Toul Tompong, Phnom Penh
It’s early morning, yet it will be hot soon enough. The lady must fill her cart, if she is to make the tiny profit needed to survive.
She will rove the streets and buy bottles and paper and cardboard from residents. The residents will bargain hard. Once the cart is near overflowing she’ll push it to a recycling centre and cash in.
On a good day the profit is 10,000 riel. That’s $2.50
Cambodia’s first ever patent was recognized and granted protection on March 4 of this year.
There have been patent laws in Cambodia’s since 2003- although these laws are not considered to be of international standard- but the legal system hadn’t the internal structure to process and approve applications. Even now, the process requires the cooperation and expertise of Singapore.
Good news, but to put it into perspective Thailand granted 1,008 patents in 2012 alone.
Doing the Books
This street vendor was taking time to catch up on bookwork when I cycled past him last Sunday morning.
When he noticed me he leapt from his perch embarrassed; he thought that it was a photo of his wares that I wanted and that he was in the way.
He was happy to have his photo taken although he seemed unimpressed with another Brushman who wandered past telling him to ask a dollar from me for the photo.
Very shortly after, yet another fellow with brushes and cheap plastic-wares came towards me…
And then a few minutes later, another.
It’s a competitive business.
cambodian beginnings 