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Issue #34 | July / August 2010 | www.pacific-news.de | ISSN 1435-8360 | € 5,00
Pacific News
News | Notes | Insights from the Asia-Pacific Region
#34
The Changing Notion of Security in SEA
“ASEANized” Human Security?
Watershed Inventory in Siem Reap
Combining Social & Natural Science
Pacific Workers in NZ’s Horticulture
Comments on the RSE
CONTENTS #34 | July/August 2010
The Changing Notion of Security in Southeast Asia – 4
Watershed Inventory Siem Reap, Cambodia – 9 Pacific Workers in New Zealand's Horticulture – 28
4 The Changing Notion of Security in 22 Land of Chopsticks, Jeans and Contra-
Southeast Asia: State, Regime and dictions: German Geography Students
“ASEANized” Human Security Explore the Pearl River Delta, China
Alfred Gerstl Theresa Münch
9 Watershed Inventory Siem Reap, 24 Culture as a Political Function in the
Cambodia: A Combination of Social Pacific: Vanuatu and Tonga Compared
and Natural Science Methods Andreas Holtz
Harald Kirsch
28 Pacific Workers in New Zealand’s
15 PN Photo Pages: Horticulture: Comments on the
The Crescent District in Saigon South: Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme
A Showcase for Post-Modern Urban Jana Prochazkova
Development in Vietnam
Michael Waibel 32 PN Picture:
Laughing Labour Migrants at a Work-
18 BrandHK shop within Guangzhou's Textile District
A Copycat in City Branding? Timon Koch
Anna Mak
2 Pacific News #34 • July/August 2010
EDITORIAL IMPRINT:
Editorial Board:
Dr. Michael Waibel (V.i.S.d.P.),
University of Hamburg
Dr Julia N. Albrecht,
Dear readers Victoria University of Wellington
Commencing the editorial by announcing some changes that the Pacific News has Scientific Advisory Board:
Dr Roger C.K. Chan, Department of
undergone has almost become a tradition over the last few issues. Between the re- Urban Planning and Design, Hong
lease Pacific News 33 and this issue, we have worked on introducing a peer-review Kong University
system in order to further increase the quality of articles published in the PN. This in- Dr Tara Duncan, Department of
Tourism, University of Otago, New
volved the establishment of a Scientific Advisory Board with members from recognised
Zealand
international universities that have a role in contributing to the review process itself Dr. Rolf Jordan, Department of
as well as hopefully spreading the good word and helping to make this journal better Geography, University of Vienna,
known in our parts of the scientific community. Austria
Dr Jan Mosedale, Department of
We are therefore pleased to introduce to you the members of the Pacific News Sci- Tourism, University of Sunderland,
entific Advisory Board: Dr Roger C.K. Chan, Hong Kong University; Dr Tara Duncan, UK
University of Otago; Dr. Rolf Jordan, University of Vienna; Dr Jan Mosedale, University Dr. Jan-Peter Mund, United Nations
of Sunderland and Dr. Jan-Peter Mund, United Nations University, Bonn. University, Bonn, Germany
External Reviewer:
Please note that we have also updated our website (www.pacific-news.de); the new Dr. Jürgen Ossenbrügge, Depart-
authors’ guidelines can be found there. ment of Economic Geography,
University of Hamburg, Germany
Regardless of the ongoing changes, however, we will continue in aspiring to pro- Cartography:
vide you with up-to-date insights into current events in the Pacific rim area and Claus Carstens
related research projects. We hope you enjoy the PN as much as ever and wish
Layout Print Version:
you an engaging read. Long Tran
The Editors All material published in the Pacific
News expresses the views and
opinions of the authors of this
material.
Pacific News
Please submit your manuscripts to:
waibel_michael@yahoo.de or
julia.albrecht@vuw.ac.nz
The Pacific News (PN), ISSN 1435-8360, is the semi-annual publication of the Association for Pacific Studies
Association for Pacific Studies (Arbeitsgemeinschaft fuer Pazifische Studien e.V., (APSA), in co-operation with
the Department of Geography,
APSA). It is published through the Department of Economic Geography of Hamburg University of Hamburg, University
University, Germany. The PN provides an interdisciplinary academic platform for of Hamburg, Bundesstrasse 55,
emerging scholars in particular. It discusses social, cultural, environmental, political D-20146 Hamburg/ Germany.
and economic issues and developments in the Asia-Pacific region. Web: www.pacific-news.de
In order to uphold scientific standards, the PN is in the process of implementing a
peer-review process. All articles that include key words as well as an abstract have COVER PICTURE
been quality-assured through peer-review. The PN will continue to publish reports on White & Black
Traditional Coffee in Vietnam
current issues as well as photo reports; these have not been subjected to peer-review. Photo made in Cao Lãnh City in
APSA-Members receive the Pacific News at no cost as a membership benefit. Đồng Tháp province,
© 2010 Dana Puckelwaldt, Berlin
The cover image shows the two
most popular kinds of fresh Vietna-
mese coffee: The traditional milk
coffee „cà phê sữa đá” is pictured in
the front; coffee is filtered through
a stainless steel filter over swee-
tened condensed milk. Once all
the coffee has dripped down, it is
The Association for Pacific Studies (Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Pazifische Studien e.V., usually stirred and then poured into
a glass over ice. The cup of black
APSA) was founded in 1987 at the Department of Geography of the Technical Univer- coffee without milk in the back is
sity Aachen/Germany. Activities include workshops, conferences, public lectures and called „cà phê đá đến“. Over the
poster exhibitions. The book series Pazifik Forum was initiated in 1990. In 1992, it past decade, Vietnam saw the
mushrooming of mostly locally-
was complemented by the publication of the semi-annual journal Pacific News. based coffeehouse chains; the two
The latter has developed into the major activity of APSA in recent years. largest ones probably being High-
The APSA sees itself as one of the largest scientific networks in Germany for acade- lands Coffee and Trung Nguyên
mics and practitioners with an interest in the Asia-Pacific region as well as academic Coffee. The price for a café latte
sold there can easily exceed that of
exchange. traditional milk coffee by ten times.
Pacific News #34 • July/August 2010 3
The Changing Notion of Security in Southeast Asia State, Regime and “ASEANized” Human Security Alfred Gerstl Abstract: This paper discusses the changing notion of security in Southeast Asia. Even though the neorealist state- and regi- mecentric view of security is still dominant, the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997/98 and the natural disasters in the last years, notably the 2004 tsunami and cyclone Nargis in 2008, have further pressured the regimes to adopt a more people-oriented notion of security. The new ASEAN Charter, in force since 2008, though, is still based on sovereignty and non-interference, not on human security. ASEAN has even framed its counter-terrorism policies under the “ASEAN Way” values. In addi- tion to this “ASEANization” approach, the Association has also depoliticized its counter-terrorism policies, emphasizing the socioeconomic and educational dimension of the fight against terrorism. This paper therefore concludes that we do currently not witness a fundamental redefinition but a further broadening of security in Southeast Asia. Key Words: Southeast Asia; ASEAN; Human Security; ASEAN Charter; Counter-Terrorism The notion of security is gradually changing in Southeast Asia. Even though the neorealist state- and regime-centric view of security is still dominant, the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997/98 and the natural disasters in the last years, notably the 2004 tsunami and cyclone Nargis in 2008, have further pressured the regimes to adopt a more people-oriented notion of security. The new ASEAN Charter, in force since 2008, though, is still based on sovereignty and non-interference. It therefore illustrates that we do cur- rently not witness a fundamental redefinition but a further broadening of security in Southeast Asia. Since the end of the Cold War, non-traditional security threats such as people, drug and weapon smugg- ling, organized crime, the spread of mass diseases, terrorism or environmental degradation have inc- reased around the globe. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was among the first regional institutions to address these new threats conceptually. Already in the late 1980s, ASEAN has subscribed to the notion of comprehensive security, a modern approach that includes both traditional military and non-traditional threats. Politically, however, ASEAN has actively tackled non-conventional menaces only in the mid-1990s, starting with drug and people smuggling and terrorism (Gerstl 2009). Comprehensive security regimes still stress sovereignty, non-in- 2004: 160–163). This concept was ac- The concept of comprehensive secu- terference (enshrined in the “ASEAN cording to Amitav Acharya (2006: rity has been endorsed by almost all Way”) and favor only limited coope- 249) “developed and propagated by regional security organizations since ration, steered by the governments governments and the policy commu- 1989/91, as it adequately reflects the rather than independent institutions1. nity in Asia (except in Japan, where the challenges our globalized and inter- Accordingly, in Southeast Asia where concept originated) primarily as an in- connected societies face today. In Sou- most regimes are output- rather than strument of regime legitimization and theast Asia, however, neorealist per- democratically legitimized, compre- survival, by making the governments ceptions of security remain strong. An hensive security has a strong state- of day appear to be seriously concer- expression of neorealism is that the centric dimension (Caballero-Anthony ned with challenges other than military 44 4 Pacific News #34 • July/August 2010
threats, primarily poverty and under-
development”.
Human security
Even human security is in Southeast
Asia viewed through a neorealist lense.
This broad approach was first promo-
ted by the United Nations Develop-
© Claus Carstens, Hamburg 2010
ment Program (UNDP) in 1994 to
further the idea that individuals and
communities can also be threatened
by insecurity and legitimate referent
objects in international politics. Ac-
cording to the UNDP, human secu-
rity comprises of seven core threats:
economic, food, health, environment,
personal, community and political se-
curity. ASEAN Member States and their Entry Date
Ideally, this multidimensional and ented approach (Emmerson 2008a). ring and inclusive community that
multifaceted notion of human security The Asian Financial Crisis (AFC) of shall consist of a political-security,
strengthens state, regime and indivi- 1997/98 acted as a crucial catalyst to economic and socio-cultural pillar. As
dual security. In practice, however, es- put human security on the political the role model is the European Eco-
pecially in non-democratic countries, agenda. Similar to the Severe Acute nomic Community, not the suprana-
these three dimensions of human se- Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epide- tional European Union collaboration
curity can conflict with each other. As mic in 2003, the devastating tsunami in in the economic pillar will be much
human security is a security, develop- 2004 and cyclone Nargis in 2008, the deeper than in the two other sectors.
mental and potential democratic con- AFC highlighted that the peoples can
cept alike, it poses a political challenge be more affected by economic, social, The ASEAN Charter
to the regime security of the non-de- environmental or political crises than The ASEAN Charter of 2007 is instru-
mocratic countries. Empowered peo- the state or regime. Furthermore, the mental for establishing the East Asian
ple become aware of their needs for popular uprising in Indonesia against Community. Signed in November
– and entitlement to – political partici- the corrupt Suharto government that 2007, it is, after the ratification through
pation, free media and other basic hu- culminated in a regime change in 1998 all members, in force since December
man rights. Especially as the case of demonstrated the Southeast Asian 2008. Legally binding, the Charter gi-
Myanmar illustrates, it is very often the governments that the failure to effec- ves ASEAN for the first time a legal
regime itself that endangers the secu- tively tackle human insecurity can end personality. By means of the Charter,
rity of its own citizens. The junta is of their hold on power. which consists of 55 articles, ASEAN
course an extreme example, but many Thus, the legitimacy of the non- aimed to codify its existing norms and
other governments in the developing democratic Southeast Asian govern- values. It reflects a political compro-
world seem to be also more concerned ments is apparently no longer solely mise but it is nevertheless a progress
with their national and regime security based on their ability to provide equi- into the direction of a more people-
rather than that of their citizens. table growth and socioeconomic de- oriented understanding of security.
On global level,w the Internatio- velopment – but human security as Though, it must be the start rather
nal Commission on Intervention and well. As most human security mena- than the end of the journey.
State Sovereignty (ICISS), sponso- ces are transnational in character, the Even though the Charter high-
red by Canada, promotes since 2001 governments have to find at least a mi- lights the requirements of sustaina-
the idea of a global “responsibility to nimal form of regional cooperation. ble development and the furthering
protect” (R2P). In case of severe hu- Yet while Indonesia has now clearly of human development in Southeast
man rights violations the international embraced the principles of demo- Asia, it falls short of clearly defining
community would have the moral duty cracy, human rights and human secu- the Association’s human security ap-
to intervene directly into domestic af- rity (Sukma 2008), other regimes have proach. Its security concept is still
fairs. This concept of humanitarian nolens volens agreed to a common work in progress – a mixture of state,
(military) interventions – a logical evo- ASEAN approach. Acknowledging regime and individual notions of se-
lution of the human security concept the Association’s political and institu- curity. In the Charter, the political di-
– poses a direct challenge to traditional tional limits to deal with new non-tra- mension of human security is again
notions of sovereignty and non-inter- ditional and human security challenges framed under a neorealist, state-centric
ference (Helmke 2009). such as underdevelopment, migration, perspective. An illustration is Article 1,
the spread of mass diseases or climate §7 which specifies as one of ASEAN’s
People-oriented approach change, ASEAN announced in Octo- purposes: “to strengthen democracy,
Despite the dominance of neorealist ber 2003 its far-reaching plans for an enhance good governance and the rule
thinking, ASEAN has since the mid- Asian Community by the year 2015 of law, and to promote and protect hu-
1990s further developed its security (initially by 2020). The official goal is man rights and fundamental freedoms,
concept towards a more people-ori- to create a more people-oriented, ca- with due regard to the rights and re-
Pacific News #34 • July/August 2010 5
© Greenpeace 2010/ Sataporn Thongma
CO2 Champion Award to World Leaders on 01/22/2010
A Greenpeace activist standing in front of the United States Embassy in Bangkok holds a banner reading "Car-
bon Dioxide Champions" as he stands beside impersonators of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of Australia, US
President Barack Obama, and Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada. Over 75 Greenpeace activists from
Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines demonstrated at the US embassy in Bangkok condemning the derail-
ment of the c limate negotiations in Copenhagen by a handful of countries led by the US.
sponsibilities of the Member States ASEAN countries are authoritarian re- mension of human security, the junta
of ASEAN.” The section “principles” gimes. The Freedom in the World In- in Myanmar is in no danger of facing a
(Art. 2) exemplifies the last caveat even dex 2008 labels Indonesia as the only humanitarian intervention conducted
better: The emphasis is here on the “free” democracy in Southeast Asia. by ASEAN. To minimize such a threat
traditional core principles sovereignty, The Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore to their regime security was one of
non-interference into domestic affairs, and Thailand are regarded as partly the key reasons for the authoritarian
dialogue and consensual decision-ma- free, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myan- governments to work on an ASEAN-
king. mar, Vietnam as not free. It can there- wide position on human security.
Nowhere does the Charter acknow- fore not be expected that Myanmar or Not surprisingly, the new ASEAN
ledge that human rights are the base Vietnam advocate democracy and hu- Charter falls short of the initially
for human development. It merely man rights. high expectations civil society groups
reiterates the “respect for fundamen- In the Charter, both the authorita- such as the ASEAN People’s Assem-
tal freedoms, the promotion and pro- rian and democratic ASEAN leaders bly (APA) and the Solidarity for Asian
tection of human rights, and the pro- have agreed to a less contested depo- People’s Advocacy (SAPA). SAPA and
motion of justice” (Art. 2i) as one of liticized, yet fragmented concept of other civil society groups as Green-
ASEAN’s core principle. At the 15th human security under an overall neo- peace have criticized these conceptual
ASEAN summit in Thailand in Oc- realist and output-oriented conceptual and political shortcomings (Dosch
tober 2009, the ASEAN Intergovern- framework. This understanding recon- 2008, Emmerson 2008b). The Emi-
mental Commission on Human Rights ciles state and regime security with in- nent Persons Group (EPG) has in
(AICHR), promised since the early dividual security, both conceptually its draft for the Charter in 2006 re-
1990s and reiterated in the Charter and politically. Depoliticization me- commended more ambitious aims
(Art. 14), has finally been established. ans that rather than emphasizing the too. Consisting of former senior po-
Though, dependent bureaucrats rather human rights and democratic aspects liticians, the group has even sugges-
than civil society representatives have of human security, ASEAN stresses ted reconsidering the ASEAN Way:
been delegated as watchdogs by the pragmatic long-term policies to eradi- “ASEAN may need to calibrate the tra-
member states (Ashayagachat, 2009). cate poverty, provide socioeconomic ditional policy of non-intervention in
The main reason for ASEAN’s wari- development and implement reforms areas where the common interest dic-
ness in endorsing democracy and hu- in the economic, social and education tates closer cooperation” (EPG 2006:
man security both on national and re- sector. As it emphasizes the economic 1). However, “retired officials could
gional level is that the majority of the and social rather than the political di- be creatively liberal; sitting ones could
6 Pacific News #34 • July/August 2010
© Greenpeace 2009/ Buck Pago
Global Day of Action in Quezon City, 12/12/2009
Greenpeace and other organizations under the "tiktoktiktok" ("tcktcktck" in some countries) movement
unfurled a banner saying "Time is Running Out, Climate Action now" in front of Quezon City Hall on Satur-
day morning during a musical noise barrage as part of Global Day of Action activities worldwide. The group is
calling on world leaders for a fair, ambitious and binding deal at the ongoing United Nations Climate Change
Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark.
not” (Dosch 2008: 83), and therefore ASEANization of strikes against suspected terrorist ba-
the Charter, written by politicians and counter-terrorism ses in foreign countries, though, alie-
diplomats is a realist document. Accor- An illustration for ASEAN’s human nated Washington from its Southeast
ding to Donald Emmerson’s (2008b: security concept as well as for its de- Asian partners. Even though the US
39) counting, while the EPG makes politicization and ASEANization returned in Southeast Asia at the end
57 references to liberal reforms, the approach are its counter-terrorism of 2003 to its initial strategy, popular
Charter only 20. Strikingly, both men- policies. Responding to growing inter- distrust remained and made it politi-
tion the ASEAN Way almost as often national pressure, notably from Wa- cally difficult for the ASEAN coun-
(23 and 24 times, respectively), though shington after September 11, and in- tries to collaborate with the US and
the Charter more often in a positive creased terrorist activities in Southeast Australia in counter-terrorism affairs
context. Asia itself, ASEAN has more effec- (Gerstl 2009).
Strong impulses for the promotion tively addressed the non-traditional th- Despite strong verbal condemna-
of human security, notably human reat of terrorism. tions of terrorism and the promise to
rights and democratic values, can only Political, ethnic or religious violence strengthen its counter-terrorism ef-
be expected from the increasingly ac- and terrorism, though, have haun- forts after 9/11, it was only after the
tive, transnational organized civil soci- ted Southeast Asia for decades. Thus Bali bombings in October 2002 that
ety groups – and from Jakarta. Since ASEAN has already in the mid-1990s ASEAN started to regard terrorism as
its successful democratization after the cautiously started to promote collabo- a severe transnational security threat
ousting of President Suharto in 1998, ration in counter-terrorism policies. both for the state and the people. Yet
Indonesia has pressured ASEAN to After the terror attacks on the World even after “Bali”, its members could
adopt a human security agenda (Sukma Trade Center and the Pentagon, Wa- not agree on how big the terrorist dan-
2008). It can also be assumed that the shington viewed Southeast Asia as ger really is in Southeast Asia. While
new ASEAN Secretary-General Surin the “second front in the war on ter- Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) is active in Indo-
Pitsuwan will play a crucial facilitating ror”. Initially, the United States kept nesia, Malaysia and Singapore and has
role, in particular as the Charter has a low profile in its regional counter- established networks with Islamic ter-
strengthened his institutional position. terrorism efforts, engaging in capabi- rorist groups in the Philippines where
Pitsuwan, a former Thai foreign minis- lity building and intelligence sharing. the Moro Islamic Liberation Front or
ter and International Relations scholar, The Bush doctrine from 2002 that Abu Sayyaf have strongholds too, ter-
is a credible advocate of human secu- proclaimed the “right” of the United rorism poses no threat to Indochina.
rity. States to conduct pre-emptive military However, overall, Southeast Asia
Pacific News #34 • July/August 2010 7
seems to be “more of a transit, sup- litary forces, the exchange of passen- ders that even though human security
port, and facilitation point rather than ger data or even the extradition of ter- encompasses both state and individual
an operation hub or a target in itself in rorism suspects to another ASEAN security, it should foremost be a secu-
al Qaeda’s strategy” (Acharya & Acha- country. The ACCT is one of the few rity and political concept that primarily
rya 2007: 77). binding ASEAN conventions, though address the needs of the individual ci-
In addition to the different threat it has not been ratified yet by all mem- tizens.
perceptions, the capabilities of the na- bers.
tional police forces, the military and the Overall, ASEAN’s counter-ter- End-note:
law enforcement agencies vary extre- rorism approach also reflects the 1 Excellent analyses of the theoretical and ana-
lytical strengths and shortcomings of neorealist
mely. Furthermore, there remains still organization’s classic conflict-reso- approaches can be found in Donnelly (2005)
considerable distrust even among the lution method: Economic and social and Mearsheimer (2007). Emmerson (2008a)
gives a very good overview over current com-
ASEAN founding members, e.g. Sin- development will eradicate the root prehensive and human security approaches.
gapore, to share sensitive intelligence causes for conflicts, in this case for po-
with partners perceived as less reliable. litical violence and terrorism. In addi- References
Consequently, it was politically difficult tion, ASEAN and in particular Indo- Acharya, Amitav (2006): “Securitization in Asia:
for ASEAN to agree on a robust com- nesia and Singapore stress the need for Functional and Normative Implications”. In Caballero-
Anthony, Maly, Emmers, Ralf und Amitav Acharya
mon counter-terrorism policy. investments into human development. (ed.) (2006): Non-traditional Security in Asia: Dilemmas
The compromise ASEAN achieved In both countries, the re-education of in Securitisation. London: Ashgate, pp. 247–250.
was, first, to frame terrorism as a trans- terrorists has yielded results. Claiming Acharya, Amitav and Arabinda Acharya (2007): The
national organized crime rather than a that terrorists are guided by wrong Myth of the Second Front: Localizing the `War on Ter-
political offence. This criminalization ideologies, the re-education program ror´ in Southeast Asia, The Washington Quarterly, 30
implies a depoliticization of a politi- targets the family members and broa- (4), pp. 75–90.
cally contested issue. Depoliticization der community of terrorists and terro- Ashayagachat, A. (2009). A difficult birth for Asean
does neither mean desecuritziation nor rism suspects, including religious and human rights, Bangkok Post. Retrieved October 25, 2009
from www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/26234/a-
that counter-terrorism measures are communal leaders. difficult-birth-for-asean-human-rights.
not discussed in the parliaments or the So far, the Association’s depoliti- Caballero-Anthony, Mely (2004): Re-visioning Human
media – it claims that the focus rests cized and ASEANized counter-terro- Security in Southeast Asia, Asian Perspective, 28(3), pp.
on the non-political, law enforcing rism approach has proven surprisingly 155–189.
and technical measures to resolve ter- successful as it has in fact increased Donnelly, Jack (2005): “Realism”. In Scott Burchill,
rorism. In the authoritarian ASEAN the prospects for a pragmatic, func- Richard Devetak, Andrew Linklater, Matthew Patterson,
countries, however, this strategy has tional cooperation in this field, both Christian Reus-Smit and Jacqui True (eds.) (2005): The-
also removed the crucial question from among selected ASEAN members and ories of International Relations, 3rd edition, Hampshire:
Palgrave, pp. 29–54.
the agenda if political oppression or with external powers such as the Uni-
Dosch, Jörn (2008): Sovereignty Rules: Human Security,
lack of democracy and human rights in ted States and Australia. Notably In- Civil Society, and the Limits of Liberal Reform, in Em-
general do legitimate non-violent po- donesia, Singapore and Malaysia have merson, 2008a, pp. 59–90.
litical opposition. Secondly, terrorism since 2001 deepened their collabora- Eminent Persons Group (2006): Report of the Eminent
has been securitized under the speci- tion with Western partners. However, Persons Group on the ASEAN Charter. www.aseansec.
fic context of ASEAN’s core princip- due to domestic criticism, the regimes org/19247.pdf.
les of sovereignty, non-interference, tend to downplay these partnerships. Emmerson, Donald K. (2008a) (ed.): Hard Choices:
nation-building and socio-economic Security, Democracy and Regionalism in Southeast Asia.
development. In other words: ASEAN Conclusion Shorenstein APARC: Stanford University.
has ASEANized its counter-terrorism ASEAN’s counter-terrorism approach Emmerson, Donald (2008b): “Critical Terms: Security,
policies, aiming to resolve terrorism is a comprehensive, but long-term re- Democracy, and Regionalism in Southeast Asia”. In Em-
merson 2008a, pp. 3–56.
and political violence with the imple- form project with a strong emphasis
Gerstl, Alfred (2009): “ASEAN im Krieg gegen den
mentation of a non-political human on resolving the economic and so- Terror: Sekuritisierung, Kriminalisierung, `ASEANi-
security approach (Gerstl 2009). cial rather than political root causes sierung´ und Depolitisierung des Terrorismus”. In Maike
The most important political out- of terrorism and political violence. It Grabowski, Heiko Herold and Rolf Jordan (Eds.).
come of this political concept is the does therefore mirror the gradual evo- Sicherheit kontra Menschenrechte. Antiterrorpolitik in
ASEAN Counter Terrorism Conven- lution of ASEAN’s security concept Asien. Bad Honnef: Horlemannverlag, pp. 161–183.
tion (ACTC) of 2007. Its main aim is into a more-people oriented direction. Helmke, Belinda (2009): The Absence of ASEAN,
to create a regional legalistic and ins- Though, it also shows that too many Asia-Pacific News, Nr. 31, pp.4–6.
titutional frame to combat terrorism. Southeast Asian governments still be- Mearsheimer, John J. (2007): “Structural Realism”. In
Tim Dunne, Milja Kurki and Steve Smith (eds.) (2007).
The first step is the strengthening of lieve to improve human security is only
International Relations Theory. Oxford/New York: Ox-
the national policing and law enforce- a means for strengthening their regime ford University Press, pp. 71–88.
ment agencies. Subsequently, the mem- security. A fundamental shift in the re- Sukma, Rizal (2008): Political Development: A Demo-
ber countries shall increase their bi- or gional notion of security has there- cracy Agenda for ASEAN?, in Emmerson 2008a, pp.
multilateral cooperation, e.g. increased fore not occurred. The human rights 135–149.
multilateral training of police and mi- groups thus need to remind their lea-
Dr Alfred Gerstl [alfred.gerstl@seas.at] is editor-in-chief of the Austrian Journal of Southeast Asian
Studies (ASEAS). His main research interests are regional cooperation and non-traditional security
threats in East Asia.
8 Pacific News #34 • July/August 2010
Watershed Inventory Siem Reap, Cambodia:
A Combination of Social and Natural Science Methods
Harald Kirsch
Source: MRC-GTZ WSMP
Sand mining upstream of Phum Khlat
Abstract: The population in the Stung Siem Reap Watershed in Northern Cambodia is suffering from the declining quality
and quantity of their water resources. A Watershed Inventory was undertaken to identify the main causes and to provide
local planners with comprehensive information on watershed issues, including land use changes and their consequences.
Hereby the combined application of environmental, hydrological, and so-cioeconomic survey methods – supported by GIS
application - proofed to be successful to detect sand excavations from riverbanks and the continuous depletion of forests
as having a major negative impact on water resources. This methodology also helped to explain upstream – downstream
re-lationships and climate-related phenomena like floods and droughts. To ensure a more sustainable development in the
future, the main objective of all actions must be to stop the severe destruction of the natural resources, which has foresee-
able consequences for the socio-economic system of the watershed.
Keywords: Watershed; Siem Reap; Cambodia; Land Use; Natural Resources; Hydrology
Watersheds are spatial units defined by natural boundaries, the watershed divides. They consist of socio-
economic as well as bio-physical elements with a high grade of interdependency. Manipulations of the
waterways and their surrounding land have deep impacts on the functionally of watershed elements
and can eventually contribute to the breakdown of societies such the historic Khmer Empire of Angkor
(KUMMU 2003, LUSTIG et al. 2008). This paper describes the combination of social and natural science
to identify modern days' watershed characteristics and issues in the same area in Cambodia.
Background WSMP conducted this update in April gical data, information on land mines,
The MRC-GTZ Watershed Manage- and May 2008. The core team consis- and Agro Ecosystem Analyses). Fur-
ment Project (WSMP)1 conducted a ted of four Cambodian subject matter thermore, several relevant studies, e.g.
first baseline survey in the Stung Siem specialists and one international ex- on climate change (WSMP 2008), en-
Reap Watershed in September 2004 pert. The focus was laid on water-rela- vironmental impacts of stream diver-
to compile data and information on ted issues - including local knowledge sions (KUMMU 2003; LUSTIG et
socio-economy, land use, and natu- and wisdom - concerning the Stung al. 2008), integrated planning (JICA
ral resources management for impact Siem Reap River itself as well as other 2006), and groundwater (JICA 2006;
monitoring and identification of inter- waters and streams in the watershed GARAMI & KERTAI 1993; JSA
ventions (SCHINDELE et al. 2004). (KIRSCH et al. 2008). 1996) were analysed.
To provide local planners and the Additional up-to-date information
Cambodian National Working Group Methodology and Approach on stakeholders and water resour-
on Watershed Management with a Data were gathered on two levels: pri- ces-related issues and problems were
comprehensive database for the identi- mary data collected in the field (local gathered during a workshop-style 2½
fication of actual watershed issues, and knowledge survey, rapid stream as- days WSM training course for district
to gain more insight in environmental, sessment, geology and soils) and se- and commune representatives in Ap-
hydrological, and socioeconomic set- condary data collected from various ril 2008. The results of PRA (Partici-
tings and their changes during the past organizations, institutions and project patory Rural Appraisal) and environ-
years, the 2004 watershed baseline sur- reports (commune and village statis- mental surveys conducted in 3 villages
vey had to be reviewed and updated. A tics, community managed and protec- during the WSM Planning Training in
multidisciplinary team of MRC-GTZ ted areas, hydrological and climatolo- February 2008 were also considered.
Pacific News #33 • January/February 2010 9
Pacific News Cartography: © Claus Carstens 2010
Digital Terrain Model (DTM):
Data Sources:
Cartography: Produced for:
Fig. 1: Digital Terrain Model of the Stung Siem Reap Watershed
Already existing digital data on to- by combining various GIS layers and world-famous historic temple of Ang-
pography, geology, soils, and land use data sets on any desired scale to sup- kor Wat. It comprises an area of 3,619
were analysed to evaluate their usabi- port decision-making, planning and sqkm and extends from the mountain
lity and then further processed. An in- implementation by local government range of Phnum Kulen to the Tonle
terpretation of a 2005 SPOT2 satellite authorities and the Siem Reap Waters- Sap Lake (Fig. 1). The elevations in the
image, combined with GPS coordi- hed Committee4. upstream area of Phnum Kulen reach
nates of ground surveys, produced a up to 500 m asl, whereas the town of
detailed land use map. Identification and location of Siem Reap in the downstream area is
All data with a spatial reference the Siem Reap study area located only at 15 m asl.
were added into a GIS-based data- The watershed investigated is loca- The watershed overlaps with 10
base3. This enables the WSMP staff ted in north-western Cambodia in the districts having totally 66 communes
to provide needs-tailored information province of Siem Reap, home to the completely or partly in the watershed
Source: Harald Kirsch
Forest depletion at the northern slope of Phnum Kulen between Oct. 2003 (l) and Apr. 2008 (r)
10 Pacific Ne Pacific News #34 • July/August 2010Pacific News Cartography: © Claus Carstens 2010 Fig. 2: Land Use Map of Stung Siem Reap Watershed area. There are around 470 villages Lake. sons. The survey indicated the likely within the watershed with a total po- Sandy sediments are functioning as involvement of the military, police and pulation of ca. 500,000. The annual groundwater aquifer. The soils in the politicians. On the other hand there growth rate is about 2.2%. The majo- watershed reflect the geological setup, are poor farmers who are engaged in rity of the people live in a ca. 30 km the topography and the influence of illegal logging for subsistence. Large wide strip between the foot slope of surface water and ground water. Most evergreen forest areas within the Ku- Phnum Kulen and shoreline of the soils have been classified as varieties len National Park have been cleared Tonle Sap Lake (Commune Statistics of Arenosols (FAO 2006). These are since the end of 2003. Some of the 2002-2003, 2007). Siem Reap is one sandy soils with low clay content and depleted area has been converted into of Cambodia's poorest provinces with low water-holding capacity. All Areno- orchards, on others slash and burn is limited access to basic education and sols in the watershed are weakly con- practiced; others just remain fallow health services. Malnutrition is still wi- solidated and thus prone to erosion. and will change into shrub or grass- despread. land. Based on hydrology and topogra- Vegetation & Land Use The proven huge extent of forest phy, the watershed has been subdivi- The spatial distribution of vegetation degradation in the watershed con- ded into the 3 sub-catchments: Stung types (evergreen vs. deciduous forest) firms statements made by local villa- Siem Reap, Stung Roluos, and O' Sam- in Siem Reap reflects the available wa- gers that river flow changes in the area raung (Fig. 2). Furthermore, the whole ter either through precipitation or soil- are caused by forest loss in the upper watershed (incl. the sub-catchments) and groundwater. Satellite image ana- part of the watershed. Illegal commer- was subdivided into 3 major lands- lysis revealed that between 1993 and cial logging is still going on in Siem cape units (KIRSCH et al. 2008): 1) 2005 almost 50% of the forest (30,000 Reap, despite enhanced law enforce- The Phnum Kulen sandstone plateau ha) was converted into non-forest, ment by the Forestry Administration. is defining almost the entire upstream predominantly into slash and burn As figure 2 shows, the largest propor- area of the watershed; 2) The undu- areas. This occurred mainly in the tion of the land use is still paddy fields lating midstream area with a complex upstream and upper midstream areas. (38.8%), followed by swidden agricul- geology (volcanic rocks, sandstone, Most changes of forest cover were ture / slash and burn (9.8%) and other and sandy sediments with laterite) ext- from evergreen forest into non-forest. forests like gallery and riparian forest, ends 10-20 km from the foot slope of On the whole, forest cover decreased regrowth, and bamboo (10.0%). Phnum Kulen towards SW; 3) The flat from 14% to 6% during the specified As described by SCHINDELE et downstream area is located on alluvial period. al. (2004) already, land conflicts bet- fans which stretch with 0-2% inclina- Illegal logging at a big scale is orga- ween local people and outsiders see- tion towards SW until the Tonle Sap nised by powerful and influential per- king areas for commercial purposes Pacific News #34 • July/August 2010 11
Source: Harald Kirsch
Stream Morphology Survey at Stung Roluos, Phum Stung
are increasing. The poor, illiterate and of the rainy seasons can be as much as Hydrology & Water Resources
less educated lose in this process be- one month too early or too late. The Drainage patterns in the lower Stung
cause they do not have the access to amount of monthly and yearly rain- Siem Reap sub-catchment are indica-
money and power needed to defend fall and the number of rain days can ting that the river network has been
their rights. As a result, land is beco- naturally vary from year to year (Siem modified. This has happened through
ming progressively more concentrated Reap station: 1179 – 1765 mm/year, stream diversions since the Angkor
in the hands of people or entities who average 1420 mm; 58 – 177 days/year, period in the 13th century (KUMMU
are politically well connected or can average 136 days). This is causing pro- 2003, LUSTIG et al. 2008), with con-
afford informal payments, especially blems for the widely practiced rain-fed sequent erosion and sedimentation
in regions with potential for tourism, agriculture. There is also a pronounced changing the whole river system. Stung
logging, industrial or urban develop- spatial variation of precipitation in the Roluos and O' Samraung sub-catch-
ment. During the fieldwork the team study area, caused by wind directions ments are – except for some man-
could observe a shift from small area and orographic influence. The mean made interconnecting channels – still
encroachment for subsistence farming annual rainfall ranges from 1093 mm in the original stage. Their drainage
towards larger areas being encroached in Bantaey Srei to 1828 mm on Phum patterns are common for alluvial fans
and fenced. Kulen. The temperatures range bet- or deltas. The most typical characteris-
There are three protected areas ween 10.7 °C (min.) in the cold season tic is the river dynamic caused by the
in the watershed: the above menti- in December to 40.8 °C (max.) in Ap- power of stream flow, a low gradient
oned Kulen National Park, the Ang- ril. The annual mean temperature in long profile of streams, and the geo-
kor Wat Protected Landscape with the measured at Siem Reap station is 27.6 logy (weakly aggregated sandy sedi-
surrounding protection zones under °C. ments). River course changes through
APSARA5, and the Tonle Sap Bios- Villagers who were long-time resi- erosion and deposition, flooding and
phere Reserve. In 2008 there were 37 dents identified in interviews certain meandering are natural processes in
community forestry areas and 6 com- years with droughts, prolonged intra- this kind of landscape. More recent
munity-protected (forest) areas in the seasonal dry spells, and floods (YU human interventions such as deple-
province; most of them are located 2008, WSMP 2008). Nowadays both ting the stream bank vegetation, sand
within the watershed boundary. phenomena seem to occur more fre- mining, stream diversion, and logging
quent than in the past. Climate data6 have only accelerated these processes.
Climate show that the reported drought years As a result of hundreds or even
The climate of the area investigated is coincide with a much below average thousands of years of river course
determined by the Asian monsoons. rainfall in July/August. The menti- changes many ox-bows and back-
The rainy season lasts from May to oned floods can be clearly attributed to swamps have developed. Today these
October (Fig. 3). The natural climatic above average rainfall at the beginning are the hundreds of ponds and small
variability is quite high; the beginning or end of the rainy season lakes in the downstream area of the
12 Pacific News #34 • July/August 2010watershed, which are an important sumption villagers also catch fish and tion purposes was identified as a ma-
water reserve in the dry season and other aquatic animals in the canals, jor reason for water pollution in the
source for small-scale irrigation in wet rivers, streams and in paddy fields in whole watershed. The mining ope-
season. It is assumed that these ponds their neighbourhood. People reported rators showed total disregard for any
receive water through floods, rainfall that because of increasing water shor- law. If these practices would continue,
and groundwater inflow. In interviews tage in the dry season, fish resources the resulting high sediment and sus-
the villagers complained about decre- have become very scarce. Migrating pended load in the rivers will certainly
asing dry season water levels in some fish species from the Tonle Sap are de- have a negative impact on all kinds of
ponds since several years. clining in the rivers, they almost disap- water utilization. It can even lead to
The width and depth of the rivers peared from up-stream but new spe- a breakdown of the function of wa-
and creeks vary within a short distance cies are spreading. ter take-off channels. Reservoirs and
according to the riverbed characteris- Only about 7% of the population in rivers already have increasingly been
tics, relief and geology. They are bet- the pilot watershed has access to safe silted, which caused frequent floods in
ween 1.50 m to > 20 m ca. wide, and drinking water7. It comes mostly from the town and droughts in agricultural
between 10 cm to almost 2 m deep dug wells (76%), but also from rainfall, areas (JICA 2006).
(dry season). In the rainy seasons all rivers, and from natural springs. The impact of the 2009 economic
streams in the pilot watershed flow Water quality problems are serious crisis on the construction business re-
into the Tonle Sap Lake, but since 10 in Stung Siem Reap and Stung Roluos duced the demand for sand. Aware of
years O' Samraung is completely se- catchments. Stung Siem Reap, which the results of the watershed inventory,
ared in the dry seasons. leaves Phnum Kulen as a clear, clean the provincial governor issued a ban
Except for two stations, no stream and unpolluted river enters the Tonle on sand mining in waterways that so
flow and water level data were availa- Sap Lake as sewer. The reasons are the far has been widely obeyed8.
ble. Thus the team had to rely on in- entry of wastewater, solid waste, hu- Hydromorphic soil properties and
terviews with local communities (YU man excrements, and agro-chemicals field observations in dug wells by the
2008) and outputs of WSM trainings (JICA 2006). A lot of people suffer WSMP team led to the conclusion,
and workshops In almost all surveyed from skin diseases after bathing in ri- that groundwater tables in the dry
communities the people stated that vers in the mid- and downstream areas season are relatively shallow (up to
the dry season stream water level has and mention declining water quality 1.7 m below ground level) in most flat
decreased significantly in the last 10 over the last years (YU 2008). landscape units. According to JICA
years, the rainy season stream flow is Sand excavation, soil erosion from (2006), groundwater is easily acces-
increasing yearly and floods come fas- cleared land and river bank erosion sible as the water table during the wet
ter and are higher than before, and lead to an increase of suspended and season and dry season lies between
the flow rate of natural springs has sediment load. GIS mapping that in- depths of 0 and 5 m below the ground
significantly decreased during the dry cluded information from field surveys, level. However, groundwater is incre-
seasons in areas where forests have analysis of SPOT satellite images, and asingly and uncontrolled pumped up
been degraded. turbidity data of water samples (turbi- in Siem Reap town by hotels, private
The problem of extreme seasonal dity tube) finally proofed what previ- enterprises and households. An unche-
changes in stream water flow seems to ously has been stated by interviewed cked continuation of this practice may
be most severe in the downstream area, villagers and workshop participants: cause groundwater declination and
but occur as well mid- and upstream. the excavation of sand for construc- land subsidence in the future.
All interview partners said that logging
upstream of their community is the re-
ason for the described problems. The Data Source: Prov. Dept. of Water Resources & Meteorology, Siem Reap
local people clearly attribute that nega-
tive changes in water resources to the
loss of forest (e.g. YU 2008).
The analysis of the 2005 SPOT sa-
tellite image, ground checks, and a
comparison with previous spatial land
cover data (1993, 1997, 2003) from
Pacific News Design: © Claus Carstens 2010
MRC-GTZ, FAO, JICA and the Cam-
bodian Forestry Administration re-
vealed that the most extensive forest
depletion took place in the upstream
and upper midstream areas.
Villagers living in fishery villages
along the Tonle Sap Lake shoreline
complained that the annual rise of the
lake water level declined from 6 m be-
fore to 2 – 4 m nowadays. This has
changed fish migration pattern and
negatively influences the amount of
Fig. 3: Climate Diagram of Siem Reap Station
fish they can catch. For their own con-
Pacific News #34 • July/August 2010 13References
FAO (2006): World reference base for soil resources
2006. A framework for international classification, corre-
lation and communication.- World Soil Resources Reports
103; Rome
FAO (2008): Community Forestry Development in
Northwestern Cambodia. Project Findings and Recom-
mendations. – FAO/Government Cooperative Programme
GARAMI, F. & KERTA, I. (1993): Water Manage-
ment in the Angkor Area. Budapest: Angkor Foundation
JICA (2006): The Study on Integrated Master Plan for
Sustainable Development of Siem Reap / Angkor Town
in the Kingdom of Cambodia. – Siem Reap Province and
APSARA Authority, the Royal Government of Cam-
Source: Harald Kirsch
bodia, Japan International Cooperation Agency. Final
Report.
JSA (1996): Annual Report on the Technical Survey of
Angkor Monument 1996. Japanese Government Team
For Safeguarding Angkor, UNESCO / Japanese Trust
Fund for the Preservation of the World Cultural Heritage
Local Knowledge Survey in Phum Stung Village KIRSCH, H., THAN, S., SUNTHAN, H., SOK-
HOM, T., & KEN, S.R. (2008): Management of
Pilot Watershed Areas in Cambodia: Watershed Profile
Conclusion An encouraging outlook is the fact, of the Stung Siem Reap Watershed 2008; Siem Reap
The land and natural resources related that the local rural population is very (MRC-GTZ).
problems that were stated in the first much aware about the degradation of KUMMU, M (2003): The National Environment and
baseline survey (SCHINDELE et al. the natural resources in their area and Historical Water Management of Angkor Cambodia.
2004) still persist. A discouraging fact the consequences for their livelihood. LUSTIG, T., FLETCHER, R., KUMMU, M.,
is that the survey team did rarely find The main objective of all actions re- POTTIER, CH., & PENNY, D. (2008): Did tra-
any improvements in 2008. The situa- garding sustainable development must ditional cultures live in harmony with nature? Lessons
tion regarding the health of the natu- be to stop the severe destruction of from Angkor, Cambodia. – In: KUMMU, M., KESKI-
NEN, M., & VARIS, O. [Eds.]: Modern Myths of
ral resources seems to be even worse the natural resources, and waterways in the Mekong: 81-94, Water & Development Publications;
than before. particular, that may lead to a partly col- Helsinki (University of Technology).
The most burning issues identified lapse of the watershed services provi- MIN, B., KIRSCH, H., & DÜMMER, I. (2003):
are the sand excavations from river- ded by the natural system with foresee- Participatory Land Use Planning in Cambodia: Con-
banks, and the proven continuous de- able consequences for socio-economic cept and Experiences after the first year. – KEN, S.R.,
pletion of forests up- and midstream. system of the watershed. CARSON, T., RIEBE, K., COX, S. & KASCH-
The offenders in the first issue were KE, E. VAN [Eds.] (2005): The Development of
Community Based Natural Resources Management (CB-
private companies, whereas all levels Endnotes NRM) in Cambodia. – WWF Cambodia, CBNRM
of the society participate in illegal log- 1) For more information about the MRC (Mekong River
Learning Institute; Phnom Penh.
ging, but to a different extent. The im- Commission)-GTZ (German Technical Cooperation)
WSMP please refer to: MRC (2007): Watershed Management Resource Kit. –
pacts on water resources are particu- http://www.mrcmekong.org/annual_report/2008/Me- Draft Edition 8/2007; Vientiane
larly severe in mid- and downstream kong-livelihood-AIFP.htm SCHINDELE, W., HOU, K., KEN, S.R., UNG,
areas, but occur as well upstream. http://www.mrcmekong.org/programmes/AIFP/waters- L., & MAO, S. (2004): Management of Pilot Wa-
From a methodological perspective hed-management-project.htm tershed Areas in Cambodia. Baseline Survey. - Part I:
of the watershed inventory, it turned http://www.mrcmekong.org/download/Papers/Siligato- Framework for Land and Forest Resources Management
et-al-MRC-GTZ-WSMP.pdf#search=%22GTZ%22 in Cambodia, Part II: Baseline Survey Siem Reap Pilot
out that the combined application of Area; Phnom Penh (MRC-GTZ).
2) Multi-spectral image, 2.5 m resolution, manual inter-
social science and natural science has pretation (on-screen digitizing) of true color bands (1,2,3), WORLD BANK (2003): Cambodia Environment Mo-
been very complementary and fruitful. scale 1:20000 nitor 2003; Cambodia.
Many climate phenomena - such as 3) ARC GIS 9.3 WSMP (2008): Climate Change Adaptation for Waters-
floods and droughts - which were de- 4) All data and documents are kept at the WSM Lear- hed Management in the Lower Mekong Basin. Working
scribed by the villagers during the lo- ning & Information Center, Siem Reap Provincial Hall Document. - Watershed Management Project (WSMP)
cal knowledge survey can be explained 5) Authority for the Protection and Management of Ang-
under the Irrigation, Agriculture and Forestry Program-
with measured climate data. However, me (AIFP) of the Mekong River Commission (MRC);
kor and the Region of Siem Reap
Vientiane.
many phenomena do perfectly match 6) Provincial Dept. of Water Resources and Meteorology
YU, Y. (2008): Draft Report on local knowledge survey
with the natural variability of the cli- 7) National Institute of Statistics, Ministry of Plan- in Siem Reap watershed. – MRC-GTZ WSMP.
mate. But there is a recent tendency ning, 1998
that the July/August dry spells became 8) MRC-GTZ: personal communication April 2010
more severe.
Dr. Harald Kirsch [HaraldCM@hotmail.com] is a Physical Geographer. Between 2001 and 2008 he
was working in Cambodia for the German Development Service (DED) and the German Technical
Cooperation (GTZ) as an adviser for Participatory Land Use Planning at the Forestry Administration
‑Phnom Penh and the MRC-GTZ Watershed Management Project.
14 Pacific News #34 • July/August 2010PACIFIC NEWS PICTURES
The Crescent District in Saigon South
A showcase for post-modern
urban development in Vietnam
Michael Waibel
„The Crescent – an iconic waterside project located in the heart of Phu
All photos by Michael Waibel 2009/2010
My Hung’s international commercial and financial district, is a fitting
symbol of some of the finest architectural works in Ho Chi Minh City.“
taken from the web-site of the project: www.the-crescent.com
Vietnam’s metropoles have witnessed two major inter-linked deve-
lopments during the past decade: First, the widespread erection of
comprehensively planned new urban areas in the urban periphery;
second, the gradual emergence of an urban middle-class popula-
tion. The latter soon became the most important driver for advan-
cing suburbanization processes into new urban areas. Meanwhile,
residential suburbanization is followed by large-scale retail deve-
lopment driven by global players. The Crescent commercial and
cultural district located within the largest new urban area of Viet-
nam, Saigon South, is a perfect showcase for these phenomena.
Pacific News #34 • July/August 2010 15PACIFIC NEWS PICTURES The Crescent project is part of the tating older forms – in this case, Cham the quality of living.” commercial centre of Saigon South, a architecture. Also, not much criticism is expec- mixed-use urban development area co- The 700-metre long promenade ted from the side of the targeted cus- vering 3,300 hectares of former wet- along the waterfront, the so-called tomers. Quite the contrary: It is safe lands about 4 km south of the city Crescent Walk, is supposed to serve as to assume that the Crescent project centre of Ho Chi Minh City. The pro- stage for events such as fashion or cul- is highly welcomed by the members jected population of Saigon South for tural shows. This can be interpreted as of the new middle classes of Ho Chi the year 2020 ranges between 500,000 a sign of the orchestration and increa- Minh City. They most likely regard it and 1,000,000 people. So far, around sed commercialization of the built en- primarily as a symbol of their city’s 200,000 inhabitants have moved into vironment. Further, PMH is regulated world-class status (“it looks just like the most internationalized urban land- by omnipresent billboard signs, indica- in Singapore”) and, probably most scape of Vietnam. Typically for new ting an increasing transition from pub- importantly, as a spatial reflection of urban area development in Vietnam, lic to private space. The Crescent Walk their own economic rise within a so- it is being implemented through a pu- leads to what the developer expects to ciety that was predominantly poor blic-private partnership model: The become the first international-stan- only two decades ago. At least, this Phu My Hung Corporation (PMH) dard shopping mall in Vietnam, the should be the case if their societal is a company founded as a joint ven- so-called Crescent Mall. This project prestige and class identity-creation re- ture between the Taiwanese corpora- alone has a total investment volume ally is solely built upon consumption. tion Central Trading & Development of more than US$100 million. The Indeed, post-materialistic or alterna- Group (CT&D) and the Vietnamese Crescent Mall is intended to develop tive lifestyles are currently difficult to Tan Thuan Industrial Promotion Cor- into Vietnam’s largest shopping com- find among them. The experience of poration (IPC), the latter being under plex after its scheduled completion in other Asian countries shows that new control of the People’s Committee of the end of 2011. It will comprise more middle classes often do not want to Ho Chi Minh City. PMH had already than 200 shops, a huge supermarket, endanger their newly gained status by been awarded the contract for the de- an international cuisine food court, a being different from the mainstream. velopment of Saigon South in 1993. multiplex cinema, and further enter- Civil society development in Vietnam In the case of the Crescent Project, tainment spaces. The U.S.-based com- is still at the beginning, in general. Fol- which started in 2008, PMH has ta- pany Savills Vietnam made a success- lowing this line of argumentation, the ken the leader as the main developer, ful bid as its manager and exclusive new middle classes neither care if the too. The project basically consists leasing agent. development of the Crescent will con- of several elements from the tool- The production of such post-mo- tribute to a fragmented city form, nor box of post-modern urban develop- dern urban spaces is usually contested. does it matter to them if their con- ment. High-end residential and office Critics point out that standardized glo- sumption behaviour leads to a shar- spaces can be found as well as spec- bal products created by global compa- ply increased ecological footprint. All tacular urban design gadgets, such as nies serve globally homogenized tastes these issues have been highlighted in the so-called “starlight” pedestrian there. In this way, the Crescent Mall a very hypothetical way, of course. It bridge that sports an illuminated ar- development would contribute to the just shows that the lifestyles of the tificial waterfall. The starlight bridge erosion of local difference. Not sur- new urban middle class population in ends at the most exquisitely designed prisingly, the self-perception of the de- Vietnam, their consumption patterns, restaurant of Ho Chi Minh City, the veloper is different, as following quo- and their aspirations towards a more “Cham Charm”, owned by self-made tation from their web-site shows: pro-environmental behaviour are still millionaire Khai (owner of the Khai- “Crescent Mall is a further step of largely a black hole from the perspec- silk empire). It can be seen as a typical the direct fulfilment of the promise tive of social research. example of historical eclecticism and made by Phu My Hung to the Ho of the re-invention of tradition by imi- Chi Minh City citizens to improve Dr Michael Waibel [mwaibel@gwdg.de] is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Geography, University of Hamburg/Germany. He has been doing research on urbanism in Vietnam since 1996. 16 Pacific News #34 • July/August 2010
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