"Girl from the Rail Line" page one
"... A glance and i saw him. wearing a blue silk top, sitting by the window of a carriage among other senior government officials, looking out at the row of houses and people who stood by the side of the rail line... in the attempt to welcome him. Some community members were gathering in the nearby houses. They had some banners and pictures of the top leader and his wife. They would like to hold up those banners and signs. But when the train approaching, they missed the chance to do so. There was a message coming this way not to do that. Police and military were patrolling the side of the rail before the train came. Security Protocol... If the people hold up signs, there might be confrontation... Afterward, a local journalist from a radio station interviewed community representatives of their plan and the wishes... and through one way or another, the air wave could carry some of those concerns to a segment of the population. Unsure if it reached the top leaders ears!!! Prime Minister visit via the train in 2016.
On the 30th December 2016, about half a year since the operation of the Royal Railway company, His Majesty the King of Cambodia and his mother, the Queen, boarded the train for their year-end visit to Sihanouk Ville... The name of the town resonate the name of the man who played great role and means everything for the people whose the center of this visit.
I didn't know about this plan. As work took most of my time, I did not know much of what is happening in the communities, unless my mother mentioned to me. But the morning of the 30th Dec, I did the first routine activity of the day, taking my car out of the parking area to park outside on the side of the road in front of my house and my mother mentioned that local authority has asked each household to put up the national flag, "Because the King is travelling through the Train this morning, daughter" she told me. And so I saw my dad came home to tie up the flag to welcome the trip. Military police has bee patrolling and checking out security in the area since the evening before, mum told me. and they continued to do so at dawn. As the flag was put up, we heard the sound of the train. When i got out, there were many people waiting like me and mum and dad; but it was not the train... it was just the one carriage that carries the driver... they were patrolling and once again checking security. After seven o'clock, when the train left its station, we were standing by the side of the rail, in front of each of our house to await. I wish to steal a glance of the King, up close, not too close but close enough to see his smiling face. He always wears such a humble smiling face.
The Royal carriage section of the train was decorated with white and blue ribbon and we could clearly see that. But to my surprise, I did not manage to see that humble smiling face of the King. Dad said he was looking to his people at this other side of the train, not to our side. i was disappointed. But how did my dad know he was not looking at our side, when he was standing just next to me? I didn't pursue that query...
20 years before... there was a memory that lead to today...
From a village's life in Kampong Cham province, we never saw train in our growing up. We are famous by the Mekong River and the richness it has to offer to the river bank farm/crop growing; we knew of travelling by horse card from our village to the district town to wait to board the machine boat from Kampong Cham toward Phnom Penh; that was one of the greatest memories I had with my mum. But I had no memory with car or train or even motorbike back then...
My family moved to Phnom Penh in early 1990s; and me in 1995. After the first two years in a temporary home, we finally settled down in our own home along the rail-line -the block behind the Institute of Technology (Sala Techno) - since 1997. The communities was very few. Now - 20 years later, it is a crowded communities with thousand of families. The rail line in front of our house is toward the direction of Kampot or Sihanouk ville, along national Road #3-4. Even we have been living here, until late last year, we did not really see the train operates every day.
The train as the means of transportation in Cambodia is not popular. it has not been well developed. Once in a while, we would hear such a loud noise of machine dragging along the rail; and that would be the sound of the train that is operated of firewood. Whenever this one comes, there would be plenty of smoke to be observed and the sound of machine is more like a person making noise in a painful condition rather than a smooth run of train one would see in the movie, for example.
Since whenever we set out feet to settle here, we are informed of the government plan to develop the rail line, or to put the high way line, or other form of development, all of which seemed gear toward chasing people out of the areas to give way to the 'development project'.
In recent year, a clearer message has been going around about the feasibility study of a highway project under the Japanese aid; people are concerned of their faith and their basic rights to housing; our family is not spared. In 2016, there were some community meetings and peaceful gathering to demand for the Ministry of Public Works to disclose information about the government plan to develop the area. But these gathering and request were met with more and more promise from Mr. Minister and his representations, assuring people that there would be dialogue organised between the ministry and 'the community' is such development is progressing.
So what we heard was...
The Cambodian government plans to "develop" the area which involves no residents between 15-30 mater of axis of the rail. With at least two folds of elections just around the corner, there has been promises... and we will keep watching how far the empty promises by far will be realised under the deep reform agenda.
On the 30th December 2016, about half a year since the operation of the Royal Railway company, His Majesty the King of Cambodia and his mother, the Queen, boarded the train for their year-end visit to Sihanouk Ville... The name of the town resonate the name of the man who played great role and means everything for the people whose the center of this visit.
I didn't know about this plan. As work took most of my time, I did not know much of what is happening in the communities, unless my mother mentioned to me. But the morning of the 30th Dec, I did the first routine activity of the day, taking my car out of the parking area to park outside on the side of the road in front of my house and my mother mentioned that local authority has asked each household to put up the national flag, "Because the King is travelling through the Train this morning, daughter" she told me. And so I saw my dad came home to tie up the flag to welcome the trip. Military police has bee patrolling and checking out security in the area since the evening before, mum told me. and they continued to do so at dawn. As the flag was put up, we heard the sound of the train. When i got out, there were many people waiting like me and mum and dad; but it was not the train... it was just the one carriage that carries the driver... they were patrolling and once again checking security. After seven o'clock, when the train left its station, we were standing by the side of the rail, in front of each of our house to await. I wish to steal a glance of the King, up close, not too close but close enough to see his smiling face. He always wears such a humble smiling face.
The Royal carriage section of the train was decorated with white and blue ribbon and we could clearly see that. But to my surprise, I did not manage to see that humble smiling face of the King. Dad said he was looking to his people at this other side of the train, not to our side. i was disappointed. But how did my dad know he was not looking at our side, when he was standing just next to me? I didn't pursue that query...
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| My first picture with the Southern Rail Line. but not in front of my house. This is the rail line in Kampot town, where the King must have traveled to disembark two days early for his trip to Sihanouk Ville. Picture taken on 1st January 2017 - 12pm. |
20 years before... there was a memory that lead to today...
From a village's life in Kampong Cham province, we never saw train in our growing up. We are famous by the Mekong River and the richness it has to offer to the river bank farm/crop growing; we knew of travelling by horse card from our village to the district town to wait to board the machine boat from Kampong Cham toward Phnom Penh; that was one of the greatest memories I had with my mum. But I had no memory with car or train or even motorbike back then...
My family moved to Phnom Penh in early 1990s; and me in 1995. After the first two years in a temporary home, we finally settled down in our own home along the rail-line -the block behind the Institute of Technology (Sala Techno) - since 1997. The communities was very few. Now - 20 years later, it is a crowded communities with thousand of families. The rail line in front of our house is toward the direction of Kampot or Sihanouk ville, along national Road #3-4. Even we have been living here, until late last year, we did not really see the train operates every day.
The train as the means of transportation in Cambodia is not popular. it has not been well developed. Once in a while, we would hear such a loud noise of machine dragging along the rail; and that would be the sound of the train that is operated of firewood. Whenever this one comes, there would be plenty of smoke to be observed and the sound of machine is more like a person making noise in a painful condition rather than a smooth run of train one would see in the movie, for example.
Since whenever we set out feet to settle here, we are informed of the government plan to develop the rail line, or to put the high way line, or other form of development, all of which seemed gear toward chasing people out of the areas to give way to the 'development project'.
In recent year, a clearer message has been going around about the feasibility study of a highway project under the Japanese aid; people are concerned of their faith and their basic rights to housing; our family is not spared. In 2016, there were some community meetings and peaceful gathering to demand for the Ministry of Public Works to disclose information about the government plan to develop the area. But these gathering and request were met with more and more promise from Mr. Minister and his representations, assuring people that there would be dialogue organised between the ministry and 'the community' is such development is progressing.
So what we heard was...
The Cambodian government plans to "develop" the area which involves no residents between 15-30 mater of axis of the rail. With at least two folds of elections just around the corner, there has been promises... and we will keep watching how far the empty promises by far will be realised under the deep reform agenda.
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