Cambodian migrant workers in Poipet, Cambodia, go to Thailand in search of jobs because of the lack of opportunity and low wages in Cambodia.

Cambodia, like Thailand, is in the grips of a once in a lifetime drought. A strong El Niño weather pattern and global climate change have combined to land a devastating 1 - 2 punch. Cambodia hasn't had meaningful rain in 18 months. There is no water left for irrigation of the rice crop, the main food for most Cambodians. The wells in many villages are running dry for the first time in living history. There is no end in sight. The drought won't end until it rains. The rainy season is supposed to start in June. Cambodian government officials are saying the coming rainy season will be enough to replenish the reservoirs and recharge the wells but international weather monitoring organizations are warning that this rainy season may not be much better than last year's. Another failed rainy season would lead to crop failures and food shortages throughout the country.

The White Building, the first modern apartment building in Phnom Penh, originally had 468 apartments, and was opened the early 1960s. The project was overseen by Vann Molyvann, the first Cambodian architect educated in France. The building was abandoned during the Khmer Rouge occupation. After the Khmer Rouge were expelled from Phnom Penh in 1979, artists and dancers moved into the White Building. Now about 2,500 people, mostly urban and working poor, live in the building. Ownership of the building is in dispute. No single entity owns the building, some units are owned by their occupants, others units are owned by companies who lease out apartments. Many of the original apartments have been subdivided since the building opened and serve as homes to two or three families. The building has not been renovated since the early 1970s and is in disrepair. Phnom Penh officials have tried to evict the tenants and demolish the building but residents refuse to move out.

More than 150,000 Cambodian migrant workers and their families have left Thailand since June 12. The exodus started when rumors circulated in the Cambodian migrant community that the Thai junta was going to crack down on undocumented workers. About 40,000 Cambodians were expected to return to Cambodia today. The mass exodus has stressed resources on both sides of the Thai/Cambodian border. The Cambodian town of Poipet has been over run with returning migrants. On the Thai side, in Aranyaprathet, the bus and train station has been flooded with Cambodians taking all of their possessions back to Cambodia.

The "Bamboo" train is Cambodia's idea of recycling abandoned railroad tracks. The "trains" are about 4 feet by 10 feet bamboo mats propelled along the abandoned tracks by a 6 horsepower go kart engine. People used to use them to shuttle between villages on the rail line and to haul merchandise to local markets.

Cambodia has only one passenger train that runs one day a week. It's a grueling 12 hour to 15 hour journey that covers 190 miles from Phnom Penh to Battambang.

Nearly 30 years after the Khmer Rouge were chased from power in Cambodia, the tiny nation is still awash in landmines, especially along the Thai border. The United Nations and several Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are helping Cambodians recover from landmine injuries and defuse the mines. For more photos, search my archive using keyword: landmines.

This is all of my work from Cambodia. There are travel features (like the last train in Cambodia), news stories (like the funeral for King Sihanouk) daily life and social issues stories (like landmine recovery in Siem Reap and the brick makers of Phnom Penh).

This is a selection of my work in Cambodia. There's a lot more here. Please do a keyword search: Cambodia to see it. Photographs that are not licensed for online sale are available from ZUMA Press.

Cambodia's construction industry, booming to meet the needs of expatriot business people, tourists and wealthy Cambodians, is fueled by the brick factories that line the highway between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. The workers and their families live at the factories and work dawn to dusk. In the first three months of 2008, prices more than doubled, from $370 (US) per truck load to $850 - $1,000 per truck load. In the nature of things, small builders and contractors are having a hard time competing for bricks with the larger companies. The brick factories are running at full speed and their workers are cranking out the bricks as quickly as the clay dries. Most of these photos, and others from the brick factories are available from ZUMA.