greedisgood Posted November 26, 2005 Report Share Posted November 26, 2005 Californian defends "suicide tourism" in Cambodia Thursday November 24, 01:41 PM By Ek Madra Click to enlarge photo KAMPOT, Cambodia (Reuters) - A Californian man accused of defaming a sleepy Cambodian province by promoting it as the perfect place to commit suicide has defended himself on Thursday, saying he meant nobody any harm. "I am an old man in a small town in Cambodia. I don't want to cause any trouble for anybody. But I do have my own beliefs which, if I can, I will tell people about," Roger Graham, 57, told Reuters after appearing in court in Kampot, a coastal town. Graham, who runs Advertisement the Blue Mountain Coffee and Internet Cafe, was answering a lawsuit lodged against him by Kampot's provincial governor Puth Chandarith over of his Web site www.euthanasiaincambodia.com. "If they want to throw me out of the country, they can. All I want to do is to run a little cafe and live the rest of my life in peace. I intend to die here," he said. Still emerging from decades of war, including the Khmer Rouge genocide of the 1970s in which 1.7 million people died, Cambodia has no laws governing euthanasia or assisted suicide, and the issue does not rank as a high priority in what is one of Asia's poorest nations. Despite this, the government has come under pressure to close the Web site after the suicide of a 47-year-old British woman whose relatives believe its message -- "You're going to die anyway, so why not in Cambodia?" -- influenced her decision. Since the controversy blew up a month ago, Graham said nearly half a million people had visited his Web site, which reopened two weeks ago after a temporary closure, compared to a paltry 1,600 per month before. "Saying euthanasia harms Cambodia's tourism does not make sense. Around 450,000 visitors have looked at my Web Site and some of those will come here," he said with a smile. He also stood by his convictions that individuals had the right to choose the time and place of their death, and, given the absence of any relevant laws, Cambodia made sense as a location. "This is a good place for them to choose if they want to do," Graham told Reuters in his small cafe, overlooking a river. "Kampot is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. I get to see the sun rise and the sun set. I get people coming by and saying hello with smiling and happy faces." Prosecutors who questioned Graham said they had not filed any charges against Graham and needed more time to make a decision Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckwoww Posted November 26, 2005 Report Share Posted November 26, 2005 That website is quite mind-boggling to me. I would defend 'assisted-suicide' if it's done right by people who have really thought it through. I don't think it should be illegal. But that guy is not doing Cambodia or Cambodians any favours with his little business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khunsanuk Posted November 26, 2005 Report Share Posted November 26, 2005 Hi, "He also stood by his convictions that individuals had the right to choose the time and place of their death" It always amazes me that people have the right to live, but not the right to die. If I am in pain and know that only death will ease this, then I would want to die now and not two months (of agony) later. Yet, most governments will not allow me to kill myself. Seems totally out of wack with reason for human rights. Sanuk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALHOLK Posted November 26, 2005 Report Share Posted November 26, 2005 Hi! I'm basically with you on this. However most people can kill themselves if they really want to. The real problem arises when the suicide candidate is so ill that he/she needs help. I believe that Holland is way ahead of Sweden in this respect. All this of course goes back to religion where the catholic church says that suicide is a capitol sin and you will go to hell for it. The obvious reason being that when the people are so oppressed that they have nothing to live for the church must keep theem alive otherwise they have nobody to oppress. regards ALHOLK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger Moth Posted November 26, 2005 Report Share Posted November 26, 2005 " All this of course goes back to religion where the catholic church says that suicide is a capitol sin and you will go to hell for it. The obvious reason being that when the people are so oppressed that they have nothing to live for the church must keep theem alive otherwise they have nobody to oppress." Why so cynical? I am sure if you produced legal documents showing the church would inherit any money and possessions you had upon your death an exception could be made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 26, 2005 Report Share Posted November 26, 2005 "However most people can kill themselves if they really want to" Yet no so easy, everybody doesn't have a parmacist's background and there are tragical suicide misses around.Thinking hospital will try to keep them alive in a really horrible physical state is tought provoking for the least... Agree with you the issue with euthanasie is linked to religous background Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USVirgin Posted November 26, 2005 Report Share Posted November 26, 2005 I read about this a couple of weeks ago and I'm pretty sure they identified the website owner as being Canadian. The site had been taken down, so I looked at archives. Nothing illegal about it, AFAIK, but I agree it's not good publicity for a country like Cambodia. Why not just jump from an apartment in Pattaya, like so many others? Thailand is better prepared to pick up the mess, at least. Still, I'd recommend killing yourself right where you are, if that's what you want to do. Edit: OK, I get it about access to drugs, etc..., but better for a progressive country to take the lead, not Cambodia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_66_UK Posted November 27, 2005 Report Share Posted November 27, 2005 Never understood why the doctors can't just prescribe pain medication not with the intention of killing someone, but for purely pain relief purposes............and it is just that there is a 99% chance that the side effect will be fatal due to the amount prescribed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckwoww Posted November 27, 2005 Report Share Posted November 27, 2005 Why not just jump from an apartment in Pattaya, like so many others? Thailand is better prepared to pick up the mess, at least. Still, I'd recommend killing yourself right where you are, if that's what you want to do. Edit: OK, I get it about access to drugs, etc..., but better for a progressive country to take the lead, not Cambodia. Sure there are plenty of ways of killing oneself. I think the point about Right to Die type groups is that they offer some comfort just by being there. It's the 'assistance' part that the law objects to. (The kind of assistance offered by angry Thai bar girls doesn't count.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 27, 2005 Report Share Posted November 27, 2005 "I am an old man in a small town in Cambodia. I don't want to cause any trouble for anybody. But I do have my own beliefs which, if I can, I will tell people about," Roger Graham, 57, told Reuters after appearing in court in Kampot, a coastal town. When did 57 get old man status? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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