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Placebo Headlines First-ever Rock Concert at Angkor Wat to Raise Awareness about Human TraffickingU.S., U.K., Australian & Khmer Artist Unite for MTV EXIT Show Sponsored by USAID and Cambodian DonorsTuesday, December 09, 2008 SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA – Alternative rockers Placebo took a stand against human trafficking on Saturday with an international line-up of artists at an MTV EXIT (End Exploitation and Trafficking) concert at Angkor Wat. This was the first rock concert ever performed at the massive 12th-century stone temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was bathed in floodlights for the event.“We’re here to call attention to human trafficking, a form of slavery that is as big a problem today as perhaps anytime in history,” lead singer Brian Molko told the invitation-only audience. Placebo performed special orchestrations of its songs at the concert featuring seven international and Cambodian acts, traditional Khmer dancers and clips from “Traffic: An MTV Special,” a documentary about human trafficking that was funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). USAID is supporting the MTV EXIT campaign in Asia, an on-air, online (www.mtvexit.org) and on-the-ground drive to raise awareness about and prevent human trafficking. The project is run by the MTV Europe Foundation, a London-based charity, with additional support by MTV Networks Asia/Pacific. Local donors are assisting the Cambodian campaign in four major cities. More than 1,200 fans spilled from the bleachers to the edge of the jungle to hear Placebo from the U.K., The Click Five from the U.S., Grammy Award-winner Duncan Sheik, Australian pop star Kate Miller-Heidke, Cambodian hip-hop legend Pou Klaing, and Cambodian pop stars Sokun Nisa, Meas Soksophia and Chorn Sovanrech. Volunteers distributed MTV EXIT anti-trafficking bracelets and wallet-sized leaflets in Khmer with hotline numbers to concert goers. Deputy Chief of the U.S. Mission Piper A. Campbell told the crowd to be wary of job offers that seemed too good to be true and urged them to report suspected traffickers to authorities, community leaders or non-governmental organizations. MTV EXIT Director Simon Goff said “millions of people are currently living in slavery as a result of being trafficked. This is a grotesque human-rights abuse and we must all act to stop it.” While estimates vary, it is believed that 800,000 people are trafficked internationally each year and millions more are enslaved in their own countries. Scenes from the film “Traffic” were projected against a glimmering fountain of water behind the stage with three of Angkor Wat’s minarets illuminated against the moonlit sky. More than 15 tons of lighting and sound equipment were flown in from as far as Singapore for the event. The MTV EXIT campaign is collaborating with the Royal Government of Cambodia’s National Task Force on Human Trafficking for the Cambodian concert tour. It is also partnering with non-governmental organizations and anti-trafficking groups to broaden the reach of its Cambodian national campaign. The concerts in Cambodia and other Asian nations will provide content for TV programs that will be broadcast on MTV Channels internationally. All USAID-funded MTV EXIT television programming is produced rights-free and is free of charge for all broadcasters and organizations. | |||
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