Cambodia's has its much vaunted local network of officials down to sub-village-level everywhere.
And yet it is not only hundreds of scam compounds that somehow eluded their notice but in fact even everyday occurrences. Is it deliberate selective “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”?
If not then the only explanation is they all operated exactly as expected, as ordered.
The Cambodian People’s Party Central Committee controls the vast network with special commissions and branches that conforms to the official administrative system through 24 provinces, 210 districts, 1,652 communes/sangkats and 14,578 villages with also sub-village groups. The network is most visibly mobilised for election campaigns.
There is one village chief and at least one deputy or assistant, often more, in every village.
One observation from formal good governance training as well as practical experience in development projects in almost every province is that village chiefs and deputies – as they are invariably also CPP officials - do not distinguish their official administrative work from that of the party. Cambodia did agree for the 1998 National Election on a programme of strict neutrality training but it has never been repeated since.
The most vivid example of how effective this network can be is that in 2017 within hours of Cambodia's Supreme Court banning the opposition CNRP party, every known activist/supporter was visited and all party signs dismantled.
Cambodia National Rescue Party's Headquarters Chak Angre closed, signs removed, and later demolished.
Therefore my contention – that every potential “partner” and especially donors like US giving Foreign Aid money for technical capacity-building should bear in mind - is that unless Cambodia recognises that its network has failed, and accepts the obvious explanation why it has failed and it will continue to do so unless they do change it, then no way can it be trusted to root out its lucrative scamming crimes.
I will now illustrate with a local Takhmau example of another repeated failing, and that is despite alerting authorities to the problem, as if they did not already know.
For over one year now, we have near neighbours holding all-night raves with extremely loud techno/house party music, the type with the loudest rapid repeat bass thuds. Often participants also shout and scream. They turn the volume up and down but delight it being loudest between 3.30 and 4.30 am, the deadest time of the night when sound travels most easily. It is clearly in breach of Cambodia's Law (cited below).
There is a reason why the culprits are allowed to behave in this way. Pure selfishness, greed and disregard for others governs their behaviour, just as it does for the scammers and their backers.
But what causes officials to do nothing about it? Or is it a deliberate policy to drive people away, to sell up cheaply and to go?
Footnote
A good contextual report is Transparency International's 2014 study of Cambodia's Governance System.
My record of recent incidences of our anti-social neighbours, as sent to authorities and acknowledged by them.
Record of All Night Loud Music Kampong Samnanh Takhmau
The culprits have been imposing their loud music on this quiet neighbourhood for months, seemingly free to do so although the Provincial Tourism did visit twice to remind one business of entertainment licencing rules including loud music. Last year the Police also visited but by mistake thought that it was an occasional neighbour's karaoke at fault. The noise especially in the dead of night, when the volume is often turned up very high has not, it seems been heard by village chiefs, assistant village chiefs, and commune officials. Shouting, clapping, banging and even screams take place too.
This is a residential area on the edge of Takhmau with the nearest actual karaoke parlours and entertainment venues 2 kms away.
Cambodia's Law:
“Residential Areas: Noise levels must not exceed \(45 \ dB(A)}\)”
Sub-Degree No. 42 on Air Pollution and Noise Disturbance Control
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends keeping night-time ambient noise inside bedrooms below 30 to 40 dB.
To gauge how loud their noise is inside our bedroom, windows closed, curtains drawn, I compare it with my small bedside radio with volume just below normal conversation level 40 decibels.
|
|
Compared to Cambodia Law |
Effects |
|
Audible |
Matches/exceeds radio, 50 dB and higher |
Annoying, disturbs sleep |
|
Loud |
Well exceeds radio – 70 dB+ |
Unsafe, prevents sleep |
|
Very loud |
Radio drowned out – 80 dB+ |
Very unsafe, can't take breaks from it. |
|
Date |
Time started |
Time Ended* |
Volume |
Accompanying Noises |
Notes |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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26/27 July |
? |
6.15am |
Very loud |
Loudest 4.20am |
12.30 awoken |
|
25/26 July |
? |
7.00am |
Loud |
Shouting |
3.30am to 4.30 then Audible |
|
24/25 July |
|
|
No music* |
|
|
|
23/24 July |
10.00pm |
5.30am |
Loud |
Audible at times |
Raucous ladies songs 3-3.30am |
|
22/23 July |
11.15pm |
4.45pm |
Audible |
Men, women talk |
|
|
21/22 July |
|
|
No music* |
|
|
|
20/21 July |
|
|
No music |
|
|
|
19/20 July |
8.00pm |
11.30pm |
Very loud |
Karaoke, birthday |
All night to 5.00 am loud usual. |
|
18/19 July |
10pm |
5.30am |
Loud |
Shouts, claps |
|
|
17/18 July |
|
|
No music |
|
|
|
16/17 July |
|
|
No music |
|
Reported new exact location |
|
15/16 July |
9.00pm |
7.00am |
Very loud |
|
Update to Provincial Tourism |
|
14/15 July |
|
|
No Music |
|
|
|
13/14 July |
|
|
Audible |
|
|
|
12/13 July |
3.30am |
5.30am |
Very loud |
|
Turned down to loud 4.15 |
|
11/12 July |
10.00pm |
5.00am |
Audible |
|
Some tracks quieter |
|
10/11 July |
|
|
No music |
|
|
|
9/10 July |
9.00pm |
6.00am |
Audible |
|
Some tracks quieter |
No music, ended or turned down to acceptable levels as no more than from other houses.
Originally we thought that the small KTV about 200 metres away was the source as when visited it had the equipment and played the same music. It was an open venue facing our direction but behind houses. We wondered if it had been licensed for public entertainment. The Provincial Tourism Office visited twice, when they accepted some part. They were advised about the noise regulations and not to play loud music after 9.00pm.
Then recently in early July the direction of sound seemed to change, but the same type of music and pattern of being played all night, volume sometimes very high. One evening when it was especially loud we saw in one house windows partly open, with music-activated colour lights in an upstairs room. We could also hear distinctly mainly men, some women shouting above the music with singing and clapping. At 3.30 am one morning a group of KTV hostess gave their most shrill rendering of whatever they were trying to sing.
No doubt this noise, as well as anti-social, is definitely unsafe for the revellers and for neighbours they inflict it on, all within earshot, living just metres away.
Safe Listening Guidelines
Industry experts and audiology foundations recommend specific ways to enjoy music while preventing long-term hearing loss:
60 dB is the equivalent of a normal conversational voice, background music in a quiet cafe, quiet office environment.
The 60/60 Rule: 60 dB is the maximum safe volume, if any higher no more than a maximum of 60 minutes per session.
70dB can be unsafe as while you try to sleep it triggers a "fight-or-flight" survival response in your brain. It spikes stress hormones (cortisol and adrenaline), elevates your heart rate, and prevents you from entering deep REM sleep.
80dB and above is dangerous, as in techno house music if sustained over time. Continuous low-frequency thuds (20–250 Hz) carry high acoustic energy that can cause permanent hearing damage, fatigue, and physical discomfort in the chest and ears.
Take Quiet Breaks: Step away from the heavy bass thuds every 30 to 60 minutes to let your ears recover.
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