believed that. Shaking her head yes, I told her “Then you are my sister, and I am your brother. If your brother falls, you pick him up.” That’s what we need to do: pick each other up. Give a hand to those who need it. Share the vaccine. Share whatever is needed. A good friend told me we need to take care of our own first. This pandemic doesn’t recognize borders, racial differences are irrelevant. It kills everyone equally and with no prejudice. We need to fight it together, wherever we find it. We’re all in this together. Babu

“No man is an island...every mans death diminishes me for I am involved in mankind. Therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee.” John Donne

News From the Jungle

Dealing with Covid- par deux December 9, 2020 - Siem Reap, Cambodia

The first community outbreak happened late last month. another community outbreak, probably related to the first, was traced to a store in Phnom Penh. More than 11,000 people have been tested. The Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh has been designated a testing center. Every employee of the Ministry of the Interior is quarantining and being tested. Less than 4 dozen cases identified so far, but the Nov 28 Event was from a family of 6, so ... This has been a real wake-up call to a lot of people. We’ve been quite lucky here. We’ve ‘dodged the bullet’ so far. The government has been very aggressive in fighting the pandemic, and successful. But .... when the recent event happened.... Schools in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap are closed; public schools are closed until early January; private schools are close until next week. Groups of more than 20 are banned, karaoke clubs, and gyms are closed. We are hoping to restart our food distribution program later this month. We have purchased an additional 20 tons of rice, but we cannot repack it until crowd restrictions are lifted. On a very good note: the government announced that vaccines would be given out for free. Some vaccines will be provided by donor nations. Australia has promised some. At this juncture I don’t know who else is going to donate. The government put out a call for donations to help buy vaccines from the manufacturers.

In 24 hours a nation of 16,000,000 people raised $30,000,000 to buy vaccines for their citizens.

Yesterday Prime Minister Hun Sen called on the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Economy and Finance to talk to development partners if there were insufficient funds to purchase the vaccines.

As soon as the announcement was made, business people started making donations and posting what they had given. Money was donated by businesses, NGOs, wealthy Khmers and everyday people. Cambodian Self Help Demining raised $200 from the demining teams and office staff. Jill and I donated. We felt it was the least could do to help.

I don’t think I’ve heard of this kind of money being raised, anywhere in the world by citizens, for the government. It is a testament to the way this country has come together to fight this virus.

If you want to donate, contact me and I will give you the ABA Bank account number for donations.

Remember, we’re all in this together. Be careful out there.

News From the Jungle

A Challenging Week

Over the weekend Cambodia experienced its first case of community transmission of Covid. We’ve been very lucky here, The government jumped on this hard and fast in March, prohibiting travel across provincial boundaries during Khmer New years, testing everyone who came into the country and quarantining anyone on a flight that had a positive case. Now everyone who comes in is quarantined. Last week a woman tested positive. She had not traveled out of the country. But she had traveled extensively in the country, gone shopping at the mall and done all those things any of us might do here. She fell ill and went for the test. Ultimately all of her family members, 6 in total, tested positive. Contact tracing began immediately. Security cameras at the mall were checked, anyone she had come into contact with was tested. The staff in the stores and restaurants she visited were tested. Her husband, a government official, had attended a number of official events. 8,766 people were tested between 29 November and 2 December. So far only a couple of dozen have tested positive, but all will be tested multiple times and are in 14 day quarantine. Including the Prime Minister. For the second time. Phnom Penh and Siem Reap have closed all public schools for the rest of the year. Private schools are closed for 2 weeks. All KTVs, gyms, museums, and athletic events are closed. No meetings of more than 20 are allowed. It is a ghost town in Siem Reap. People are staying in. There is no traffic on the streets. We have stopped packaging rice and food. We need 20-30 people to get it done. We want to be safe. We’ve distributed to one village. They came and picked up the rice and food. The message from the government was simple: “[Community transmission] is what we are most concerned about. It demands that we operate quickly and on a large scale. This is not the time to blame each other and it is not the time to shift the blame onto this person or that person. It is the time for solidarity,” he said.

“Cambodia can either control the situation or it cannot, within the next 15 days. This is a critical time for concerted efforts of the government and the people.

“If the government alone works to get through this tough time, and the people don’t join the effort, it will not be successful,” he added.

We’re all in this together. Let’s not forget that.

www.landmine-relief-fund.com

Thanksgiving 2020

It has certainly been a year like nothing we have experienced. And I hope to never see another like it. Covid has decimated this country, destroying lives. It makes no difference if you are Khmer or Barang. Covid is a completely non-discriminatory visitor. Let’s just hope we can end this scourge.

On a brighter note it has, in many cases, brought out the best in us. We have found few here who have not reached out to help their neighbors. When we repackage food many of those helping don’t have enough to eat themselves. When we deliver food, I’ve seen children running to help the elderly. There has never been a rush to get to the rice. No one pushes. No one shoves. People give up their share, quietly, for those in greater need. The message we try to deliver is a simple one: we are all together in this struggle. We are all family on this little rock. And we help family. I’ve carried a quote from John Donne with me for nearly 60 years: No man is an island ... any mans death diminishes me for I am involved in mankind. Therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee.

I carried this quote in my wallet, tucked in a corner and forgotten. I had it written down when I carried a notebook everywhere I went. I had it on the front page of my journal in those odd days I wrote poetry to stay sane. Now it is the signature on my emails.

Be safe this Thanksgiving. Wear a mask to save someone else's life. If wearing a mask is the worst thing that’s ever happened to you, give thanks. You’re one of the lucky few in the world. From us here in Cambodia, to everyone, everywhere remember we are all brothers and sisters.

News From the Jungle

Friday 20 November 2020

How are the locals dealing with the collapse of tourism? That’s a question I get asked a lot by my friends. There is no simple answer. I know people who are dealing with it well, and I know people who are struggling mightily. Siem Reap, home of Angkor Wat, lives and dies on the tourist trade. Tourism is down 98% from 2019. At $37 a ticket that’s a loss nearly $70,000,000 a year. That doesn’t count all the money those tourists spend on tuk tuks, hotels, food, drinks and souvenirs. People are reaching the point where they are selling their homes to have money to buy food. Rentals are available, and very negotiable.

Hotels and Restaurants First of all, you need to understand the impact of the problem. 90% of the hotels and guest houses in Siem Reap are closed. And we had over 600 of them. Some of the Khmer owned guest houses have managed to stay open because they are family owned, family operated and fully paid for. Their ‘breakeven’ is food and utilities. The bigger hotels and guesthouses are staying open for Khmer holidays, and we are getting a good number of tourists here for those. We were very crowded for Khmer New Year 2.0 in August. There were thousands here for Pchumben, and a fair group here for Water Festival. Our next holiday is Traditional New Year. As for the 5 Star Hotels, only couple are open right now. The rest closed st the beginning of Covid and are still shuttered. It’s estimated that 70% of the restaurants in Siem Reap are closed or operating on a part time basis. i know one restaurant that used to be open 09:00 - 22:00 and was always crowded. Now they open 9:00 - 18:00. They have distanced their tables and encourage you to sit outside. The profit they make, after cost of food and utilities, is split evenly among the workers. About half the staff has been let go.

There was an article in the paper yesterday talking about restaurant owners relocating from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh. I’ve seen that myself. A friend owns a popular Greek restaurant in town. He just opened one in Phnom Penh and its doing very well.

Tuk Tuks and PassApps (Tuk Tuk: top photo PassApp: bottom photo) The people hit the worst have been the tuk tuk and PassApp drivers. Tuk tuk drivers are the preferred transport for tourists. They are part of the culture of Angkor and everyone loves riding around town in them. PassApps are a lot cheaper and the preferred ‘taxi’ of locals. When we take a PassApp it’s about half the cost of tuk tuks. With no tourists here, the tuk tuk drivers have, for the most part, parked their tuks and found other work. Many are working on the road improvement program the government has going. More on that later. PassApps seem to be more readily available than tuks today, but a lot of the PassApp drivers are selling their vehicles. Many have been repossessed by banks that gave out loans for the vehicles because there is just not much business. There is no dearth of used PassApps for sale. I did a quick survey and it seems you can get a used one for $1400 - $1800. A new one costs abut $4,500. A tuk tuk on the other hand costs under $2,000 new, and I helped a friend completely rebuild his old one for $700. I know one PassApp driver who is making about $3.50 a day. That’s about $100 a month. Not enough to feed a single person, much less a family, which most of these guys have.

And then last night I saw a Chinese guy driving a tuk. It’s very unusual to see non-Khmers, or women driving tuk tuks. What’s being done to help Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia, It’s home to 2,000,000 people; about 13% of the population of the country. While it certainly makes a lot of money off tourists, it doesn't live and die on tourism. It is the home of the government, international corporations are located there and, while many of the big hotels are hurting, few have closed. The major impact is concentrated in Siem Reap, and that’s where most of the effort is going to help. The government recognizes that this virus will impact us for some time. It’s been estimated that tourist numbers may not be ‘back to normal’ for another 2-3 years. I don’t think we will see tourists returning in number until 2022 at least. Beautifying the city: The government has implemented a $150,000,000 road improvement program in Siem Reap. They will be adding paved bike paths inside the park and making a huge effort to make the city more accommoding to tourists. They want Siem Reap looking great when tourists return. There is going to be a huge contest to get tourists and Cambodia wants to be ready.

The road work is sort of a mini WPA (Works Projects Administration from the1930s in the USA that built dams, roads and buildings across America). I know a lot of tuk tuk drivers who have parked their tuks and taken construction jobs. They are not selling their tuks. They know that when the tourists return, they’ll want a tuk tuk to take them around town and to see the temples. Tickets to Angkor Park: The government started selling 6 month passes for the temples to expats who have a 6 month or 1 year visa. The expat community has been asking for this for years. It’s never been available. It costs Jill and I $74 to visit the temples for a day (2 single passes). So we went once or twice a year. As soon as the 6 month pass was made available we bought them. We’ve been to the temples many times in the last 6 months. Tomorrow we go renew the pass for another 6 months. This program brought in a lot of needed funds to the Apsara Authority, the ministry that manages Angkor Park. Taxes. Cambodia is catching up to the rest of the world in collecting taxes. Every business and NGO has to report monthly, with receipts for all expenses. It’s an online system and works pretty well. The government decided not to introduce capital gains taxes this year. Many people, as mentioned, are selling their homes to have money to live on. Cambodia went through a version of this in 2008 -2010 with the GFC (Global Financial Crisis). People stopped traveling and it took 18 months for the tourists to return. This is going to be far worse.

COVID The Covid crisis has been handled well here. We’ve had around 300 cases and no deaths. Quite a scare this month when the Foreign Minister from Hungary visited and tested positive on his return to Bangkok. Over 1,000 people put into quarantine from direct and indirect contact. But any ‘spread’ was stopped. Cambodia, like the rest of the world will survive this, but its going to be a long, difficult road. The Together Project We are still giving out food. We’ve given out over 125 tons so far and will be purchasing another 20 tons next month. This weekend we’ll be repackaging 5+ tons of rice and 2 tons of added foodstuffs. None of this is done alone.

I end all my emails with a quote from John Donne: Any man’s death diminishes me for I am involved in mankind....Therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee. We are all brothers and sisters on this little rock. Support our work at: www.landmine-relief-fund.com/donate/

News From the Jungle

Monday 16 November 2020

Well, the good news is it looks like the rain may have stopped. It’s a cloudy Monday morning right now, but it doesn’t look like rain, and the forecast is not calling for rain. We have 24 schools we’ve built. Every one of them need school supplies. We cannot deliver until the roads dry out. More than half the schools we support are unreachable. So we wait. while we wait we are buying and preparing the suppies for distribution. My house is surrounded by rice fields, a couple of hectares (5 acres) at least. While it hasn't rained in about 5 days the water is still nearly half a meter (18 inches) deep. The water buffalo and our dogs love it, but I’ll be happy when things are dry again. We were supposed to have 160 bags of rice, 8 tons, delivered yesterday so we could repack for the rest of the month. We’ve a pretty serious Covid scare here; nearly 1,000 people in quarantine. All were exposed directly or indirectly to 1 Hungarian diplomat who came for a visit. Te PM ordered all schools closed in Phnom Penh and Kandal Provinces, all museum shut down and all entertainment venues and gyms closed indefinitely. And if you go shopping you have to wear a mask. If you don’t have one, shops are handing them out for free.

We decided to hold off on packing for a couple of weeks. 30 or 40 people crammed onto my driveway, even with masks, was not a good idea. We’ll wait until nearer the end of the month. The Landmine Museum is still closed. As I mentioned, the government ordered all museums in the country closed. Aki Ra was in the process of getting his paperwork in order to reopen the museum. The paperwork process is still ongoing, and we hope the museum can open soon. If not, it may have to close indefinitely. Our charity has been donating money since March. Donations need to end at the end of the year. We need help over here. I’m seldom this blunt, but we need every penny we can raise. Without it our food program stops. We are feeding around 1,500 families a month; people who desperately need help. $20 will provide 200 servings of rice, 20 noodle bags, sugar, salt, fish and soy sauce. www.landmine-relief-fund.com/donate/

News From The Jungle

November 12 2020

Siem Reap Cambodia

COVID SITUATION

Covid came here, like everywhere else, about 9 months ago. Being a small country we were all concerned, once we realized it was for real, that it would quickly spread to every village in the country. That didn’t happen. The government jumped on it quickly, locking down, restricting travel and asking everyone to wear a mask.

It worked. Out of 219 countries in the world, Cambodia is 188th, with only 301 reported cases and no deaths. Almost all the cases here came from people traveling back to the country from elsewhere. Community transmission has been virtually nil.

Last week we had the “November 3 Incident”. The Minister of Foreign Affairs from Hungary visited Cambodia. He met with the PM, his wife, The Minister of Sports, people from 2 provincial education departments, one karate club, six public schools and 10 private schools. The minister tested positive for Covid-19 when he returned to Bangkok.

About 900 people were in direct or indirect contact with this one man. 265 were tested for covid as of 11 November. All tests have been negative so far. all results are not due until today. All are in quarantine, including the PM.

Schools are closed in Phnom Penh and Kandal Provinces, 2 million masks are being released to be given at no charge to needy people, Museums, KTV clubs`, nightclubs, gyms and beer gardens were all closed across the country

The Cambodia Landmine Museum is awaiting re-certification from the government and had planned on opening in November. Because of the November 3 Incident it is unsure when it can re-open. There is worry that the Museum is in jeopardy of permanent closure due to lack of funds. The Landmine Relief Fund, our American charity, has been donating money to the museum since March. It is doubtful the LMRF can continue to make donations beyond December. We are asking Aki Ra’s supporters from around the world to donate to the Museum’s bank account at ABA Bank in Siem Reap.

Bank ABA Bank

Swift code: ABAAKHPP ACCOUNT NUMBER: 001 792 209

ACCOUNT NAME: CAMBODIAN LANDMINE MUSEUM

THE TOGETHER PROJECT

Covid has devastated the economy of Siem Reap. 90% of the hotels in town are closed, restaurants are holding on by their fingertips and ticket sales are off at Angkor Wat by 98% from last year.

In April we sat down with the Rural Schools Support Organization, the NGO that has built 24 schools in Cambodia, and talked about how we could help. We decided to give out food to those impacted by the Covid Economy.

So far we have distributed over 135 tons of food to those in need.

Our food distribution is organized through the commune and village chiefs in Siem Reap Province. We are concentrating here because these are the people most impacted by the collapse.

We buy rice from local rice mills. It’s delivered to our house in 50k (110 lbs) bags. We then repackage it into 10k (22 lbs) bags. We also give out bags of food: 10 noodle packs, bottles of fish and soy sauce, sugar and salt. Each gift pack of rice and food is about $9. We’ve given out tens of thousands.

And it’s all done from donations. But those donations are swiftly dwindling and we are looking at having to end the program at the end of the year. We want to continue.

We are looking at continuing the program in a different manner. We want to start helping people build community gardens and help villages put up hydroponic tents to grow food for themselves and to sell. To do his we are working with the Royal University of Agriculture in Phnom Penh.

Please look at supporting the Landmine Relief Fund at the end of the year. All the money goes to help those in need and to cover the cost of running the programs here. We support the RSSO. They have 3 paid employees. All Khmer. Packaging is done by a dedicated crew of local expats, who can carry 50k bags of rice on their shoulders all morning, and about 40 local kids and adults, Khmers and foreigners, who show up all day to help re-pack the rice and food. And they do it for free. The youngest volunteer is 5. The oldest about 73.

I once spoke at a Methodist junior high school outside Cambodia. During the q & a at the end, one of the girls asked me if I was Cambodian. I thought for a minute and said “Yes, I am; and I'm also Japanese, and American, Russian and French, English and Chinese.” She looked confused, so I said “You start each day here with the Lord’s Prayer. What is the first line?” She said “Our Father who art in Heaven.” I asked her if she believed that. She shook her head yes, and I said, “Then I am your brother, and you are my sister.”

We do this because our brothers and sister need help.

www.landmine-relief-fund.com/donate/

News From The Jungle

Food distribution to those in need began in earnest this week. On Monday we distributed nearly 4 tons of rice at Wat Damnak in downtown Siem Reap. On Friday we distributed nearly 3 tons at Wat Thmey and village inside Angkor Park.

In between we delivered food to tuk tuk drivers in town, who have no business, or little business with all the tourists gone. We delivered in some of the surrounding villages. A lot was given away to people picking through garbage cans and begging on the street.

Times are difficult here. This town lives and breathes on the tourist industry. Today there is NO tourist industry. People are working hard to appeal to the domestic market. There are a lot of local Khmers and expats who have yet to travel around the country. And if you can do it, now is the tie to visit Angkor Wart. My wife and I bought tickets last week and it was amazing. There was no one there. a wonder for tourism. Frightening for tourism.

But right now people are doing whatever they can to get enough money to feed their family.

Today is Sunday, and we have about a dozen people sitting on the lobby floor at a closed hotel packing bags of noodles, fish sauce, soy sauce, salt and sugar. These are given away along with 10 kilos of uncooked rice when we do our distributions. The oldest is 72. The youngest is 4.

All of this is done through donations. From people around the world.

This is about us, you and I, helping those in need. No name calling, no insults, no blame. Just one person helping another.

Become part of the solution: www.landmine-relief-fund.com

News From The Jungle

Been a few days since I put an update here. The news is good and bad.

The good news is we have started packaging food for distribution to those in need. The Landmine Relief Fund has purchased 20 tons of rice. I’ve contracted for an additional 20 tons and will buy at least another 20 tons in mid May.

We’ve purchased 15,000 packets of noodles and have committed to at least another 15,000 in May. we’ve purchased nearly 1,000 bottles of fish sauce, soy sauce and packages of sugar and salt. we’ve got a deal with a local grocery store to get a 20% discount on what we buy.

All of this is going to be distributed to those who need it. We’re working through the local communes and with a couple of pagodas in Siem Reap. We will be distributing to those in town who have lost work. We are also distributing in a couple of local villages and supplying partial salary to the Landmine Museum, We anticipating distributing over 1,000 relief packages in the next 10 days. We will do this monthly as long as we can.

We have an assembly line going packaging rice and putting together what we refer as ‘condiment packs’: a bottle of fish sauce, a bottle of soy, some salt, some sugar and 10 packages of noodles.

The bad news: since Khmer New Years ended last week people are going back to their old ways. There is little or no social distancing and only about half the people are wearing masks. We are packaging and trying to follow distancing. Masks are used and hands are washed regularly. I have heard there are traffic jams again in Phnom Penh. We haven’t seen that yet in Siem Reap, but there are definitely more people on the road. No masks and 4 to a moto.

Cambodia has had 122 identified cases of Covid-19, with 117 recoveries. Only 5 active cases. But REMEMBER, here like everywhere, you are only tested if you show symptoms. And the test only tells if you have the virus WHEN YOU ARE TESTED; and it takes a day or 2 to get the test results. You can also be asymptomatic and still transmit the disease. So the test is minimally helpful. There could very easily be a surge here. Flights from China have NOT ended, and they are seeing a second wave.

The government has prepared an Emergency Order that can be implemented at any time. They can order the country locked down, like other countries, very quickly. I think they are trying not to do that. People don’t have refrigerators, and buy food daily. Some are still working....for now. And Cambodia doesn’t have the financial resources to support millions of out of work people. We can feed some, but not everyone every day. We are raising the money for this program from people around the world. Every little bit helps, we’ve received donations for $3 and donations in the thousands. It ALL add up. None of this is done alone. If this is Mother Earth, then we are all brothers and sisters.

You can donate at: www.landmine-relief-fund.com

Babu in the jungle........

News From the Jungle

Today is the last day of Khmer New Year - year of the rat. It’s a 3-day celebration: - the first day of New Year you clean your house - the second day of New Year you contribute charity to the poor and needy - the third day of New Year people go to the pagoda and wash the Buddha statues and their elders with perfumed water. It’s done to wash away bad actions and to bring about longevity, good luck happiness and prosperity.

Like New Year in China, Cambodians go home to celebrate. In 2018 the government estimated that 5.8 million people traveled in Cambodia. That’s 1/3 of the population of the country. This year is was certainly far, far less.

With the Corona virus (C-19) running freely all over the world the government was rightly concerned that people leaving the cities would transport the virus to the countryside. So last week the government issued a ‘stay at home order’ and disallowed movement from province to province.

All-in-all a very good idea. The virus here is pretty much confined to the cities, where it seems to be contained. Information is issued daily about the situation, how many new cases, where the people came from, how many recoveries, and how many recurrences. It can be seen at the Khmer Times website.

As of 9am today the country has 122 confirmed cases and 98 recoveries. Stopping people from going from the cities to the countryside was a good move; and instituting it at the last minute was the correct tactic.

RSVP Relief Program Starting next week we will begin repackaging rice into 10kilo bags to be distributed in Siem Reap. The details of the distribution will be announced when all is ready. We’ll also be distributing noodles, salt and some other items. To that end the Landmine Relief Fund has purchased 20 tonnes of rice and 30,000 packets of noodles. We intend to do this for months. You can support the distribution by donating to us via PayPal at www.landmine-relief-fund.com. Or you can email us for RSVP’s ABA bank account and you can donate there.

Prices: Diesel: up to $0.72 a liter Eggs: $3 for 30 eggs Case of Coke Zero: $8.50

News From the Jungle

On Thursday afternoon the government said there could be no movement between districts from midnite April 9 - midnite April 16. I mentioned this yesterday. Well there was one big scramble for people to get home before the semi-lockdown went into effect. I have a good friend who was flying back to NZ on Friday, today, and was planning to take a taxi this morning. She had to scramble to find a taxi and get to Phnom Penh. She made it with 30 minutes to spare. Everyone was ordered to go to work. If you don’t show up you have to do 14 days quarantine - without pay. Well.....a lot of people work and live in different districts. This afternoon the government lifted the restriction on travel between districts. Districts are pretty small. But travel between provinces is prohibited. The intention is to keep people from traveling home and spreading the virus.

Our EOD teams are in the field. They have a lot of calls to respond to. This afternoon it was announced that demining reams can cross boundaries to work, so our teams will have plenty to keep them busy. The restrictions also disallow groups of over 5 people, so our MRE classes will be pretty small. This morning we completed the purchase of 500 cases of noodles that will be distributed to the needy in the coming weeks and months. We’ve already purchased 20 tons of rice. One of the local grocery stores has offered us really good prices on noodles, sugar, salt, fish and soy sauce.

SEEING A DOCTOR IN CAMBODIA I know it’s difficult in some countries to see a doctor right now. If you are ill it’s nearly impossible to get an appointment ,and if you are sick, the last thing you want to do is sit in an emergency room with a bunch of sick, corona infected people.

Within 15 minutes of my house I have probably 10 hospitals/clinics. The one we normally go to was started by doctors from Angkor Hospital for Children, one of the leading children’s hospitals in SEA. We’ve used them for operations, broken bones, rabies shots and severed arteries. Jill’s dermatologist is Cambodian and teaches in Germany. A cardiologist we have seen was trained in France. Decent medicine is available here; and costs are not outrageous. Someone I know well developed skin cancer. It was diagnosed in February, treatment began immediately, the cancer arrested and she was given a clean bill of health about 6 months later. Only at the end of treatment did she receive the bill. It was under $300. Follow up exams cost her about $50.

CURRENT SITUATION The situation here is fluid but it is coordinated and pretty well thought out. Rules are on a national basis, not provincial, so everyone is following the same plan.

There have been 120 cases of C-19 in Cambodia, 72 cured. and one relapse. THAT relapse is concerning. Prices: Diesel fuel: 63 cents a liter when I filled yesterday Rice: 50 cents to 78 cents depending on the quality of the rice. We bought for well under 50 cents. But we also bought 20 tons. Noodle packs (like Top Rahmen): $5 for a case of 30 Masks are readily available but are still $19.50 for 50 masks Eggs: $3.20 for 40

Restaurants are still open and giving discounts. Not many restaurants but a few. We try and go out each night. Conserve food we have at home for later and to help those restaurants that are open keep their employees paid. More as it happens. Babu in the jungle

News From the Jungle

Newest update on the C-19 virus from Cambodia.

This afternoon it was announced that effective midnight 9 April to midnight 16 April, no one can leave their district. Everyone must stay at home and go to work. Anyone who is out of work over those days will have to take a 14 day quarantine, without pay.

The government is very serious about keeping the virus out of the countryside. And anyone who has been reading my blog knows that is the first concern we have.

Our other concern is the coming weeks and months. With no tourists a lot of people will be without means to buy food.

RSVP, with funding from the Landmine Relief Fund, today purchased 20 tons of rice and 500 cases of noodles that will be distributed over the coming months to those in need. You can help us keep this program going by donating to the LMRF at: www.landmine-relief-fund.com

None of this is done alone. Now go wash your hands.

Babu in the jungle.

News From the Jungle

KHMER NEW YEARS SUSPENDED

Things are changing here almost daily. The government announced yesterday that the coming Khmer New Year celebration and all vacations should be suspended and everyone should stay at work and not travel. Another celebration will take place when the virus is gone.

All in all a very sound move. Allowing everyone to take time off and expecting them not to travel home was unrealistic. And trying to block all the roads leading out of the cities was just not doable.

The CSHD teams are in the field. They were due to return today. The teams have been deployed since March 1st, so they’ve been in the field for nearly 6 weeks. They usually forego a March off-cycle and then add it to April for a longer holiday vacation. That didn’t work out too well this year.

The government has suggested that people celebrate in a small family group, at home next week. No big parties. CSHD has told the teams they can celebrate in the field with a few days off. CSHD is also seeking guidance from the government ministry that supervises mine clearance. FEEDING THE HUNGRY

One of my concerns is the lack of tourists here and the fact that we will probably not see any until next year. Even if the virus is controlled the damage to the world economy is severe and people are eating up their savings. When we all get back to work it’s going to be awhile before the tourist industry recovers. The 2007/2008 GFC gives us some history on what might happen. It took 2 years for the tourist numbers to return.

People here were paid in March. Many will receive no pay at all in April or beyond; until the tourists return.

What we are looking at is people with not enough money to buy food. In a word: starvation.

The LMRF will be paying salaries at 50% to the Landmine Museum staff through the end of the year. We will be providing them with rice, noodles and some cooking material.

We will be instituting a Relief Program next month. Details will follow, but we will be distributing food. We will work through local authorities, in selected areas, to identify those in the most need. We did this in 2011 during the devastating floods we had. It worked well.

This program may need to go on for many months. We have funds to do a program that will last until the end of 2020. It may need to continue beyond that. And none of this is done alone. You can help by donating something at www.landmine-relief-fund.com

We WILL get beyond this, and we can make a better world from this. IF we all understand that we are brothers and sisters on this little rock. Costs: Anyone contracting the virus: will be treated for free. Khmer or foreigner 1 case of sugar free Coca Cola (24 cans): $8.50 Masks: 50 for $19.50 Eggs: $3.20 for 3 dozen Still no lines and lots of toilet paper Happy Easter to my Christian friends. Sameach Pesach to my Jewish friends Sur s’dai Chh’nam Thmei to all my Khmer family and friends

EVERYONE NEEDS TO STAY AT HOME

(From Khmertimes.com) Prime Minister Hun Sen, in a press conference this morning said "... the government institutions and private firms, especially garment workers should continue to work as usual ["], noting that the cancelled three-day holidays will be offset when the COVID-19 is over. As I’ve mentioned in past notes, the concern here is that infected people in the cities will bring the virus to the countryside during Khmer New Years. To stop the dissemination during the holiday governemnt really only had two options:

1) allow people to take their holidays from work and then block the roads so they cannot leave the cities.

(2) cancel the holidays, tell everyone to keep working, and have another holiday later, after the C-19 virus is defeated. Option 2, the one the government took is probably the more workable of those available. Certainly problems abound.

Here in Siem Reap the tourist industry is gone. all but the small family owned hostels are closed, few restaurants are open, and virtually every tourist shop is shuttered. And their employees have been either laid off or furloughed at reduced pay. The Landmine Relief Fund will be paying 50% salary to everyone at the Landmine Museum. We can sustain that until year end. We will stop if the museum re-opens and the tourists return.

Many laid off workers have already gone home. Many live in villages outside Siem Reap and ride their moto or bicycle to work every day. Hiway 6 coming into town is usually filled with motos and bikes in the morning headed for the city. It’s been empty fore 2 weeks.

So keeping those people who are still in town IN town is a good goal. We shall see how well it works. More to come. Prices: 50 medical masks $19.50 readily available. Old price: $2.50 for 50 Hand sanitizer 500ml $7.50 readily available. Old price: $3.50

UPDATE - COVID-19 IN CAMBODIA

We’re getting close to Khmer New Year: April 14, 15 and 16.

Cambodian New Year is celebrated very much as it is celebrated in China. Everyone goes back to their home village. There are parties, dinners, ancestors and parents are honored. It’s the biggest holiday of the year. The country closes down for nearly 2 weeks. Normally, people would start buying food and gifts this week and start home next Friday or Saturday.

The fear is that this year people will bring home a lot more than the normal gifts. Covid-19, C-19, is primarily in the cities, although it has been identified in 13 of Cambodia’s 25 provinces. There have been 114 confirmed cases in Cambodia, no deaths and 50 recoveries.

However; testing in Cambodia is being done the same as it is all over the world. If you exhibit symptoms you’re tested. We now know that a person can be asymptomatic and still be a carrier and infect others. So the numbers in Cambodia, as in every country, are probably higher. The concern here is that millions of people traveling from cities to villages will spread the virus to ares that have been free from infection. And since the only testing centers are in the cities, those in rural areas will not be able to be tested, will not self isolate, and will spread the virus even more.

And there is a lot of misinformation being spread word of mouth and on line. Drinking warm water does nothing. Taking a deep breath and holding it for 10 seconds to see if you cough is not a test for C19. Children and young people can get it. For some reason, unknown at this time, they seem to fight it off more and are often ‘carriers without symptoms’. You can catch it from them. C-19 will not go away when the weather gets hot. We have it here and it’s been at or near 100f for the last month. If it’s not coming from reliable sources, don’t trust it. And I mean doctors and hospitals and CDC and the WHO.

The government here is prepared to declare a State of Emergency. The declaration has worked its way through the National Assembly and is expected to put into place in the coming days. It wil allow the government to impose many of the restrictions on movement that have been instituted across the globe.

I was curious tro find out what restrictions other people are under at this time, so I asked people on my Facebook page to tell where they were from, city and country, and what were the rules they had to follow, and any fines they received if they didn’t follow the rules. I got everything from nothing to you go to jail and men and women allowed outside on different days of the week (and no, it was nt a Muslim country, but a Catholic country in South America). It’s pretty interesting reading. Here’s the link:

https://www.facebook.com/babu.cambodia/posts/10158220936431683

Conditions here:

We were at the store the other day to do some shopping and it’s still business as usual. We can get anything from toilet paper, to face masks, to hand sanitizer, to meat to candy. No lines and the prices are still good, although hand sanitizer has gone up, as have masks.

Most people wear a mask. Social distancing is still not being practiced much. Jill and I went out for breakfast this morning (we were the only people there) and many of the small Khmer restaurants we passed in town had dozens of people in them sitting side by side and sharing food. We were invited to a graveside service today. Ancestors are honored at this time of year and a ceremony is held at the graveside to remember them. We opted out.

So maybe a State of Emergency declaration is the right thing to do. I do trust the information coming out of the government here. I work closely with them in demining and have for 17 years. I’ve lived here for 13 years.

We have plans to support our employees at the museum, out team members, local villages and the poor in town. More on that as the program solidifies. No go wash your hands!

NEWS FROM THE JUNGLE

This is really our first full week in semi-lockdown. The government has not ordered everyone to stay in. People are working from home, conferences are being held via Skype, and there is information going out about how to avoid the virus.

Things are being done and efforts are being made to prepare for more cases. As of today there have been less than 100 reported cases in Cambodia.

The Prime Minister ordered, in anticipation of more infections, that closed schools be turned into make-shift hospitals.

7 Chinese medical experts arrived in Phnom Penh to help the government fight Covid-19 head on.

The Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation announced yesterday they are donating 1.8 million face masks and 210,000 coronavirus test kits to more countries including Cambodia to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks.

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport is calling upon members of the public to join a competition to create a mobile application that highlights important information on COVID-19. This information needs to get out to the countryside.

Pretty much everyplace you go nowadays is checking your temp and requiring you to wash your hands with sanitizer before you go inside.

There is no mass panic on anything. Lots of bad information online, but things are still available. Jill and I went out this morning to get some more groceries. With 11 dogs feeding at our house our dog food bill is .... don’t ask. When we got to the store there were cases and cases of noodles stacked by the registers. There were stacks of TP, there were aisles of pasta and a huge choice of topping. The meat freezers were full, even at 08:00. There was more bread than they had room to stack

This was just one section. There were about 100 packages lined up in the middle of the aisle.

We are surviving. Although we are concerned about what will happen if this lasts more than a couple of months. This is a tourist based economy. Without touristas we got a problem...

A good friend, Rick Moore, gave me the best advise: Don’t read the posts on Facebook. A lot of really bad information is going out there and I’ve just stropped trying to correct everything. If you see something check the source; ask for corroboration, Google the story; go to Snopes.

I’m finding I’m listening more and more to people like Andrew Cuomo and Gavin Newsom. I certainly don’t agree with all their policies, but they have a calming message. They are working to unite us one people, across the planet. We need that now more than ever. We need solutions, and we need people who can lead. Something I’m not seeing from DC.

Well, another day (no dollars) and it’s 5 o’clock somewhere (here). Be safe out there. Take care of your family, your friends and those in need. None of this is done alone.

Now go wash your hands!

NEWS FROM THE JUNGLE On lockdown in Siem Reap

It’s 21:30 on a Saturday night in Siem Reap Cambodia, and I’m sitting at my computer board in a dead quiet town. We spent the day today running a few errands, going out to breakfast (we were the only people in the restaurant) and staying home. Well, mostly. I did go to the gym for a 2 hour workout. When I got there, there were 5 people working out. When I left there were 8. It’s probably the cleanest place in town. Every time you finish with a machine you have to wipe it down with an alcohol spray they provide. Then one of the staff come by and wipe it down again.

One of the concerns everyone has here is Cambodian News Years. It always falls in mid April, although the family festivities start around 1 April. This includes family meals and visits to the cemetery and the pagoda to pray for recent and long gone family members. At some point during the holiday period everyone goes back to their ‘home village’. This is what everyone is worried about.

There have been 51 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the Kingdom so far. As is the same everywhere, how many are infected is unknown. Testing is done here as elsewhere: if you have been exposed or meet specific defined criteria you can be tested. And that will only tell you if you have covid when you were swabbed. You could be exposed walking out of the hospital and never know. And if everyone showed for testing the systems would just clog to a stop.

The best way to avoid Covid-19 is to practice social distancing and stay indoors, away from crowds as much as possible.

The fear here is that people will disregard this advise (see Florida Spring Break) and go home for New Years, infecting their family and friends. People return home to the countryside and all hell will break lose. The other thing that is bothering.... We read people talking about what others are doing. “They do this and they do that.” Us and them.... We are all in this together. This isn’t going to go away because WE are better than THEM. Because OUR system is better than THEIR system: medical, political or what..... This threat will be defeated only if we all work together to defeat it. I spoke at a Methodist Middle School one time. At the end, while answering questions I was asked if I was Cambodian. I thought about that for a minute and said “Yes I am. I am also Japanese, and American and Russian and French and Argentine. I’m English and German and Thai.

“This school opens each day with the Lord’s Prayer. Can you tell me the first line?” The young girls looked at me and said “Our Father who art in heaven.”

My answer was simple: “If you believe that then you are my sister, and I am your brother. We help family.” We are all in this together. We need to make sure we act like it.

More as it develops. Now I need to go wash my hands, kiss my wife, wash my hands and go to bed.

Be safe and take care of each other. We are all in this together and NONE of this is done alone.

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