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Mekong River
Cambodia Phnom Penh
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Mekong,
Mekong River, Tonal Sap, Cambodia
airport, Cambodia cruise, Cambodia Asia,
Cambodia, River Mekong, Mekong
basin, Mekong catfish, Mekong fish, Mekong fund.
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-The Mekong River is
the world's 12th longest river and 7th longest in Asia with
about 4350 kilometers in length.
The Tibetan
Plateau is the source of the River Mekong and after the
water moves through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and
Vietnam where it finally pours into the south China Sea via the
River Mekong Delta.
The Mekong river and area around is a rich area in terms of
biodiversity. There are over 1700 species to live in the
waters of the River Mekong. The river also is home of some big
fish species, this is the giant River Mekong carp, which grow up
to 1.5 meters with up to about 70 kilo. There is the River
Mekong freshwater stingray with a wingspan of over 4 meters and
weigh up to about half a ton. Other fishes in the River Mekong
are the giant catfish and some other types of carp and the River
Mekong giant catfish with up to about 3 meters in length and up
to about 300 kilo. It is to no surprise that the people living
around the Mekong River basin depend on fishing as a way of
living. Sometimes people see Irrawaddy Dolphins and very seldom
are crocodile, here is info about the
Mekong in
Thailand.
Since the River Mekong already has been difficult to travel
in the past it becomes more and more difficult to travel and
many water life disappears since the Chinese bring the water
level to less than a meter at most parts of the River Mekong.
They build huge dams for electricity generation and irrigation
means no much water arrives in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.
There is a ecological disaster coming in a few years. In
Thailand most of the ships are idling in the River Mekong
harbors since they cant move anymore, there is not enough water.
The Chinese are a real danger for the whole region not only
because of the River Mekong problem but also for cutting almost
all accessible forests in Myanmar’s north east where they bribe
their way through for quick profit. |
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There are
indications that already around 2000 BC settlements have
been built around the river. The first European on the River
Mekong was the Portuguese Antonio de Faria in about 1540. In
general there was never a strong interest in River Mekong
because of its difficult navigational. However, French interest
in the region intensified in the mid-19th century and eventually
proved useful as a means of connecting the various countries in
the Indochina region. Two bridges over the River Mekong are
connecting Thailand and Laos. One is at Nong Kai in Thailand to
Vientiane in Laos. The second River Mekong bridge connects
Mukdahan province of Thailand to Laos. Next stop on the River
Mekong is in Cambodia
-Thousands of tourists and foreign
visitors touring Cambodia
for all this beautiful Temples,
Monuments, Pagodas, Beaches and so on, make a really enjoyable
river Mekong cruise.
What can be much more pleasant as cruising with a
small ship on the calm water of the River Mekong maybe on a
pleasant dinner cruise. Before relaxing with a cocktail in the
hand back in one of the beautiful newly built Cambodian hotels.
Along the riverbanks
of the Mekong some monks have their legs dangling in the
water, some girls play badminton, at the restaurants just off
the riverbanks candles are on and illuminate the grilled catch
nicely decorated in the tourist.
On some huge stones
on the banks of the river Mekong some couples are
sitting hand in hand for a little dating, no blind date, that's
not usual in Cambodia.
-The River Mekong coming from China, is the lifeline of 5 south
east Asian countries, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and
Vietnam.
The upcoming problem is that China
is currently building huge dams into the upper part of the
river Mekong to use and divert the water, that means maybe in around 10 - 20 years
there might be only a little stream, if any, finding its way
into Cambodia and Vietnam, huge problems are on the horizon.
Cambodia's share of the
River Mekong
is rather small but extreme important. In Cambodia most of the
lifestyle of the people - farmer- is centered around the water
the river brings, no water almost no life. |
 -International
Conference on River Mekong opens in Cambodia
More than 100 scientists, scholars and
engineers from around the world gathered in Phnom Penh on Monday to
exchange theoretical model data on how to better manage the River Mekong
Basin.
The two-day international workshop
on Hydrological and Environmental Modeling in the River Mekong Basin
was supported by Japan and the World Bank. |
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Khy Tainglim, Cambodia's Minister of Public Works and
Transportation, voiced his support and commitment for the
conference's work on securing future water resources.
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"River Mekong is
the life for Cambodia. Without it, Cambodia will
die,'' he said, referring to the fact that Cambodian farmers,
which make up 85% of the country's population, rely on water for
agriculture.
The minister, who is also chairman of the Mekong River
Commission (MRC), said he expects the gathering will produce
''rules for water utilization'' for the original four MRC member
states -- Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. China and
Myanmar are expected to join in the near future.
The
River Mekong conference covers a wide range of issues, such as data
analysis in hydrological modeling, simulation techniques for
runoff generation and flood forecasts, and the impact of human
activity on water quality and biochemical cycles |
Houseboat on the Mekong
Cambodia |
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The 4,200-kilometer
River Mekong begins in Tibet and crosses six
countries, ending in the Mekong Delta in south Vietnam.
COPYRIGHT Kyodo News International, Inc.
COPYRIGHT Gale Group |
-Night over the River Mekong
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Memories from a Sergeant’s handbag
about the River Mekong; he left
the names of the people out of his diary for personal reasons.] I was
assigned to a platoon forty-four men) that flew out of what now is
Saigon [now Ho Chi Minh City], August, 1970. I will end up in Cambodia
for several months, and my life will be shaped by the extraordinary
circumstances that I will befall. I am leaving these diary notes with a
girl in her purse, she doesn’t know about them yet, just incase things
do not work out as I hope they will. But I am getting ahead of myself. A
series of massacres along the River Mekong took place in early 1970 about, or
close to five months ago, a new bloody chapter to the river’s history
one might say. We forty-four men were sent into the region to assist
Lon’ Nol’s troops (Cambodian Military). It was pointed out to us before
we left for this mission that the Vietnamese were responsible or the
growing deaths and wounded on Lon Nol’s ill-trained troops.
And so at night we made the trip. Sihanouk’s ousting from power in
Cambodia in March made things worse; there was an expanding war with a
number of leftist Cambodian opponents. If things got bad we were to fly
to the Phnom Penh, radio out of the drop zone as soon as possible, there
we would regroup and head on back to Saigon, and then to Cam Ranh Bay
were we originated from.
But no sooner had we landed along the River Mekong to meet our Lon Nol’s
troops, which we didn’t, and the helicopter took off too off
before we could recall it, we were in gagged in a fire fight
with the North Vietnamese—to our revelation. I had noticed in
the dim lights of the evening, for it was just before dusk, or
sundown, Cambodian bodies floating down the river Mekong, too bad we
couldn’t had seen them before we made the drop, we did fly right
over them it would seem.
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Night over the
River Mekong
Squatter at River Mekong Cambodia |
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Could it be that we were all geared up for a battle,
not for what happened. They had been shot and some of
them even had their hands tied behind their backs, and
feet tied backwards as to simply allow them to sink
quicker into the river Mekong, and not have the ability to kick-swim.
Everyone within our platoon inside of twenty minutes were shot
dead, there was at least two hundred of the enemy behind us; no,
possible, maybe more, the sky was full of bullets, and all we
could do was duck, they were coming from all sides of us, it was
an ambush, they knew we were coming;
our radio man was gone before I could tell him to call for
reinforcements, dead like the Cambodians in the river Mekong;
Corporal Thompson and the Crusher, can’t remember his name, but he was
huge, I fought him once on R & R at Cam Ranh Bay, he was shot in the
head, both shot in the head. By the time it was over it was a brutal
mass killing, here in this Cambodian world, on river Mekong I knew very little
about. |
Mekong |
It was now dusk and I had three M16 rifles and a knife with me; I
stripped myself naked and like a snake I moved into the waters of the
River Mekong along the
delta—the swampy flood lands. I had a growing sense of disquiet in my
whole being, I didn’t know if I was going upstream or down. I couldn’t
tell, I lost all sense of direction, but I knew when I heard foot steps,
and when I heard them I remained quiet, then I stood up—sprayed the area
in a 180-degree half circle with bullets, fired, and fired and fired all
three M16’s into the long-grass and delta area in front of me, when I
had emptied all three rifles I dropped them in the water, and then
jumped back into the underbrush half covered with water of the River
Mekong, and as I went
forward I saw a dozen bodies. For some odd reason I was alone I sensed,
inadequately, they thought I was the phantom, and must had run off; and
to be quite frank, I felt that way—for I had killed nearly the whole
squad, possible ten out of twelve men. They had been a scout squad
looking for me I suppose, all were dead |
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but the few
that ran, if not all
dead, and if one or two were alive, I scared the crap
out of them in any case.
The village of Neak Loong was near by so I found out, as I found myself
in a daze trying to put myself back together, it was, I mean really was
a night over the River Mekong, a savage night: fancies flooded my mind, as if
I’d be rescued, but that kept me going if anything. I would find out
later those troops, the South Vietnamese troops who ambushed us, were
fighting alongside, with the Phnom Penh forces (Yam Sambaur, in Cambodia
was now in charge, or so it seemed, he was a new face in the power
structure of Cambodia); they were to be massacred as well. A lot of
these sites, military sites, villages and so on, were linked to the
River Mekong, were also vital to our Military Intelligence, such as the
Capital Vientiane, Lao’s capital that is, and again, Phnom Penh. But we
were loosing the river Mekong , as well as the capitals, or so it seemed.
I had found refuge in the small village of Neak Loong
along the River Mekong, and made some
friends there, they treated me well; at the time I walked into their
village, I think I was more, that is, more so, than not, in shock or
disbelief in what had taken place—my whole platoon wiped out. Again I
say, here I was, a naked white American walking in the back door of a
house, a house I had never seen, I never seen before (more like a hut,
hooch), and a family sitting cross legged eating rice and soup. A man of
about thirty-five, his wife of about twenty-five, four children between
three and seven, and a sister, of about eighteen, I where in a kind of
circle in the middle of the hut on a rug, just eating, and there I am, a
twenty-four year old American soldier, naked. I stayed in the village
for several weeks helping the family with what little chores I could do,
and got to meet the rest of the village folks, they were warm towards
me, but I was always afraid to move too far out of the village area, or
if someone came in, I mean if a different face I had not yet seen came,
and I saw it, I was in fear of them exposing me, and so I hid
until they were gone, or until the sister told me it was alright
to venture throughout the village freely again.
There was one event I remember quite well, that was the time the family
took me to a fishing village at the River Mekong, at the edge of Cambodia’s Great Lake and
there were many a fisher men with their small fishing boats, and people
carrying one-hundred pound white rice sacks placing them in the boats,
and filling up wicker baskets full of tiny fish.
Wherever I went, looked
in this country, there was Buddha’s image, it was stored here and there,
under and over: in shrines, temples, outside standing along, on grave
stones—you name the place, it was someplace there. And I got to see once
the royal palace from a view, from Mount Phousi. But I had to go, to
leave the area, as much as I liked it, and the sister of the wife whom I
was becoming quite fond of, and friendly with; I do wish I could have
stayed.
Mekong near Phnom Penh Cambodia |
I am now in Phnom Penh, and I like the River Mekong a little more now, the
Mekong has shown me a new face; I feel a lot better now. I’m sure the
Army people back home got me marked as an MIA (Missing in Action), and
will be searching for my bones for the next fifty years, but as soon as
I can make it back, they’ll know.
On my way to Phnom Penh I went through Neak Luong, which is, or was, still is I guess, a key
River Mekong crossing I
found out. I also heard key supplies from Saigon to Phnom Penh were
going through that village at the River Mekong, that is why the villagers were so friendly
to me, gave me food, a place to sleep for a few days, and even a few
American dollars. I think they befriended the US as well as the VC
[Vietcong], and whatever other Communist Army’s are playing in this war.
I found out down at the main market place, the big one here in Phnom
Penh, a lot of Russians were there. |
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I played the tourist when I see a Military uniform that is
when I start talking about Angkor Wat, the archeological
site by Phnom Bakheng. Wish I had time to see it but I
don’t, I’ve been real busy. The water front along the River Mekong here is
quite busy also. The delta comes back now and then to my mind, and the
firefight, the paddy fields, the vast inland lake as waters coved
everything, but I’m getting on. I went to the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh today, and there are a lot of
Buddhist monks there, and just outside are, I bet, twenty or more, young
Cambodians without limbs begging. One followed me around the other day
in the Russian Market place; I call it that now, because it is easier
for me to remember. I’m living in the backroom of an antique dealer’s
house. I clean it up for him, and his wife. |
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There is a lot of decadence in the inner city of Phnom Penh,
cars and bikes piled up, up high like junkyard here and there,
so it seems, here and there. I’ve been now, at this time here
for three months, total time gone I think close to five months.
I’ve acted like a deserter a few times when the Communist of the
city looked strange at me. I think they think I’m on heroin
also; a lot of GI’s get hooked on it, and eventually end up in
other cities throughout this region. I’ve seen a few, talked to
them, strung out.
They are no good to go home, and no good for the US Army,
and for some reason, Cambodia must feel they are good enough
here, and the Vietcong I think like looking at them walk around
like lost lambs, makes them feel good. Maybe a symbol of the
war, it’s dying slowly. Wish we’d just take the damn North, not
a problem if you cut all the fat away from the political system
and just direct the soldiers to fight and win. |
River Mekong fishing |
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-End of the Memories: Now I must tell you the rest of the story.
It was shortly after that
day, when the sergeant meet five real, truly real tourists that had come
in from Bangkok, stayed in Phnom Penh a few days, and went up to the
site at Angkor Wat a few more days, then came back to Phnom Penh, and
were to head on back to Bangkok, thus to the airport first. They stayed
there, standing by a small bus with their tour guide, when for some
reason, of the five tourists the young lady, unmarried, was pulled out
of the group of five by two soldiers, one Cambodian, and one North
Vietnamese. The sergeant saw this, as they questioned her, then as they
were about to take her (to some unknown destiny) for further
questioning, the protest started with the other group members—and the
two older woman were pushed back by a third Cambodian, and the two men,
but in their mid forties, were told to be silent or be shot, and a forth
soldier showed up with a rifle pointed it at the two men. The young lady
then willingly went, or started to go with the now, four soldiers. I
shall just call them Communist Victor’s of the city, for lack of a
better name
It was at that moment, that very moment the Sergeant walked up to the
one soldier whom had his hand around the woman’s wrist and said:“She’s my wife,” that made everyone take notice, and before the soldier
could translate, or figure out what he said, he grabbed his AK47, rifle,
Russian made, and without blinking an eye shot all four soldiers dead. I
guess he must had felt it was better he make his move without anyone
able to identify him, but what took place next was a racing campaign,
with six people in the bus through the streets of the city, and outbound
to towards Saigon, some one hundred and twenty five miles away. It was
reported, they had found a village after running out of gas, and held up
there, but the boarder between South Vietnam and Cambodia, with Saigon
not being that far away. Because they could not move either way, back to
Phnom Penh or toward Saigon, they had to remain where they were. At this
point, the US Government got involved, and the North Vietnam now knew
who the Sergeant was. To them, it was a mocking, and the Cambodian
Government did not want to alarm either side, caught in the middle.
In short, there was a compromise, but it was the Sergeant that surfaced
it. He would give himself up to the North, should the five people be
allowed to be taken out without any combat from any sides, for now there
were a handful of Cambodians outside the village, and the village people
were in fear, and there were several hundred GI’s coming to the rescue
with helicopters, and the North Vietnamese were sending something like
fifteen hundred soldiers to the area, if not more from the well guarded
and overwhelming supply of troops they had along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
Besides the vast amount of ordnance dropped on this area, in particular
throughout Laos, they had more than enough troops to send to the Mekong
city of Phnom Penh. |
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There were troops also
coming in from Laos, (American Troops) ‘Silver City’, also known as
‘Kilometre 6’ the main reason was because they were Intelligence
Officers and pilots, and the Sergeant had some information they’d not
care for the North Vietnamese to have.
But all was too late, the bus was filled
with gas before ‘Kilometre 6’, could arrive, and the five tourists were
allowed to move out of the village onto Saigon without hindrance, and
the only report ever given after that was of the young woman saying, “I
looked out the back window, then the side windows, seen
him becoming surrounded by people in uniform, and they were not
Americans, then they tied his hands, and …and they just took him by the
hair and dragged him onto a big truck.” That was the last anyone ever
heard of him.
Author
Dennis Siluk, http://dennissiluk.tripod.com
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