Cambodia

Life on and around Tonle Sap

Name: Ms Ry Thoch
Age: unknown
Occupation: Fisherwoman

Ms Ry Thoch

My name is Ms Ry Thoch and I live on Tonle Sap in a floating village. When I was younger I used to go fishing with my family, we would all fish together. We would catch frogs, eels, snails, turtles and lots of fish. We would also collect aquatic plants such as water lily, water hyacinth and many other vegetables.

After the Khmer Rouge things have changed on the lake a lot. Life is really difficult now, there is less food and fewer jobs for people. People here are poor and sometimes we do not have enough food to eat, this affects our health.

I know that there are now a lot less animals and fish living in and around the lake but I don't understand why this has happened. Today many of the animals like the water monitor, the dolphin and the giant turtle have disappeared. We can still find some turtles and fish, but not in the same abundance. We are still able to find many of the water vegetables, for example, we can grow Morning Glory.

Many people from this community now do other things, such as driving water taxis or tourist boats. Some people work in town in the transport industry and many women work as waitresses in the restaurant and hotel industry. Most old women just look after the house and the children.