The term "it's kicking off"has entered the lexicon in recent years,but it is as relevant as ever for me at the moment.
Thai troops are massing on the Cambodian border,close to the Preah Vihear temple,which for years has been disputed over,and the land surrounding it argued about.Only two weeks ago the temple was given world heritage status by UNESCO and the temple and adjoining land was confirmed as Cambodian as far back as 1962,as passed in international law.The Khmer people are rightly proud of their heritage and it is all that is being discussed at the moment.I have been asked what I think on numerous occasions,and was even asked if I wanted to borrow an AK-47 and travel up to the temple to defend it!
Tensions are really high,and it's all quite strange,and a tad incomprehensible for a Northern European like me to get my head round.Only five years ago the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh was torched to the ground after a famous Thai actress made insulting and inflammatory comments about Angkor Wat,so the history is there.
All this is happening while the election is only one week away.Another reason for rising tensions,and unfortunately there has been violence and death leading up to the big day.Five people have been killed,and last week a well known reporter on an anti-government newspaper was assasinated with his 21 year old son in broad daylight on a busy street.While I am really interested in what is going on and am keen to find out about the various parties,I tend to watch what I say,as I don't want to tread on any toes and as a non-combatant so to speak,feel as though I should keep my distance.Next weekend will be interesting and Prime Minister Hun Sen has banned all sale of alcohol for the two days of the election,so by Monday I'll be in need of a pint!
So at work I received an invitation to a Khmer funeral,and after having it translated found out what I needed to do.Actually the occasion is more of a celebration of life as it is customary here to hold a ceremony one hundred days after the death of a loved one.I have been asked to go by our marketing man Mr.Dakun whose father passed away and the colour associated with death is white rather than black so I will be wearing a whie shirt.It is also customary to give some money to the family and place it in the original invitation.I will report back on this and I am curious to see what happens.
I've just realised that this entry is a full of doom and gloom but I wish to assure everyone that I'm full of the proverbial joys,and that even if Thai troops do decide to start firing I am hundreds of miles from the border!(I'm alright Jack!)I also managed to fix my shower which is a source of great pride to me as I don't have a DIY bone in my body,and generally have no interest or desire for these kinds of things.If you had seen me when I turned the water back on and the shower worked without a drop of H20 out of place you would have thought I'd just won the lottery.I'm still in shock and the shower is still in good working order after three days.Hurrah!