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#cambodia

10 posts9 participants1 post today
I call it a dancing tree of life

It is a classic shot of one of the main entrances to Ta Prohm Temple, but sometimes cliché becomes iconic.

The Ta Prohm is somehow most known for its tall trees and solid root system entangled in the buildings structure.

But it is also one of the more challenging temples to explore, because the structure itself, the park around it and the entrance gates. The area is so filled with interesting details and unexpected turns and ideas. This is one of the temples worth spending some time studying.

Ta Prohm (Khmer: ប្រាសាទតាព្រហ្ម, "Ancestor Brahma") is the modern name of the structure. Originally it was called Rajavihara (Khmer: រាជវិហារ, "royal monastery"). It was built during the reign of Jayavarman VII, the great ruler who is known for Bayon, the final version of Angkor Thom city and other massive social public works like hospitals and safe guesthouses all over the realm.

It was a monastery and university, build to honour the kings mother, with the gates honouring his brother and his guru. At the peak of its operation, 12 500 people lived within Ta Phrom temple complex and appx 80 000 lived in villages around it, supporting the institution.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ta_Prohm

#Angelina #moment" #dancing #tree #life #treeoflife #jolie #siem #reab #siemreap #cambodia #kampuchea #worldheritage #khmer #khmerempire #worldculturalheritage #mobilephotography #2018CE #architecture #angkor #goldenage #taprohm #Ta #Prohm #J7

Good morning from Siem Reap. #today is a slow move from house to Spring Coffee and their comfy chairs. I had to wait for some people to leave so I could take over. Now I am set. Got no place to be. So I will write. And slowly sip the iced Americano that patiently awaits. After whenever I am done it's a walk I enjoy through the Wat Bo district. Somehow I find my way back home. I have been thinking of some going. It was just a yesterday or so ago we did Battambang. Love the city. We both simply love going there. From food to coffee to playing tourist sometimes.

Have a good day. Find some wonder.

Indigenous community calls out Cambodian REDD+ project as tensions simmer in the Cardamoms

news.mongabay.com/2025/03/indi

Indigenous Chorng communities in Cambodia allege continued land restrictions and rights violations by Wildlife Alliance, the U.S.-based NGO running the Southern Cardamom REDD+ project that includes swaths of their farmlands and forest.

Peer-to-peer energy in developing nations

https://youtu.be/j6oB1UjwY5w?feature=shared

It’s estimated that globally 1.18 Billion people are living in energy poverty and 700 Million are living with no electricity at all. [1] Many of them are in rural areas with no chance of ever getting connected to a mains (Fossil Fuel) grid because the electricity/maintenance would be just too expensive. Enter peer-to-peer energy trading technology, coupled with cheap solar and storage. A technology that has the potential to lift millions out of energy poverty, especially those living in equatorial regions.

Established in 2015, SOLshare, in Bangladesh, has developed one of the world’s first solar peer-to-peer energy exchange platforms, allowing households with rooftop solar home systems to trade excess electricity in real-time. This technology enables users to become both producers and consumers of electricity, enhancing energy access in areas where traditional grid infrastructure is lacking.

The SOLshare platform is comprised of three key elements

  • SOLbazaar Platform: This is the core of SOLshare’s P2P trading system, which connects households and small businesses. Users can sell surplus energy generated from their solar installations to neighbours, facilitating a decentralised energy market.
  • SOLbox Meter: A bi-directional smart meter that allows for the measurement and trading of electricity between users. It supports mobile payments, making transactions seamless and accessible.
  • Mobile App: The SOLapp helps manage user energy and tracks consumption and trading activities, enhancing user engagement and efficiency.

SOLshare’s initiative has significantly improved energy access for rural communities in Bangladesh, where approximately 60 million people still lack reliable electricity. Some of these communities have never had access to reliable electricity. By enabling households to monetise their excess solar energy, SOLshare not only addresses energy poverty but also empowers local economies by allowing individuals to earn income through energy trading.

The company’s technology exemplifies the benefits of a shift towards decentralised and sustainable energy solutions. The Fossil Fuels industry to this day claims that renewables can’t power the world, but if history has taught us anything it’s centralised Fossil Fuels can’t power poorer regional areas. While this technology is most applicable in rural areas it can be deployed in cities to help combat blackouts and rising electricity costs.

There are other similar initiatives happening in the developing world. I touched on another initiative in Africa in this article HERE. Also in Cambodia Okra Solar are deploying something very similar which they call a Mesh Grid. It can be quickly deployed, and in this case below, redeployed when needed. Someting that is increasingly important when it comes to Climate Change adaptation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI4S2lH9DdM

You can see other projects that Okra Solar are deploying around the world here: https://www.okrasolar.com/category/case-studies

It’s not just the developing world that can benefit from this type of Solar Micro Grid. In Australia remote communities that are currently dependent on diesel generators are now being powered by Solar and Batteries. These towns would also benefit from the addition of peer-to-peer energy trading as a way to save money and build more resilience into their micro grids. https://reneweconomy.com.au/horizon-slashes-diesel-use-with-solar-and-battery-microgrids-for-remote-towns/

Solar and Storage will 100% power equatorial regions, and beyond, in the the future. It will be cheaper and more reliable. It will allow for more energy independence and will dramatically reduce emissions. We just need to hit the accelerator pedal and get deploying these projects faster so they can benefit from economies of scale.

Notes*

The Bangladesh video is from Damon Gameau who embarks on a personal journey to explore what the future could look like by the year 2040 if we embraced the best solutions available today to improve our planet and wellbeing. https://theregenerators.org/2040/

You can read more about Mesh Grids here: https://cleantechnica.com/2024/04/05/the-potential-of-solar-mesh-grids-for-last-mile-electrification/

Other links:

Al Jazeera video on Solshare: https://youtu.be/v33ERl42VYM?si=U_dZvHwzlnZEmKuk

World Economic Forum video: https://www.weforum.org/stories/2018/06/rural-bangladesh-villages-transition-renewable-energy-sebastian-groh/

"Huione Pay, the banking arm of what’s been called the world’s 'largest ever illicit online marketplace' (#HuioneGuarantee) has been stripped of its banking license, the National Bank of #Cambodia confirmed to RFA this week."

There's been previous reports of tens of billions of dollars moving through Huiones "anything goes" marketplace for weapons, drugs, slaves, etc. so this is possibly an interesting escalation in the crackdown on Chinese organized crime in southeast asia that seems to have been orchestrated by the #PRC (though some are sceptical if it will end up making any real difference give Huione connections to the Cambodian government).

rfa.org/english/cambodia/2025/

Worth reading:

"I Quit Being a Journalist": The Arrest of a Prominent Cambodian Reporter Sends a Chilling Message. “The fate of award-winning investigative journalist #MechDara underscores the growing risks of reporting under an increasingly repressive regime.” | by Bopha Phorn, Nieman Reports niemanreports.org/arrest-mech- #Cambodia #PressFreedom

Nieman Reports · "I Quit Being a Journalist": The Arrest of a Prominent Cambodian Reporter Sends a Chilling Message - Nieman ReportsThe arrest of investigative Cambodian journalist Mech Dara underscores the growing risks of reporting under an increasingly repressive regime.

“Thai authorities have announced charges against 100 #Thai nationals for their involvement in transnational call center scams operating from #Cambodia. These individuals were among 119 Thais deported from Cambodia on March 1, 2025, following a coordinated operation between the two countries.

... อ่านข่าวต้นฉบับได้ที่ | Khaosod khaosodenglish.com/news/2025/0

khaosodenglish.com/news/2025/0

#Thailand is fighting #ScamCentres on at least 2 fronts, as serious organized crime has become entrenched in neighbouring countries. …the huge size of these compounds –…most lucrative in #Myanmar & #Cambodia – pose a threat even to #US security. The…civil war in Myanmar…has opened the door to #Chinese criminal networks who have set up shop in #Myawaddy &…further south on the #ThaiMyanmar border.”asiafinancial.com/thousands-in

Asia Financial · Thousands in Limbo as Thailand Fights Scam Hubs on Two FrontsCrackdowns on scam centres near Thailand's borders with Myanmar and Cambodia led to the rescue of over 7,200 people in recent weeks

Google is citing a trillion dollars lost to crypto #AI scams (just on mobile devices!) in its new security blog posting.

A trillion. fucking. dollars.

Now i don't know how reliable that number is but i also don't doubt for a second that the real number is something like that, within maybe an order of magnitude.

I don't think there's too many examples in human history when non-state actor criminal groups controlled nation state levels of assets like this. in the biggest picture this is what is destabilizing the world. these guys paid for #Brexit, they paid for the #Trump campaign, took over countries in SE Asia, and so on. and it's all facilitated by crypto, mostly #Tether, #JustinSun, and #HowardLutnick.

and it’s going to get a lot worse.

security.googleblog.com/2025/0

#uspol#eupol#SEAsia

#Texas... who tf is calling me from Texas? Have #robocalls made it over the pond? Fyi, I'm in #Norway O.o

Is the #USA going to compete with #India, #Russia and #Cambodia in trying to swindle our infirm and voulnerable? Big fucking man #USA, over here. I wish telephony supported getting slapped.

This is actual cold warfare - I swear. I'm saying it again: BUILD THAT FUCKING WALL, from the north pole to the south, across the #Atlantic...

And make it a digital wall.

Yeah, I said it.