Bamboo Train to Continue, But At A Cost

According to this article from The Phnom Penh Post, the bamboo train will be moved instead of destroyed.  While that option is better than no train at all, it comes at a great cost to the people of O Dambong II and O Sralov, as they will not be permitted to continue operating the train.  This decision means that the people who founded the train, protected it, and kept it working for 38 years will no longer profit from their efforts.  Instead, many years of ethnographic research by our anthropologist have shown that this 'move' is a purposeful effort by local officials to take over the operations of the bamboo train and employ hand-selected operators who will pay kickbacks for the privilege of this job.  Our determination is that this move is designed solely for the profit of local officials, despite what any official numbers might claim.  

Also worrisome is the loss of cultural heritage.  Rebuilding the train with new operators will remove the historical element from the site, making it purely a tourist trap.  This accusation is one against which the train already struggles, and could hurt any potential gains.  As it is now, with the original operators, the train has a history and a symbolic importance that cannot be replicated elsewhere.  We at BambooTrain.com decry the loss of this cultural heritage and oppose any solution that cuts out the people of O Dambong II and O Sralov.  Potential tourists should be aware of these changes, and we encourage you to increase your tips to your drivers in O Dambong II as a way to support them in what is certain to be a trying future.

Note: our research also shows that the claim of the operators having been paid a year ago is false.