Piove a dirotto, il Mekong e il Tonle Sap straripano a Kampong Thom, Battambang e Siem Reap con qualche migliaio di famiglie sfollate. La colpa è data alla Thailandia che ha dighe enormi e piene d’acqua ai confini. Già preoccupa la costruzione della grande diga di Xayaburi (basso Mekong in Laos) destinata a una mega produzione d’energia elettrica per i sempre più affamati paesi dell’area.
A Phnom Penh si dà risalto alle due ragazze ventenni, una figlia di un torturatore della scuola-lager di Tuol Sleng e l’altra figlia di due vittime, rese simbolo della riconciliazione. Entrambe lavorano al Documention Center of Cambodia per cercare di ricostruire il passato loro e del paese. La costosissima farsa del processo continua ad andare avanti con godimento dei giudici, avvocati, funzionari, autisti strapagati del Tribunale Internazionale. E’ comparso l’87enne Noun Chea (numero 2 del passato regime) che può solo parlare dei fatti avvenuti fra il 1975 e il 1979 (accordo fra governo e NU per la costituzione del Tribunale) e quindi sono escluse “the roles of foreign powers, including the US and Vietnam, in fuelling conflict in Cambodia” nonché il supporto economico e logistico ai Khmer Rouge dato da Thailandia e Occidente dopo l’invasione delle Cambogia da parte del Vietnam, e le responsabilità dei transfughi ex-khmer rouge nell’attuale partito di governo.
Parlare delle Nazioni Unite in Cambogia ieri ed oggi riporta alla mente il disordine dell’industria della solidarietà, evento sollecitato da una lettera che parla un po’ delle ONG di oggi in quel paese. La firma è di Bruno Mayer (uno pseudonimo, forse) ma i contenuti sembrano confermati da un altro sito. Nel mio piccolo conosco i soggetti che fanno gruppo con chi si finanzia un bel barcone con progetti strampalati. Mi preoccupa che la lettera, i blogs e le critiche riguardano un associazione come Aiutare i Bambini con cui abbiamo già avuto qualche battibecco.
Il succo della lettera dice che alcune Associazioni italiane e straniere fanno una pessima e falsa pubblicità sulla Cambogia per incassare quattrini. Sulla qualità dei progetti c’è, come spesso accade, da ridere. In effetti se quanto riportato è vero è difficile gestirli da una bella casa di Hong Kong. Ecco la lettera:
“Seems that some Italian NGOs found the way to make business on Cambodian children… Italy is the only state that do international adoptions in Cambodia. Because foster corruption, have been prohibited by other states. Between Italy and Cambodia there are no commercial or economic interests or cultural exchanges. There is no embassy or diplomatic presence. The Cambodians are unaware of the manner in which Cambodia is described in Italy. No one understands the Italian language. Therefore no one can protest. If the Cambodian Information Ministry could be informed, should object it… The interests between the two countries are: – donations and humanitarian aid – sometimes only gifts – even at political level: bilateral meetings financed by the state or by NGOs – with public money.
In Phnom Penh, last June, Deputy Minister Mr. Carlo Giovanardi, signed a new agreement, with the Cambodian Minister of Social Affair Mr. Ith Sam Heng, about make adoptions easy for eight Italians NGOs.
People from various places around the world, created this business in internet, often, who write don`t know the country and living abroad. Sometimes the money for which there is oversight which ends up in the wrong hands. Fortunately many NGO in Cambodia are honest (even some Italians, I beleve) and really do something for people.
A new kind of Economy started here. In Siem Reap people normally work. In Phnom Penh, many people also study. In Sihanoukville a lot people make a business with NGOs. The “mind” of the Cambodia slander – about false informations in Italy – is Mr Caruso Francesco, from Torino. From Hong Kong where he lives and apparently bought a house, for many years he devise campaigns for long distance adoptions and fights against tourist child sex, denouncing alarming abuses on the Cambodian children.
His foundation, “www.aiutareibambini.com” (translate by “helpthechildren”. Somehow linked with “Save the Children” and a complex umbrella of NGOs, as well as APLE and Action Pour Les Enfants in Cambodia – whom more likely are not aware of the lies he tells, or pretend not to know – is connected with Sihanoukville based NGO, Mlop Tapang (di cui non risultano pubblicati bilanci n.d.r)
A real example of trash journalism appeared on the italian magazine “Panorama” on 9 December 2010, at page 162. (The article titolated “The hunter of ogres”, sounds like it was written directly by Mr Caruso. Stella Pende – who signs the article for the magazine – maybe when she came in Sihanoukville, spent only few hours in the five stars hotel and in the NGO, only. Here is a short portion (but all of it is false and incorrect):
- “Francesco accompanies us with a Tuk-Tuk through the monsters’ favorite itinerary: the street where children are begging, the bar for tourists, the benches on the seaside. This is the map of infamy. The last stop in a gas station where, just a few days ago, an Italian was arrested: he hid there with 3 very small female children. One of them, though, managed to run away screaming “call immediately the Italian man”… “he is the one who save the children and is called Child Safe”… (all translate from italian language)
Misleading, incomplete and manipulated data. – the arrest of an Italian man at the gas station occurred exactly on 4 March 2008 – two years, nine months and five days before the article.
In Sihanoukville there is no street where children usual beg for money. Only in the main beach sometimes happen, where the turist are; they often go around to collect rubbish or sell goods, and disturb foreigner, maybe because they are sended, control and protected by adult and some NGOs;
- at the bar for tourists there are no children (the owner, a foreigner, will have problems with the Police otherwise).
- the benches near the beach (there is no seaside) are not the itinerary favorite by the monsters, but just a normal place close to the beach; many adult are around everytime;
- nearby the gas station (one of the two in the town centre) there are poor families who send their children to beg. Adults supervise and control them. The female children in question (you can see their picture on the internet although their face has been covered) were ther until few months ago, looking for “troubles”;
- the “Italian man called Child Safe” lives in Hong Kong and not in Sihanoukville. Who knows him? – www.aiutareibambini.com of Mr. Caruso Francesco received 2 million euro donations from “Mediafriends” (non profit organization established by R.T.I. S.p.A., Mondadori S.p.A e Medusa S.p.A.; Mondadori owns the media magazine Panorama.
- in 2010 (up to December) the number of foreigners arrested for abuses over children in Cambodia – 181.000 square kms, 15.000.000 inhabitants, 2.000.000 tourists – was 17. ” Prof. Bruno Meyer
Ovviamente ognuno può scrivere la sua.