Near Cambodia’s Temple Ruins, a Devotion to Learning

Millions of tourists come here every year to visit the ancient ruins of Angkor Wat, an influx that has helped transform what once resembled a small, laid-back village into a thriving and cosmopolitan town with thumping nightlife and more than 10,000 hotel rooms. But the explosion of the tourism industry here has also done something less predictable. Siem Reap, which had no universities a decade ago, is now Cambodia’s second-largest hub for higher education, after the capital, Phnom Penh. The sons and daughters of impoverished rice
farmers flock here to work as tour guides, receptionists, bartenders and waitresses.When their shifts are over, they study finance, English and accounting. “I never imagined that I could go to university,” said Hem Sophoan, a 31-year-old tour guide who is now studying for his second master’s degree. “There’s been so much change and opportunities for young people.” The establishment of fi ve private universities here is helping to transform the work force in this part of Cambodia, one of Asia’s poorest countries and a society still living in the shadow
of the genocidal rule of the Khmer Rouge. Employers say that English profi ciency is rising and that workers who attend universities stand out for their ability to express themselves and make decisions. A generation of students who would otherwise havehad little hope to study beyond high school are enduring grueling schedules to get a degree and pursue their dreams.

Read More in Cambodia Insight Website on Issue 10 Page 46.

CAMBODIA’S ART OF SURVIVAL

The country’s rich artistic culture was destroyed in the 70s by the brutal  Khmer Rouge regime. Today, despite terrible poverty, a revival is taking place – and it is gaining international recognition Down a dusty road litt ered with motorbikes and tuk-tuks, past the charred red monument to independence and through a leafy courtyard populated by stray dogs, there stands a derelict-looking, 1960s cinderblock school in Phnom Penh where, on weekends, the atonal sounds of Khmer opera waft out of its shuttered windows. In this ad-hoc dance studio, 15 pairs of feet are pointing delicately upwards, in geometric contrast to the checkered tiles on the floor. As the partners twirl side by side, their fingers bent backwards, shy smiles on their young faces, repeated patt erns emerge in their footsteps. “Cambodian folk dance is a visual form of storytelling, about religion, nature, weddings and funerals,” whispers Neang Visal, 21, a dancer who is looking on. “This dance, the krama dance, is about farming.” It is hard to imagine a paean to agriculture that would have the same clout in the west today. But in a nation that lost 90% of its artists, musicians, dancers and intellectuals to the brutal Khmer Rouge regime of 1975-79, remembering the past is a vital aspect of safeguarding the future.

Read More in Cambodia Insight Website on Issue 10 Page 40.

Koh Rong . . .

SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
The importance of tourism to Cambodia’s future economy by Michael Horton After more than a decade of spectacular growth, how can the tourism industry in Cambodia respond to the more demanding market conditions now faced by holiday destinations worldwide? In common with all periods of adversity, the current situation also presents opportunities for those willing and able to respond to the challenges ahead. as a holistic destination in its own right. In recent years the question taxing most industry players was how to increase the yield from each tourist: how to encourage them to stay longer; how to add more value? With visitor numbers
expected to fall, this has assumed a greater priority, and is now joined by the question of how to keep up the numbers. Undoubtedly and quite rightly, any future Cambodian tourism experience is going to involve the Angkor temples. This World Heritage Site has driven tourism development and it has been relatively easy and inexpensive to improve the infrastructure around a small area of Siem Reap to produce world class,

Read More in Cambodia Insight Website on Issue 10 Page 36.

An Awarding Country with Pristine tropical islands

Cambodia was voted the world’s second favourite long - haul destination for British tourists at the 2009 Guardian, Observer and guardian.co.uk Travel Awards in the UK. Cambodia fi nished second to New Zealand and ahead of Chile (3); Vietnam (4); and Japan (5). ConCERT - a Siem Reap based organisation that helps tourists support local worthy causes - has won the prestigious British Guild of Travel Writers’ Award for the Best Overseas Tourism Initiative. The award is given for the best new (less than two years old) overseas tourism project, which not only has tourist potential but is of benefi t to the local community and environment.

Read More in Cambodia Insight Website on Issue 10 Page 28.

SWIMMING IN SIHANOUK VILLE

Sihanouk Ville, also known as “Kampong Som,” is like a Florida resort town dropped oddly on Cambodia’s southern coast, on the Gulf of Thailand. Founded a mere 50 years ago as a deep - water port, Sihanouk Ville
experienced a tourist boom in the 1960s when local and visiting beachgoers headed to the coast, looking for sand and sun without crossing into Thailand. As a result, much of the shorefront property has been scooped up by moderately luxurious resorts. Budget tourists still have plenty of options, however, with a few backpacker hot-spots sandwiching the posher hotels.

Read More in Cambodia Insight Website on Issue 10 Page 22.

Precious gemstones in Cambodia

Cambodia is rich in many varieties of gems, but let’s talk here about precious gems only – sapphires, rubies and emeralds. The most famous Cambodian mines are located in Pailin. Sapphires from Pailin are considered among the best sapphires in the world, there’s even a special color grade “Pailin” used in jewelry for classifi cation of blue sapphires. Besides sapphires, Pailin has ruby and emerald mines, however, production of emeralds is minimal. Most part of emeralds you fi nd in Cambodia are imported from India.
If you plan to purchase precious gemstones in Cambodia, mention that there are no gemological institutes or professional experts who may verify your stone and provide you with an official certificate. Your success depends on your knowledge in this domain, seller’s honesty, your personal luck and your intuition. When buying stones, don’t forget that export of precious gemstones is illegal in Cambodia unless you buy fi nished
jewelry products – rings, bracelets or pendants with gems. But is it still profi table: the price you pay for a sapphire ring will anyway be much lower comparing with European markets. Gold used for jewelry in Cambodia is often a base - alloy and doesn’t correspond to international standards. If you are serious about jewelry business, better to test local gold with reagents; you can find them in many specialized shops.
Cambodian jewelry market is flooded by fake stones. Don’t even pay att ention to an extraordinary $17 off er for a silver bracelet massively decorated with small blue “Cambodian sapphires” –  it is fake for sure, as well as two-carat rubies just for $50 each. Even in big central shops you risk to pay a sapphire price for a piece of colored glass. Certificates issued by street jewelry boutiques are not to be trusted. Another common fraud
– sellers show you a positive reply from a

Read More in Cambodia Insight Website on Issue 10 Page 16.

CAMBODIA GEMS & JEWELRY FAIR 2012

Organized by Cambodian Ministry of Commerce in association with Hong Kong’s World Trade Fair (International) Limited (International sole agent), the annual national flagship jewelry fair - The 4th Cambodia Gems & Jewelry Fair (4th CGJF), will be held on June 14 to 17, 2012 at Diamond Island Convention & Exhibition Centre (Koh Pich), at the Kingdom’s capital city Phnom Penh. The Fair has been positioned as the most important sourcing platform in the country, presenting the Cambodian gems and jewelry to the overseas markets and bringing the fi nest international diamonds, gemstones, fine jewelry designs and timepieces to the country. With the fast growing market of over 14 million population, Cambodia has emerged as one of the safest nations and most attractive economies in the region. An average GDP growth of 8% in the past 10
years has exceeded all expectations, and through its membership in ASEAN (since 1999) and in the World Trade Organization (since 2004), the country has made tremendous progress in integrating its emerging economy into the regional and global trading system. H.E. Dr. Cham Prasidh, Senior Minister, Minister
of Commerce, added that “our country has possessed four fundamental advantages - political stability; macro - economic stability; a sound, transparent & predictable legal framework and many trade preferences. And the success of CGJF is greatly attributed to the growing trend of the markets in gems and jewelry in Cambodia as well as in the region and the world.”

Read More in Cambodia Insight Website on Issue 10 Page 12.