Steung Meanchey closes after 44 years...
by bongmao | July 21, 2009 at 8:58 PM
According to this article in the PPPost ( http://not-long.com/go/smeanchey/ ) The infamous landfill closed it's gates to the city of Phnom Penh this week and a new landfill opened in it's place. Most notable about this change is that scavenging in the landfill will not be allowed inside the new landfill. While this is not good economically for those most unfortunate people, it will be very good for the children who can hopefully exist in a better 'environment'... I can only hope those that are displaced will get some assistance or direction from friends, family, government, or perhaps they'll simply rely on themselves as they've been doing already.
There is a lot of displacement going on in Cambodia now... seems to be quite turbulent... cruel.
The reason I took photographs of the landfill was to attract support and provide aid to the children and women there - this unexpected result has transpired in part because of the numerous photographers that have made this place known to many throughout the world. It's a welcome development and a postive image change for Cambodia.
Perhaps someone can generate a business collecting materials that can be recycled before they get to the new landfill... provide the bins - send the trucks by to collect the material / set up a recycling center - and there you have jobs.
