Attacks in Sihanoukville - Crime
Replies: 99 - Last Post: Dec 15, 2012 2:25 AM Last Post By: kandalgirl
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90
I'm Australian and in Australia unprovoked bashings and sometimes deaths occur on a regular basis in most major cities. Usually it's fueled by drugs and/or alcohol. I don't think Australia is any worse than many western countries in this regard and is regarded as a fairly safe place to travel. Sihanoukville and Siem Reap are probably the 2 most dangerous places in Cambodia. No coincidence that they're also the most touristy. I still feel safer there than in most major cities in Australa. I think #107 is correct with the tiger cage analogy. Some tourists think that when they go to Sihanoukville they can walk into the tiger cage with impunity.91
I totally concur with both comments made by 'gibletdinner'.The local westerners living in sihanoukville (like Rob) can claim that us tourists bring it on themselves etc. How was I to know that walking down a beach at 5pm when the sun was going down (i.e not fully dark) that I would be beaten up on a beach and robbed. I did not know that it was dangerous to that extent. I'd travelled close to 70 countries in 2008 when it happened and have never had anything bad like this happen to me and I'm an experienced traveller.
I speculate that someone like Rob can't admit for himself that he has his own agenda with his website; and thus his argument that the victim only has himself to blame is completely transparent and a load of bullocks....
92
Rob, it might be hard for you to understand this, but tourists are targeted in a way that expats are not. So while your experience may be good, that's not necessarily representative of the average tourist. And just because a tourist is attacked or robbed doesn't mean they bring it on themselves.I live in Phnom Penh and and still find that I have difficulties in Sihanoukville just because I clearly don't live there. A week ago my hotel room in Sihanoukville got broken into, for example.
The more that Sihanoukville expats insist that tourists are entirely at fault every time something bad happens to them, it just makes the town more inhospitable to tourism. If you're at all invested in tourism in town, being a little more empathetic might help.
93
Totally agree with 'Gibledinner' and have an idea for old Rob. Why doesn't he put a small warning on his website about avoiding the being on the beaches at nighttime. He could really help the average gullible backpacker who has no idea of the dangers.Doing this is good kharma for Rob and will not mean he will lose any revenue from his website. Its only a simple warning of the dangers
What do you think Rob? Wouldnt that make you feel all good about yourself knowing that you could help someone other than yourself...
94
Really can't believe the hostility the OP got. Relatively wealthy foroeigner in poor asian country gets robbed and people find it hard to believe. The expats on here trying to discredit a crime so their profits won't be affected is only to be expected from new age colonolists.1. Drugs are simply not layed on in noukville to tourists. The story that they owed money for drugs was not created in good faith
2. Noukville is dodge compared to just about every where else in South East Asia.
3. The Expats should develop a bit of compassion for victims of crime instead worrying how their takings might be affected.
97
to hakus and others.Please be aware that a standard (and I think legal) way to solve smaller problems in traffic and other places is that the offender pays cash to the other part.
So if the police decided that hakus was in the wrong, they asked him to pay 100$ as this is the Cambodian way to solve small problems. Normally there is no corruption involved.
The Cambodians used this system between themselves too.
(When in Rome, do like the Romans)
98
"When in Rome, do like the Romans" You mean have an orgy and feed the Christians to the lions?First, there is no due process involved. If you think Cambodians like it, you are naive indeed. And as for "Normally there is no corruption involved. " you really are out to lunch. Of course corruption is involved. it is not a "problem" it is the system.
