The Phnom Penh Department of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation has cleared the city’s streets of 477 beggars and 440 street-based sex worker.
Sisowath Quay: Clean and proper for ASEAN Chairmanship 2012 - copyright awmeier.
The reason for this is obviously clear: to “make the city beautiful” for this year’s ASEAN summit, officials said yesterday.
Proper and clean for ASEAN Chairmanship 2012.
Throughout 2011, the department had collected the beggars, who were living on the streets in Phnom Penh, and taken them to the rehabilitation department, where they receive training in order to work and support themselves. They get trained in various professions such as hair dressing and tailoring, but sometime they just return to the same situation.
Moth Yong Sony, deputy governor of Daun Penh district, said it was important to make sure Daun Penh, where attractions such as the riverside, the night market and many hotels are located, is beautiful for ASEAN.
This district will continue to clean away [beggars and street-based sex-workers] and send them to the department of social affairs.
P.S.
This is pure cosmetic and quite hypocrite behavior of Phnom Penh officials. It reminds me of the Potemkin villages.
