Two Rapes in 3 Days Reveal Resort’s Dark Side

Khmer Times/Jack Laurenson

Wednesday, 05 August 2015

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SIHANOUKVILLE (Khmer Times) – The coastal city of Sihanoukville is one which is working hard to tackle its demons and lay ghosts to rest. It is also a city that still wears two faces.

One is the face of an idyllic seaside community that attracts thousands of mostly satisfied visitors every year to its relaxing beaches. The other face can be menacing and the hostility can be shocking.

Encountering this side of Sihanoukville can have tragic consequences, as events in recent weeks have shown.

First Rape

In the early afternoon of July 20, Jane, a tourist, went to Victory Beach for a walk along the sand and a dip in the sea.

read more: http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/14091/two-rapes-in-3-days-reveal-resort---s-dark-side/

I hate sounding like a dummy,but could some one please tell me were Sihanoukville is.

south cambodia coast

cowboy town

It a sad fact that developing countries lack what it takes on so many levels to minimise the risk of such hideous events.

Unfortunately, being a lone female tourist is not recommended in such locations.

I hear Sihanoukville is a dangerous place, in general. Cambodia seems to have its fair share of violent crime, and this beach town seems to have a lot of dodgy types, from what I am told by friends who have lived in Cambodia for extended periods. I know PP is considered dangerous. Many have warned it is not safe to walk around at night.

I hate sounding like a dummy,but could some one please tell me were Sihanoukville is.

Ummmm.................. you can post to this forum but cannot use Google?

IS paid sex too expensive there ? And is the place really dangerous ?

I hear Sihanoukville is a dangerous place, in general. Cambodia seems to have its fair share of violent crime, and this beach town seems to have a lot of dodgy types, from what I am told by friends who have lived in Cambodia for extended periods. I know PP is considered dangerous. Many have warned it is not safe to walk around at night.

Phnom Penh dangerous? Any city at night, London, New York, Paris, Bangkok has its areas to steer clear of. Phnom Penh is no more dangerous than Bangkok in that respect. I've only ever been to Sihanoukville twice on business for a day. What put me off is ageing foreign rockers (dodgy types) on big bikes riding around with diminutive females riding pillion and reckless young tourists, male and female half cut riding motos the way I did a pushbike when I was a kid.

By the way, I've lived in Phnom Penh 9 years and never had any trouble. Someone did try to mug me in Bangkok back in '96 though.

I hear Sihanoukville is a dangerous place, in general. Cambodia seems to have its fair share of violent crime, and this beach town seems to have a lot of dodgy types, from what I am told by friends who have lived in Cambodia for extended periods. I know PP is considered dangerous. Many have warned it is not safe to walk around at night.

Phnom Penh dangerous? Any city at night, London, New York, Paris, Bangkok has its areas to steer clear of. Phnom Penh is no more dangerous than Bangkok in that respect. I've only ever been to Sihanoukville twice on business for a day. What put me off is ageing foreign rockers (dodgy types) on big bikes riding around with diminutive females riding pillion and reckless young tourists, male and female half cut riding motos the way I did a pushbike when I was a kid.

By the way, I've lived in Phnom Penh 9 years and never had any trouble. Someone did try to mug me in Bangkok back in '96 though.

Fascinating. When I visited PP several times, all my friends who lived there were quite careful at night. We exercise no such precautions in BKK. I consider it to be one of the safest capitals in the world. Never had an issue in nearly 40 years of visiting, and traveling all over the country, and neither have countless friends who live in BKK. They cannot say the same about PP and Cambodia in general.

I hear Sihanoukville is a dangerous place, in general. Cambodia seems to have its fair share of violent crime, and this beach town seems to have a lot of dodgy types, from what I am told by friends who have lived in Cambodia for extended periods. I know PP is considered dangerous. Many have warned it is not safe to walk around at night.

Phnom Penh dangerous? Any city at night, London, New York, Paris, Bangkok has its areas to steer clear of. Phnom Penh is no more dangerous than Bangkok in that respect. I've only ever been to Sihanoukville twice on business for a day. What put me off is ageing foreign rockers (dodgy types) on big bikes riding around with diminutive females riding pillion and reckless young tourists, male and female half cut riding motos the way I did a pushbike when I was a kid.

By the way, I've lived in Phnom Penh 9 years and never had any trouble. Someone did try to mug me in Bangkok back in '96 though.

Fascinating. When I visited PP several times, all my friends who lived there were quite careful at night. We exercise no such precautions in BKK. I consider it to be one of the safest capitals in the world. Never had an issue in nearly 40 years of visiting, and traveling all over the country, and neither have countless friends who live in BKK. They cannot say the same about PP and Cambodia in general.

When I first came here 20 years ago I didn't leave my hotel at night, the sound of gunfire was quite common. It's nothing like that any more.

I would offer that it's about perspective. There was a long thread a couple of days ago about someone moving to BKK who was worried about being run down on the sidewalk -??

I lived many years in BKK and if you and your friends don't take precautions, that's perhaps asking for trouble one day. I was a soldier for most of my formative years and have never had so much to drink, when I was a drinker, that I wasn't aware of what was going on around me. That's why the low life that tried to mug me in BKK came off worst. I guess my friends in BKK and here have a different mindset to yours. Some of these all so knowledgeable types that live in Thailand need to get out more.

One man's meat is another man's poison....

A troll post has been removed as well as the replies.

I hear Sihanoukville is a dangerous place, in general. Cambodia seems to have its fair share of violent crime, and this beach town seems to have a lot of dodgy types, from what I am told by friends who have lived in Cambodia for extended periods. I know PP is considered dangerous. Many have warned it is not safe to walk around at night.

Phnom Penh dangerous? Any city at night, London, New York, Paris, Bangkok has its areas to steer clear of. Phnom Penh is no more dangerous than Bangkok in that respect. I've only ever been to Sihanoukville twice on business for a day. What put me off is ageing foreign rockers (dodgy types) on big bikes riding around with diminutive females riding pillion and reckless young tourists, male and female half cut riding motos the way I did a pushbike when I was a kid.

By the way, I've lived in Phnom Penh 9 years and never had any trouble. Someone did try to mug me in Bangkok back in '96 though.

Fascinating. When I visited PP several times, all my friends who lived there were quite careful at night. We exercise no such precautions in BKK. I consider it to be one of the safest capitals in the world. Never had an issue in nearly 40 years of visiting, and traveling all over the country, and neither have countless friends who live in BKK. They cannot say the same about PP and Cambodia in general.

Here's another thought, have you ever tried taking a leisurely stroll through Khlong Toey after dark? - no precautions needed there?!

I hear Sihanoukville is a dangerous place, in general. Cambodia seems to have its fair share of violent crime, and this beach town seems to have a lot of dodgy types, from what I am told by friends who have lived in Cambodia for extended periods. I know PP is considered dangerous. Many have warned it is not safe to walk around at night.

Phnom Penh dangerous? Any city at night, London, New York, Paris, Bangkok has its areas to steer clear of. Phnom Penh is no more dangerous than Bangkok in that respect. I've only ever been to Sihanoukville twice on business for a day. What put me off is ageing foreign rockers (dodgy types) on big bikes riding around with diminutive females riding pillion and reckless young tourists, male and female half cut riding motos the way I did a pushbike when I was a kid.

By the way, I've lived in Phnom Penh 9 years and never had any trouble. Someone did try to mug me in Bangkok back in '96 though.

Fascinating. When I visited PP several times, all my friends who lived there were quite careful at night. We exercise no such precautions in BKK. I consider it to be one of the safest capitals in the world. Never had an issue in nearly 40 years of visiting, and traveling all over the country, and neither have countless friends who live in BKK. They cannot say the same about PP and Cambodia in general.

Here's another thought, have you ever tried taking a leisurely stroll through Khlong Toey after dark? - no precautions needed there?!

According to my friends who live in PP, there are only a few areas they would be willing to walk through at night. In Bangkok, there are only a few I would not be willing to walk through at night. I have been all over that city at all hours of the night, and never once felt threatened. Cannot say the same about PP. Just telling you my experiences over 15 years or so in the area.

I have walked around many major world cities at night while alone, including many evenings all over Bangkok. I routinely take the light rail through the heart of south Los Angeles at night (Compton/Watts/etc), and have never had a problem. I walked around after dark one night in PP, right in the middle of the high rent embassy neighborhood in the city center (with guard stations in front of the embassies), and was robbed (only time in my life).

I do really like Cambodia, but it is definitely not safe. All of the people I met there who lived in PP all their life would agree. I walked all over PP during the day several times over two months without any problems at all, but I was always back by dusk. You might be ok on the riverfront after dark, but I would not advise anywhere else.

The thing about after dark is, it is still the cultural norm in Cambodia to go to bed very early and arise very early. Reliable electricity has not been around all that long (and still isn't in many rural areas) so people follow the sun. The streets are buzzing at 5:30 - 6 AM but empty at by 8-9 PM. This is not the case in Bangkok.

Street lighting is also not at all good, so many streets will be pitch black.

Cambodians do not go about on foot much after dark with a few exceptions like the riverfront area which is well lit. Even the minority of Khmer who frequent nightspots open late, don't walk there.

Until this changes, it is not going to be very safe to be out walking after dark, a few well lit touristy areas excepted.