A talk by Robert Philpotts

It is a fair bet that not many people have ever heard of the Tonle Sap River. But to the people of Cambodia, it has, for many centuries, been the life line uniting of the nation’s people and sustaining its economy with a vital ecosystem.  It is 120 kms in length and flows from Siem Reap and the Tonle Sap Lake to the Mekong River in Phnom Penh. As a measure of the River’s importance, it, together with Tonle Sap lake, yield a resource that provides 400,000 tons of fish and 60% of Cambodia’s protein intake each year.

The Tonle Sap has one unique claim to fame. During the monsoon season its flow, normally from source to mouth reverses and flows ‘uphill’. This is caused by the flood waters of the Mekong overwhelming its tributary and forcing its flow to be reversed upstream.  Such is the status that the river enjoys in Cambodian life, that a water festival, the ‘Bon Om Touk’ is celebrated in its honour each year.

Bob Philpotts was, for the first 20 years of his career, a history teacher.  After leaving education, his next 20 years were in business. For 30 years, he has been a close observer of the Cambodian scene, visiting and writing books about the country. His talk will therefore not only be interesting, but also well informed.

(Photo by Jadamta is licenced under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0)