week 572

Thursday, 7.8.2008: Migration from Home Is a Factor That Men Bring AIDS into Their Homes

Norbert Klein Leave a comment

The Mirror, Vol. 12, No. 572

“Battambang: AIDS is a fierce disease which kills millions of people every year around the world, whether they are old, young, male, or female – and Cambodia is also attacked by this murderer.

“So far, no scientist has announced publicly that there is medicine to treat it, although there are medicines to delay death.

“A factor for, and a source of having AIDS or being infected with AIDS often result from migration from home.

“Mr. Sum Samnang, 38, who lives in Souphi, Anlong Run, Thma Koul, Battambang, said that he had left his village in 1997 to work as a worker carrying second hand clothing bundles in Poipet. Because he was far from his wife, after finishing work he sought sex services; sometimes he used condoms, but sometimes not, as he was drunk and forgot.

“In 1999, he returned home to Souphi. Until 2005 he did not know that he contracted AIDS, until he had his blood checked. He decided have his blood checked because his health became weaker, he was often sick, and he frequently had diarrhea. Mr. Samnang is now a moto-taxi driver, and because he takes good care of himself, he looks like a normal person.

“Chhay Sinang, Sum Samnang’s wife, recounted that her former husband had died; she had been infected with AIDS by her husband. She continued to say that her former husband was a construction worker who moved to far away provinces, and he liked to go to drink, and where he went, he always sought sex services.

“Mr. Yin Hieng, 37, who lives also in Souphi, said he frequently went to work at faraway provinces, and when he was far from his wife for a long time, he sought sex services. Since 2004 he knew he has AIDS, but his wife was not infected with AIDS, because he always used condoms. They have three children, but none of them have this fierce disease – their blood had been checked. Nowadays, as his business, Mr. Yin Hieng feeds ducks for eggs and meat with the help of the program of the Lutheran World Federation [LWF] in Cambodia, which provides loans at very low interest rate of only 1%. First, he borrowed Thai Baht 70,000 [approx. US$2,100] from the LWF, then Baht 100,000 [approx. US$2,300], and then Baht 110,000 [approx. US$330,000]. He has to make repayments every six months. The feeding of ducks operation does not belong to him alone; there are five and sometimes six more members who all have AIDS.

“When journalists of Rasmei Kampuchea asked him how his livelihood was before borrowing money from LWF, Mr. Yin Hieng responded with a happy face that before, he borrowed money from other people, but the interest payments were very high, and so his livelihood was terrible. Because of the LWF loans, he has capital to make his business run continually, and his livelihood is much better.

LWF helps People who have AIDS to have hope in new life

“Mr. Sy Savuth, the head of the Anlong Run Health Center and the team leader taking care of homes of people who have AIDS, said the Anlong Run Village was created in 1987 and there are 4,722 people.

“There are 21 people who have AIDS in 19 families. His health center and LWF have cooperated with each other since 2002, and LWF concentrates on people who have AIDS. Each month, this organization provides a food package containing 15 kg rice, canned fish, fish sauce, sugar, cooking oil, and noodles, which a worth of US$10 in total, to families that have members with AIDS. Moreover, LWF provides money for traveling, to go to receive these donations, as well as to get the medicines, and to have meetings at the center of the province.

“Besides support such as money, medicines to delay death, food, and loans with low interest rates to people who have AIDS, LWF also goes directly to provide preventive education, encouraging people who have AIDS to struggle and be strong in their lives, as well as to train people participating in a Friends Educate Friends Network among youth, moto-taxi drivers, police, and soldiers.

“As results, people understand better what AIDS is, discrimination declines, and the livelihood of people who have AIDS in Souphi is improving..

“Mr. Sy Savuth added that many people who have AIDS are those who returned from the Cambodian and Thai border areas; some of them worked as porters [waiting to be hired to carry things] and some worked as taxi drivers from Phnom Penh to Poipet.” Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.16, #4661, 7.8.2008

Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Thursday, 7 August 2008


Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.7, #1713, 7.8.2008

  • Cambodia Ranks Second in the World by Having [82] Mine Sniffing Dogs [after Afghanistan, which has 250 dogs]
    This Year, Civil Servants and Senior Military Officials Joined the High School Diploma Examinations


Khmer Machas Srok, Vol.2, #216, 7.8.2008

  • [Opposition party president] So Surprised about the Decision of the Constitutional Council [on 5 August 2008] Which Fined Him US$2,500 [on accusation of defamation of the three top leaders of the Cambodian People’s Party: Mr. Chea Sim, Mr. Hun Sen, and Mr. Heng Samrin, during his election campaigning in Kratie]
  • [Sam Rainsy Party parliamentarian, Phnom Penh] Son Chhay: There Is No Law to Allow a Party That Wins Most Seats to Distribute Other Party’s Seats [Article 118 of the election law says only that if one party announces publicly that it will not take the seats it has won in the election to the National Assembly, those seats can be distributed]


Khmer Sthapana, Vol.1, #67, 7.8.2008

  • [More than 100] Vendors of the New Market Plan to Sue a [French] Company at the French Embassy [because this company plans to narrow their stalls after repairing the market]
  • Much Corruption [collecting money from candidates] Occurred during the High School Diploma Examinations at Kompong Cham Examination Centers


Koh Santepheap, Vol.41, #6417, 7.8.2008

  • Cambodia Welcomes the Presence of France to Coordinate the Marking of the Border [following a request by the Thai Minister of Foreign Affairs to France]
  • This Year, Fish in the Mekong River Are Scarce; Fishers Who Put Fish Traps Complain and Wait until the Water Rises


Moneaksekar Khmer, Vol.15, #3552, 7.8.2008

  • The Cambodian and Thai Ministers of Foreign Affairs Will Have a Meeting on 18 August 2008; [Cambodian Television Network presenter] Yuk Chenda Had a Car Accident Overturning, Returning from [bringing presents to] the Preah Vihear Temple, Destroying the Front Part of the Car [she and six friends were seriously injured]
  • Soldiers of Brigade #31 [under Vice Admiral Sun Saroeun] Evicted Citizens from the Veal Thom Pagoda [where they had fled after their land had been seized in order to turn it into a tree nursery – Kampot]


Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.16, #4661, 7.8.2008

  • Migration from Home Is a Factor That Men Bring AIDS into Their Homes
  • This Year, Officials [of the Ministry of Education] Said that the High School Diploma Examinations Proceeded Smoothly, while the Cambodian Independent Teachers’ Association Claimed There Was No Improvement [because the documents for the tests of the Geography and of the Citizen Studies were leaked, and some teachers did exercises of tests showing results and handed them to students in exchange for money]
  • Four Types of Agro-Industrial Crops [potatoes, rubber, soy beans, and cashew nuts] Are Spreading in Ratanakiri
  • [President of Zimbabwe] Mugabe Not Allowed to Participate in the Opening of the Olympic Games [according to an announcement by China]


Samleng Yuvachun Khmer, Vol.15, #3378, 7.8.2008

Click here to have a look at the last editorial – where we try to provide our readers with important information which all publications in Cambodia – as far as we can see – are not providing; but the imternational community knows more – we wonder how long the Cambodian public can be held uninformed.

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