Hello,

I arrived in Siem Reap in the early evening. Later that night I went to walk around the streets where I previously strolled and wrote about. I was excited to meet up with some of the kids I knew from before. When I got to that location, I quickly noticed that all the street kids were gone.

I asked a driver about them. He told me that tourists were complaining about people begging on the streets, so the government introduced a new law forbidding any begging in certain areas of the city. When children continued to beg, they were thrown in jail. When the children returned, they were often put in trucks and taken to the country side.

I actually miss the kids. Perhaps, some tourists should have taken the time to say hello to them. I wonder how they make money to eat now?

Love Gerry