Another weekend has cantered by and I'm now in my fourth week. Saturday proved interesting as I visited the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda and the Killing Fields. The former are stunning architecturally and certainly different in style from any buildings I have seen before in South East Asia or elsewhere. Huge photo opportunity.
Kathy, Desi and I met up for drinks on Saturday night at the FCC in the centre of Phnom Penh. Expensive in Cambodian terms a but really good atmosphere. We were there until the doors were locked, discussing the nature of the human condition (of course!) Desi (mildly under the influence and waxing very lyrical) and Kathy (fluidly eloquent after a couple of beers) entered into what was quite a heated debate, whilst I sat by observant and amused, as I'd only had a glass of wine. Of course, being very opinionated, I added my bit anyway.
Desi and I met up to go to the Killing Fields, not too surprisingly I did not feel the urge to be my usual snap happy self. The heat was quite oppressive and our guide was friendly but no amount of smiling could disguise the facts he was citing and the very poignant visual of what is like a massive egg-timer packed full of victim's skulls. You can reach in and touch them. I opted not to, this would have felt all too invasive.
Our guide confirmed that the cracks that run from the forehead to the base of the skull are natural lesions, any other cracks are likely to have been the work of blunt instruments. There is something very unsavoury about the idea that people pay to view what is a really macabre scene. Yet not to visit the Cheung Eck whilst in Cambodia would be just as peculiar. Apart from the skulls, you can see the mass graves and a tree against which small children and babies had their bodies flung. The rationale behind this particular type of slaughter, at least according to the guide, was that these babies and children would prove to be vengeful adults, and as such needed to be eliminated then and there. The visit left me feeling uncomfortable, embarrassingly voyeuristic but definitely more appreciative of just how horrific an existence Cambodia endured during Khmer Rouge.
On a lighter note, I also mended my laptop this weekend and to my delight it was returned to me with Adobe Photoshop and a DVD reading programme as well as an additional anti-virus software. Amusingly, I think that my PC stopped working because it has literally been devoured by ants. I am reliably informed by Simon (Outreach coordinator) that they get into the hardware and gnaw away. This may explain why my laptop kept switching itself on and off at random. Unless my gecko is very IT savvy.
Sunday afternoon was supposed to spell the start of my fitness regime. Unfortunately I was waylaid by a Vespa rally that was due to kick off at Ruby's wine bar on street 240. Street 240 proved to be a culinary gem and so I was happy to have deviated from the master plan. Anyone who knows me, knows that I typically do what I am going to do but not always within the time-frame. I have joined the gym over the road so micro Project Buff will surely start over the next few days.....
Tuesday last brought another fascinating insight into both Khmer culture, and the international legal stage. I ventured out to the the Extraordinary Chambers in the courts of Cambodia with Soren and Kem my tuk tuk driver. The tuk tuk broke down on the way there (the chain on the moto snapped) and frustrated at my lack of skills to help fix it, and too late to wait for Kem to fix it, we hopped into another tuk tuk to finish the journey.
Armed with yet another wifi headset, I sat through the examination by the prosecution of one of the key witnesses, who had been responsible for data collection/administration at Tuol Sleng. Duch was also in situ flanked by two guards. I was keenly aware of just how momentous this trial is both for Cambodia and for International law - and if I felt like this, how must it be for the bus-loads of Cambodians from the provinces who have come to witness being tried individuals who either directly or indirectly played a part in denying them of their immediate and extended families in the most cruel way. The atmosphere was quite heavy and reflective of the intense focus which shrouded the court and the gallery. Transcripts of the trial as it unfolds are available on the ECCC website.
As I am writing this, I am thinking about the differences between this kind of law and my commercial development work. This is oceans away from my drafting of licences to oversail and multiple rights and addressing restrictive covenant issues. Technical yes, but important on a global scale? Methinks not.
Work this week has been a wee bit slow. Nothing unusual Ben tells me, it ebs and it flows, and Vichuta (my boss) is due back from her travels next week and so there could be a minor flood coming my way.
The work is however interesting from both a subject-matter and comparative perspective. Cambodian law, such as it exists in a documented format tends either not to be applied or the gaping holes in the legislation completely detract from any impact. On the flip side, this does potentially leave room for some very clever and resourceful lawyering. My limited Khmer unfortunately prevents me from appreciating just how and to what extent. And corruption prevents progress from taking mighty and rapid leaps.
Extracting the positive elements from the Cambodian legal system is challenging, but what you can say is that when lawyers here do achieve, it is significant, both for the individual client and as a reflection of the extent to which justice is achievable within the system. I am pleased to report that LSCW has a high sucess rate with its cases- some 85% of what it takes on.
Don't let this fool you though, as the issues which need to be addressed are so huge, wide-ranging and nuanced, that a few successful cases is a hopeful sign, but not there can't be any sighs of relief just yet.
I should mention at this point that I have found reference to traffic law in Cambodia and so in fact it would appear contrary to what I originally said that there is legislation to cover this. Soren provided evidence of this only yesterday, when, on a brief moto-trip to lunch, we took a rather unwieldy detour around BKK (area in PP) to avoid the police as Soren admitted to being scared of them as she doesn't have a wing mirror on the moto. Also, be prepared to be asked for money if you don't wear your helmet. I imagine that's part of the unwritten legislation.
All of this comes with the caveat that I have been here a month and don't lay claim to anything but initial and therefore superficial impressions. This will of course change.
I've gone public
Today I took the plunge and opened up my blog to the world. This is a scary prospect. I am used to proof-reading documents and letters I have drafted and self-correcting a thousand times before I allow them to leave my sight. So if the odd bit of Latin creeps in and I sign off with yours faithfully, that'll be my paranoia setting in. This of course assumes that anyone is remotely interested in what I am upto. With this and the thought that people have a choice whether or not to read it, I feel more relaxed. But, if what you read leaves you aching for more, then there's always Twitter (joke!). More pictures are however available on Snapfish.
So, this is very much a work in progess...
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