[Vietnamization] Cambodia: Why Tonle Sap is world's most threatened lake

[Background / related]

Tonle Sap

The Vietnamization of Kampuchea: A New Model of Colonialism (Indochina Report, October 1984)

Part II: Vietnamization of the Economic Framework (continued)

The Unequal Exchange

        

It is within this new institutional framework that the Vietnamese are asserting their hold over the economy and future of Kampuchea.  Fisheries, rubber and rice are the three main sectors affected by what should be termed the Unequal Exchange between Vietnam and Kampuchea. 

As for fisheries, a cooperation accord was signed on 20 January 1984 between Phnom Penh's Ministry of Agriculture and Hanoi's Ministry of Marines Products.

During his visit to Phnom Penh, the Vietnamese Minister Nguyen Tien Trinh has pledged to provide "all kinds of assistance to the PRK's Ministry of Agriculture, including fishing tools and moral, maternal and technical aid for building fishing sites and shrimp boats for sea fishing, in order to develop the Kampuchea-Vietnam solidarity in fisheries."  On this occasion, Khmer Minister of Planning Chea Soth curiously expressed the confidence that "with the assistance of the Vietnamese delegation, Kampuchea's fisheries will soon make progress!"

        

In reality, what is this accord about?  Behind all the redundant jargon, the agreement serves only to sanction the near monopoly of the Vietnamese over the fisheries resources in Kampuchea, and in particular in the Sea-Lake area (Tonle Sap).  Since the beginning of 1983, all fishing activities in this area have to be registered at the local "Production Office" (Phong Tang Gia), which provide all the necessary tools such as boat motors, gas and nets, in exchange for 90 per cent of the catch.  Thus, the Rear Services and Supply Department of the Vietnamese occupying forces collects some 50 tones of fish (of the 150 tonnes daily catch) which are then distributed to all the units stationed in Kampuchea.  Besides, 60 tonnes of fish are sent daily by cargo ship to Chau Doc, My Tho, Can Tho, and Saigon.  Recently, the Vietnamese Authority set up cold storage facilities in Kampuchea to reduce losses in storage and processing.

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Cambodia: Why Tonle Sap is world's most threatened lake

Environmental damage and climate change are threatening the lake which is often described as Cambodia's "beating heart".

Al Jazeera | 30 July 2016

With its rich and diverse ecosystem, Cambodia's Tonle Sap Lake is often described as the beating heart of the country, supporting the livelihoods of more than one million people and attracting visitors from across the region.

Yet, climate change and man-made pressures are affecting the lake, resulting in a drastic reduction in its fish stocks and worrying low water levels.

Earlier this year, the Global Nature Fund designated it as the world's most "threatened" for 2016.

"In recent years, the water volume continuously declined with negative impacts on fish migration and the import of sediments," GNF said in a statement.

"In some places in the Tonle Sap Lake, the water level dropped more and more in the dry season and wetlands dried up permanently. Beyond that, illegal fishing methods, like poison, explosives and small-meshed nets are often used."

'I gave up'

For years, fishermen have earned a living from the lake's waters, which spread across 16,000 square kilometres.

But things have changed recently for people like Bun That, whose family have been fishing for generations.

"For the past several years, the catch got less and less and I couldn't feed my family," he said.

"So I gave up and looked for work as a taxi driver."

In 2016, the region saw an unprecedented drought but - according to officials - environmental factors and man-made effects pressure were mainly to blame.

The lake is vital for the region, and for a part of the population it is their only option to survive. 

If the current situation continues, many may have to find other ways to earn a living.