The Lost Generation

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Kung-fu Hillbilly
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The Lost Generation

Post by Kung-fu Hillbilly »

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Yoeurb Yoeum and and some of his dozen grandchildren. Photo: Leonie Kijewski

By Thomas Brent
26 July 2019

Five children per family” was deputy prime minister Sar Kheng’s message to the Cambodian people recently as he urged citizens to make use of the country’s size by doubling the population.

"Life has been hard since Yoeum’s children moved away. In his household bustling with children, chickens and 13 new-born puppies, the thought of contributing to national prosperity by raising even more children is far from his mind. "

"In a small district we’re currently working on right now, out of 80 elderly, about 70% were left to look after their grandchildren,” she told Southeast Asia Globe over the phone. "

"Another reason, though, is tradition. The belief that it is a child’s duty to take care of their ageing parents plays a big part in shaping the government’s elderly policy, Vira said. One of the NAP’s stated objectives is to strengthen the country’s family care system, which it describes as a “hallmark of Khmer culture”.

"He gave up working a few years ago to come home and take care of the grandchildren. Of his six children, two work in nearby Battambang, while three have joined the vast exodus of Cambodian emigrants to Thailand, a much more prosperous economy where migrants working on construction sites – as Youem’s children do – can earn up to $5 more per day for their labour. One daughter, Dy, recently quit her job in Thailand and has moved home to help her parents look after the children, six of whom are hers. "

"“The main and only challenge is financial,” she said. Every month brings the anxious wait for the roughly $75 her brother and sister send home to feed, clothe and educate the three children."

"Sometimes, like this month, the money comes late. And with the eldest nephew hospitalised with dengue as the Kingdom endures an epidemic of the mosquito-borne disease, the added medical fees mean Ornt is hard-pressed to make ends meet."

"Throughout this stretch of verdant countryside close to the border, stories like these do not take long to find; widespread migration has impacted Cambodia’s young and old alike. "

"What links the families that Southeast Asia Globe spoke to is that the working family members were all engaged in informal jobs. According to a 2018 International Labour Organisation report, a staggering 93.1 percent of Cambodia’s working population make their living in the informal economy. "

Full https://southeastasiaglobe.com/cambodia ... eneration/
explorer
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Re: The Lost Generation

Post by explorer »

A number of decades ago the Chinese government encouraged people to have more Children. Look what happened.

If they were smart, they would test everybody for Thalassaemia. Then encourage those with Thalassaemia to have no or few children, and those without to have more children.
## I thought I knew all the answers, but they changed all the questions. ##
Anthony's Weiner
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Re: The Lost Generation

Post by Anthony's Weiner »

explorer wrote: Sat Jul 27, 2019 8:32 am A number of decades ago the Chinese government encouraged people to have more Children. Look what happened.

If they were smart, they would test everybody for Thalassaemia. Then encourage those with Thalassaemia to have no or few children, and those without to have more children.
Are you referring to China's one-child policy instituted in 1970?
explorer
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Re: The Lost Generation

Post by explorer »

Anthony's Weiner wrote: Sat Jul 27, 2019 9:32 am Are you referring to China's one-child policy instituted in 1970?
Earlier than that, they encouraged people to have more children. As a result, they had to bring in the one child policy to prevent excessive population.

Cambodia, and other countries which encourage population growth, will one day have to deal with overpopulation.

With Cambodia, there are a lot of people with Thalassaemia, which results in less energy, difficulty learning, a lot of miscarriages, a lot of people dying young, a lot of people chronically sick. A lot of people with Thalassaemia dont have the ability to learn and work as well those without it. There are many different varieties of Thalassaemia. Some people have more difficulties than others. If they were smart, they would have free testing for Thalassaemia, then encourage those with it to have no children or less children, and encourage healthy people to have more children. This would result in a healthier population.

There is no point in having a large population, where a large proportion of them have health problems.
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Anthony's Weiner
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Re: The Lost Generation

Post by Anthony's Weiner »

explorer wrote: Sat Jul 27, 2019 10:14 am
Anthony's Weiner wrote: Sat Jul 27, 2019 9:32 am Are you referring to China's one-child policy instituted in 1970?
Earlier than that, they encouraged people to have more children. As a result, they had to bring in the one child policy to prevent excessive population.

Cambodia, and other countries which encourage population growth, will one day have to deal with overpopulation.

With Cambodia, there are a lot of people with Thalassaemia, which results in less energy, difficulty learning, a lot of miscarriages, a lot of people dying young, a lot of people chronically sick. A lot of people with Thalassaemia dont have the ability to learn and work as well those without it. There are many different varieties of Thalassaemia. Some people have more difficulties than others. If they were smart, they would have free testing for Thalassaemia, then encourage those with it to have no children or less children, and encourage healthy people to have more children. This would result in a healthier population.

There is no point in having a large population, where a large proportion of them have health problems.
Yes, I agree with you completely, I remember your excellent thread on the dangers and prevalence of Thalassaemia in Cambodia.
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