A Thief in the Night
Aug 5th, 2006 by Jinja
A Thief in the Night
I wake up hearing what I think is ‘Out! Out! Out!’
(Are the foreigners next door having a ‘domestic’?)
But once the haze of sleep clears it’s ‘Jao! – Jao! – Jao!’ ; robber.
I stumble to the window as the whole street springs to life at 2am.
I spot a shadow running for his life down the street, chased by two men with sticks.
They eventually break off pursuit and everyone loudly assesses the situation. Fifteen minutes later all is quiet again.
In 2002 I saw the police prodding a shirtless man around Siem Reap market, so everyone would get a good look at his face for future reference. He had a piece of cardboard with the word ‘thief’ written on it. He looked pretty roughed up, by whom I don’t know. Thieves can get beaten to death here; people don’t really have a lot of faith in the legal system.
The idea of spontaneous gatherings – ‘flash mobs‘ – are touted as a digital age concept. Want to see a flash mob in Cambodia? Just shout ‘Jao‘.
Tags: Cambodia
Sometimes, shouting “Joa” is used as a trick to kill or beat the innocent one.
I once lost my motobike, and was mad on the loss. I’m not sure what would I do if I met the thief somewhere!!??