A French diplomat staying in a riverfront hotel in the Cambodian capital is attracted by the rate board on the massage parlours . ‘5 US dollars for oil massage (1 hour)’ board draws him into one of the parlours. He hangs his bag and clothes and hits the bed. The petite lady masseur offers a aromatic handkerchief and the unsuspecting Frenchman falls fast asleep after inhaling the aroma.
When he is woken up after an hour by the masseur with a shrill “massage fini” shout, the Frenchman draws on his wallet and pays the equivalent of 5 US dollars in local currency.
Back in his hotel, as he retires for the day, the Frenchman checks his wallet to figure out if he needs to change some more currency.
Nothing wrong, his 30 odd 100 dollar bills are intact.
But as he walks into a money changer counter next morning, the Frenchman is in for a shock. “Copy dollar these,” screams the moneychanger.”Not real dollars, copy man.” The word “Copy” is clearly inscribed on the greenback.
As the Frenchman argues that all his dollars are from his bank back in France, the moneychanger threatens to take him to police for selling fake dollars.
The Frenchman, a diplomat who came to attend an UN conference, then realises what has happened. His currency notes were changed at that 5 dollar massage parlour, dozens of which dot the Phnom Penh riverfront.
As he goes to the local police station to complain, the cops are less than cooperative. “How do we know you have not brought these fake dollars,” says one cop in halting English. His diplomatic passport does not help as the cops are reluctant to register a case. Clearly, the parlours function under their protection and they get a cut of the loot.
Back in the hotel, as the Frenchman shares his torrid experience over breakfast, a Chinese diplomat attending the same conference, shares a similar experience. “I lost 5000 dollars the same way in a similar parlour,” says the Chinese diplomat.
A UN conference with dozens of delegates must be great business for these riverfront parlours, considering the value of dollar in Cambodia (4052 KHR for one US dollar).
The French and the Chinese diplomats opened up, others might not. The Chinese diplomat said one of his trader friends lost 18000 US dollars from his hotel room safe, insisting he was too busy to visit parlours on a short business trip and that the replacing of real with “copy” dollars (the word copy boldly printed) must have happened in his room safe.
An Indian trader I know was nearly dragged to airport police when he tried to pay a 100 dollar note for his Hennessey cognac at the Phnom Penh airport duty free and it turned out........