Casino Rich Versus Poor : Cambodia

Was on the Thai/Cambodian border at a small town called Poi Pet. Poi Pet is a casino town where rich Thais are able to step across the border and gamble at will. Gambling is illegal in Thailand so there are numerous casinos along the borders with Thailand in Cambodia and Burma, this allows corrupt officials to bend the law. I guess the casino I stayed at was owned by a particularly nasty corrupt Thai official.

The way they have it set up is you go out of Thai immigration/border but do not have to go into Cambodia past there immigration (which requires a visa0. All the casinos are located in the zone between the two countries border checkpoints.

If you go through to the Cambodian side you have dire poverty but on the other side of the Cambodian border building you have these big lavish casinos. Rich and Poor in stark contrast.

In the morning you have hundreds of Cambodians who pull and push big carts of merchandise over the border (to avoid the taxes and laws regarding vehicle transport over the border). In the evening these same people bring back their empty carts. Many of the people crossing the border hauling cars are victims of landmines (the use hand propulsion carts) or youngish children working alone or with their parents.

My life in Canada is so easy compared to the lives of these people, no more whining Gerry.