I arrived in Cambodia, I wrote a post about the adventure at customs and the beautiful little green bills that passed the wallets of tourists to the beautiful large leather suitcases Cambodian police .
But Cambodia does throne on top of any list of the least corrupt country in the world, the phenomenon of magicians policemen showing the money is not limited to the border. Is widespread.
But do not think it is a terrible scourge that endangers the foundations of social stability in the country. Small rides of police officers, they are minor. Personally, I find them particularly nice.
After all, according to all the people I asked, police officers receive relatively low wages. They have nice uniforms and power, nobody becomes a millionaire to practice this trade in Cambodia. Rather, it is an additional income that can make ends meet.
In Phnom Penh, the police armory is fairly easy to detect. If you see a police officer doing the traffic, you have a good chance of seeing him in action. I perceive a
a Monday morning rush hour. He works alone. There is a whistle in his mouth, a ti-plastic stick to direct traffic in the right hand and left arm in training windmill.
I sit a few feet away and watch the entertaining show ... lacked a small patio chair and a full butter popcorn!
Within an hour, the police arrested a score of vehicles (automobiles, but most of motorcycles). Each time, the officer seems to detect a new offense because it always points a different location on the vehicle's driver guilty. Not enough air in the tires, seat too low, not enough gas. I do not know me well but it seems to be of great anything. Certainly, with the heavy traffic in the capital, you can not go over 25 km / h and can not be speeding. Rechose certainly no blown into the bubblegum. So no drinking and driving.
Every time the circus is the same. The driver exited the vehicle, made a face "serious, dude, why you stop me?" and joined the police under a tree out of sight (except Sven detective, of course). The discussion usually lasts one minute.
As complete a statement of "offense" is boring and long for the two antagonists, why not "fast-track" the process and adjust it to the court? After both parties have agreed on the terms of the agreement, a few small bills go hand in hand A B. End of the operation, final stick! The policeman slip bills into his pocket, put his book of observations "infringement" and displays a broad smile while the driver leave as quickly as it arrived.
After some arrests very rewarding, the officer saw me! Zouf How beautiful! You're in a country where police officers are putting money into the pockets by stopping the world who did nothing and you do spotter by a policeman who did that in his spare time ... it tempts you to spend the cash too?
So I think I am in the large soft poo, I respond instinctively to the officer by raising his arm, saluting the thumbs up and smiling at him ... as if I commend him for his excellent work.
The policeman looks at me with an air amused, smiled and returned the hello ... and starts his ride. Those guys are
AWESOME!
few days earlier, I found myself on the side of Siem Reap to visit Angkor Temples. No magician providing traffic police here. No, here, the police who patrol the temples selling police badges to tourists!
A French traveling companion told me he had seen earlier in the day, leaving a temple, a tourist and a policeman to make any transaction. The French approached the officer and asked him what had happened. Without hesitation and without trying to hide, the officer replied: "I sell police badges. You want one?" Wham! Du tac au tac!
Amused, I tell the story to a fellow Dutch travel the next day to the temples before giving him an appointment in the evening in town to watch a game of the World Cup. I agree with him on time. He is all smiles. Why the pout, you just won the lottery? My friend replied in his pocket out of the famous badge of the police! The Dutchman simply went to the first policeman he met after I told him the story and asked if he could buy a badge.
And 30 seconds later, the transaction was completed. Those guys are
AWESOME!
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