KI Media: “US navy ships visit Vietnam amid heightened China tensions” plus 18 more |
- US navy ships visit Vietnam amid heightened China tensions
- China accuses US of damaging diplomatic relations after President Barack Obama meets Dalai Lama
- Sacrava's Political Cartoon: The Royal Jet
- Baingskol for Chea Vichea and Screening of "Who Killed Chea Vichea?"
- Kasit off to Germany to retrieve royal jet
- Samleng Srek Somrek Hav - "The callings" - Poem in Khmer Young Khmer Krom Poet
- "Khmer Kroms beware of Viet tricks": Khmer Poem by Ven. Thach Kong Phuong
- "S-21: soccer ball" - Poetry by Peauladd Huy
- Sinatoon: Nguyen Nhel (aka Nguon Nhel)
- CambodiaWatch- Australia Update
- Closing Order of Case 002 against Senior KR Leaders Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary, Ieng Thirith
- A dedication of Ms. So Savoeun's Golden Voice
- Cambodia's nascent and talented "Sibling Band" [-They have a good jam of "Oye Como Va"]
- Foundation raises money for Cambodian boy's heart
- UN’s highest court to rule on Thai troop withdrawal
- Sacrava's Political Cartoon: Cable 2002
- The Billion Dollar Question: Op-Ed by Khmer Guardian
- PM Hun Sen's sons on $420,000 American tax-payers' funded scholarships
- "សល់ឈើខ្លះទេ?" a Poem in Khmer by NhiekKiri
| US navy ships visit Vietnam amid heightened China tensions Posted: 16 Jul 2011 05:37 PM PDT
Beijing criticizes port call as Washington strengthens ties with its neighbors 7/15/2011 The Associated Press DANANG, Vietnam — Three U.S. Navy ships were welcomed Friday by former foe Vietnam for joint training, despite China's irritation following weeks of fiery exchanges between the communist neighbors over disputed areas of the South China Sea. U.S. and Vietnamese officials have stressed that the seven-day ship visit and naval training are part of routine exchanges planned long before tensions began flaring between China and Vietnam in late May. China has criticized the port call as inappropriate, saying it should have been rescheduled due to the ongoing squabble. The U.S. visit, however, did send a message that the Navy remains a formidable maritime force in the region and is determined to build stronger military ties with smaller Southeast Asian countries. "We've had a presence in the Western Pacific and the South China Sea for 50 to 60 years, even going back before World War II," Rear Adm. Tom Carney, who's leading the naval exchange, told reporters. "We will maintain a presence in the Western Pacific and the South China Sea as we have for decades, and we have no intention of departing from that kind of activity." He spoke on the pier in central Danang, once home to a bustling U.S. military base during the Vietnam War, in front of the diving and salvage ship USNS Safeguard. American and Vietnamese flags flapped in the steamy air from the ship, and two guided missile destroyers — USS Chung-Hoon and USS Preble — were visible off the coast. The two navies will hold exchanges involving navigation and damage control along with dive and salvage training. No live-fire drills will be conducted. Spat with China Vietnam and China last month both announced their navies held such maneuvers individually in the South China Sea after relations hit a low point when Hanoi twice accused Beijing of hindering oil exploration within Vietnam's economic exclusive zone. China responded that Vietnamese boats had endangered Chinese fishermen in a different area near the contested resource-rich Spratly islands, claimed all or in part by both nations and several others. Tempers appeared to be cooling after Chinese and Vietnamese officials met last month and announced they would work to negotiate a peaceful resolution. But Vietnamese state-run media and a border official on Wednesday accused armed Chinese soldiers of attacking and chasing a Vietnamese fishing boat near the disputed Paracel islands claimed by both countries. The Philippines has also recently sparred with China, alleging similar interference with its energy exploration efforts in the South China Sea. The United States last month conducted similar joint naval exercises that included live-fire drills with the Philippines, a treaty ally. On Monday in Beijing, top Chinese Gen. Chen Bingde criticized his U.S. counterpart for going forward with the exercises in Vietnam and the Philippines, calling it bad timing in light of the ongoing spats. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, defended the decision saying the exchanges were pre-planned. "I don't know when an appropriate time would be for these kind of activities, which are designed to promote friendship and cooperation," Carney said from the Vietnam pier. "But I don't think there's ever a bad time to do those kind of activities." Washington has said that the South China Sea, home to major shipping lanes, is in its national interest. China, which has an expanding maritime influence, has designated the area as a core interest — essentially something it could go to war over. Worried smaller neighboring countries have looked to the United States to maintain a strong presence in the region. "The U.S. has made its point and will continue to do so if pressed, but does not appear to be looking for a fight with Beijing on this issue," said Ralph Cossa, president of Pacific Forum CSIS, a Hawaii-based think tank. "It is not likely to heed or back down as a result of Chinese 'warnings,' however, which will likely make Washington feel more compelled to respond." Improved ties The current U.S. visit to Vietnam involves about 700 sailors and builds on the first postwar port call in 2003 made to the former Saigon, now called Ho Chi Minh City. Since then, military relations have continued to grow with high-level defense visits and exchanges. The two sides recently began working together to clean up dioxin contamination from the defoliant Agent Orange. It was mixed and stored at the U.S. air base in Danang and remains one of the lasting legacies of the Vietnam War that killed some 58,000 Americans and an estimated 3 million Vietnamese. The war ended in 1975 when U.S.-backed South Vietnam fell to northern communist forces and the country was reunified. The U.S. and Vietnam shook hands in 1995 and established diplomatic relations, signing a landmark trade deal six years later. Today, the U.S. is Vietnam's top export market, while Americans are among the country's leading foreign investors.  | ||||
| China accuses US of damaging diplomatic relations after President Barack Obama meets Dalai Lama Posted: 16 Jul 2011 05:24 PM PDT
China has accused the United States of "grossly" interfering in its internal affairs and damaging relations after President Barack Obama met the Dalai Lama at the White House. Sunday 17 July 2011 The Telegraph (UK) Barack Obama met the Nobel Prize laureate for about 45 minutes on Saturday, praising him for embracing non-violence while reiterating that the US did not support independence for Tibet. China, which accuses the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader of being a separatist who supports the use of violence to set up an independent Tibet, said Obama's meeting had had a "baneful" impact. Xinhua, the Chinese government press agency, quoted Ma Zhaoxu, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, as saying: "Such an act has grossly interfered in China's internal affairs, hurt the feelings of Chinese people and damaged the Sino-American relations. "We demand the US side to consider seriously China's stance, to immediately adopt measures to wipe out the baneful impact, to stop interfering in China's internal affairs and to cease to connive and support anti-China separatist forces that seek 'Tibet independence'." A statement on China's foreign affairs ministry website said that the Vice Foreign Minister had "urgently summoned" Robert S. Wang, the Charge d'Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, to lodge China's objections: "China expresses its strong indignation and resolute opposition. Tibet is an inseparable part of China and Tibetan issues are purely an internal matter for China." Mr Obama's last meeting with the Dalai Lama in February 2010 also drew strong condemnation from Beijing. The Dalai Lama denies China's accusations, saying he wants a peaceful transition to autonomy for the remote Himalayan region, which China has ruled since 1950, when Chinese troops marched in. The White House said in a statement that the Dalai Lama told Obama he was not seeking independence for Tibet and hoped that "dialogue between his representatives and the Chinese government can soon resume." Obama's meeting came at an especially sensitive moment, with leaders in Washington at odds over how to raise the $14.3 trillion US debt ceiling in time to avoid default. China holds more than $1 trillion in US Treasury debt and would be particularly exposed should Congress fail to reach a deal by Aug. 2. A US default could rocket up interest rates, sink the value of the US dollar and hurt the global economy.  | ||||
| Sacrava's Political Cartoon: The Royal Jet Posted: 16 Jul 2011 04:18 PM PDT
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| Baingskol for Chea Vichea and Screening of "Who Killed Chea Vichea?" Posted: 16 Jul 2011 04:15 PM PDT  What: Baingskol Buddhist ceremony for Hero Chea Vichea and Screening of "Who Killed Chea Vichea?" Chea Vichea's wife and his two children will also be present When: Sunday, 31 July 2011 at 9AM Where: At the residence of Dr. Uch Miek Lot 12 Les Tamaris Avenue Urdy Milou 13500 Martigues France (Near Marseille) Contact: Van Vannrin 0648889060 Dr. Uch Miek 0608063397 Sok Sangvan 0607242428  | ||||
| Kasit off to Germany to retrieve royal jet Posted: 16 Jul 2011 12:43 PM PDT 15/07/2011 Bangkok Post Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya left for Germany last night to seek the release of HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn's plane impounded at Munich airport by German liquidators since Tuesday to recover debts in a commercial bankruptcy case.Describing the plane seizure as a "huge mistake", Mr Kasit said he would inform the German government of his grave concern about the incident and would ask the German court to immediately release the plane. "This airplane is personal property, not that of the Thai government. So the German government cannot seize it," Mr Kasit said. He said a team of Thai lawyers including the attorney-general and a deputy director-general of the Treaties and Legal Affairs Department were sent to Munich on Tuesday to coordinate with German legal officials. Mr Kasit said the government had written to and spoken with German foreign ministry officials and appointed a lawyer to defend the case. "All of the Thai people are worried about what happened," he said. The Thai government would study the court process because it was a unilateral action and it did not give a chance for the Thai government to dispute it. The issue might affect bilateral ties between the two countries if the outcome was unreasonable, he said. The plane seizure was ordered by the German court on Monday following a request from Werner Schneider, the insolvency administrator for German builder Walter Bau AG, to force a 30 million (1.26 billion baht) payment from the Thai state. The action was based on a decision in 2009 of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law for Thailand to pay Walter Bau more than 30 million for breaching a bilateral investment treaty between Germany and Thailand. The UN court found that the Thai government breached the terms of a toll road concession operated by a venture partly owned by Walter Bau. Mr Schneider said the seizure followed repeated refusals by the Thai government to pay money it owes the company. The commercial spat goes back more than 20 years to the involvement of the company DYWIDAG, which merged with Walter Bau in 2001, in building Don Muang Tollway between Bangkok and Don Mueang airport.After "numerous breaches of contract by the Thai government", Walter Bau, by then insolvent, in 2007 claimed for damages, the legality of which was confirmed by the 2009 court ruling, Mr Schneider said. "We have been trying for years ... to have our justified demands for more than 30 million met, and this drastic measure is basically the last resort," Mr Schneider's firm said in a statement. "While the ownership details of the airplane will have to be discussed, the seizure was an important step for us to get the negotiations going again," a company spokesman said on the telephone. The plane, a 737-400 built in 1995, would most likely have a resale value of $5 million to $6 million (150 million to 180 million baht), said Paul Hayes, head of insurance at Ascend, an aviation consulting firm in London. Walter Bau was one of the largest construction companies in Germany when it sought protection from creditors in February 2005, costing more than 4,000 workers their jobs. Mr Schneider noted that in October 2005, he used the same tactic in Istanbul to impound an Airbus jet owned by Middle East Airlines in a dispute with the Lebanese government over debts owed to Walter Bau. Thai Highways Department chief Veera Ruangsuksriwong yesterday insisted his agency was in the process of appealing against the decision. Department sources said the German firm had no right to sue the Thai government as it was not a contractual partner in the Don Muang Tollway project. Walter Bau was just a shareholder in Don Muang Tollway Co which built the tollway and held the concession to operate the project. The government has already agreed to extend the concession for the firm and allow it to adjust the toll to make up for any damages caused by a previous state decision to freeze the toll and to allow ground traffic to compete with the company's business in the past, the sources said. Stefan Duppel, the German embassy's charge d'affaires, said the airplane seizure was a normal legal action and the liquidators were not obliged to inform or consult with the German government beforehand.  | ||||
| Samleng Srek Somrek Hav - "The callings" - Poem in Khmer Young Khmer Krom Poet Posted: 16 Jul 2011 12:36 PM PDT   | ||||
| "Khmer Kroms beware of Viet tricks": Khmer Poem by Ven. Thach Kong Phuong Posted: 16 Jul 2011 12:32 PM PDT   | ||||
| "S-21: soccer ball" - Poetry by Peauladd Huy Posted: 16 Jul 2011 12:20 PM PDT S-21: soccer ball
Day in day out. Twice a day sometimes three: after each drill-run, you come back beaten- flat on your back and tossed in the holding compartment with the others covered in human filth. You've gone above and beyond what is objectively possible for a small round thing. You've taken so many drop- kicks, knee-jabs, and head-butts from all players: captains, warden, interrogators, edgy guards, unsteady – too young to nap standing up, too restless for prison silence. In the playing field, each contact delivered upon your person intended to bury one more for the home-field. No restraint. No fumbled thought. Take-it-home: all forces are sent in with every intent to lift you off. You're all net. In the end, you're supple, a mush inside this confinement of skin, riddled by punctured marks, possibly leaking and bleeding internally. (S-21 (Tuol Sleng), the notorious Khmer Rouge prison, where 12 survived out of the estimated 17,000 imprisoned in this former high school. My older brothers attended this school (I started first grade at Wat Tuol Tum Pomg). And this was where my brothers often took me to kick a soccer ball in the schoolyard. Sometimes, we would drop by our aunt's, our mother's older sister, who lived across from the school (she and her whole family disappeared during the Khmer Rouge years). We moved to Battambang shortly before the takeover on April 17, 1975.) Read more about ConnotationPress.com | Peauladd Huy - Poetry by connotationpress.com ------------------- About the author:  Peauladd Huy was born in Cambodia. Both of her parents were executed by the Khmer Rouge. She now lives in the U.S. Peauladd Huy was born in Cambodia. Both of her parents were executed by the Khmer Rouge. She now lives in the U.S. --------- Peauladd Huy Interview, with Monica Mankin I couldn't help but notice that your biographical information is strikingly brief, yet it is remarkably revealing. I am deeply sorry for the loss of your family who was among the more than two million people who died before the Khmer Rouge was overthrown in 1979. Coupled with the subject matter of the poems you have published with Connotation Press this month, your biography inspires both my curiosity and my concern: When did you come to the U.S.? How did your relocation from Cambodia to the U.S. influence your understanding of language and the power that language has both personally and politically? In conjunction with this question, I am considering the following lines from your poem "I am here": "...you dismissed me, / kicking me in my chest and head, again and again, when I appealed to you / speaking the same language // in the routine of torture." What, for you, is the connection between "speaking the same language" and "the routine of torture"? I arrived in the U.S. in 1980 after a series of refugee camps in Thailand. I can't say it's the language per se, which helps me to be more direct, more vocal about my feelings. I'd say it's through trust and love of a very patient husband that I can now stand up and be loud about my feelings, whereas before I would fold and mull over. Still do it time to time. As for "speaking the same language" and "the routine of torture"– When I was imprisoned for stealing food, two Khmer Rouge cadres brought me out into the open. It was nighttime. They told me they would let me go if I could run past a certain tree before they could count to ten. I believed them. I took off and reached a tree before ten, but instead I plowed into and bounced off some tree because I could not see. Because I was blindfolded. But I had to at least try. Because I was nine years old, I took things literally, word for word. I found out quickly that those words, theirs, were meaningless, foreign, in a situation where the intent was to harm. Additionally, do you read and/or write poetry in any language other than English? And, whatever their languages, which writers inspire you to tell your story the way that you do?– which is with a balance of fierce and tamed emotion, and a clear dialogic tone that directly addresses the perpetrators who "...in the routine of torture..." leave the speaker of "I am here" "...beyond reproach" and asking, "What more can you do? / Piss on my bones again?" But your tone also conveys appreciation and love as we witness in your poem "Tuol Sleng - 2010" when you assume the voice of your mother: "What little food they gave us, we made it special / by switching our bowls. My Sweetie had insisted / so I could get more // to our baby. Our semi-miracle, / still hanging on. Our angel daughter / finally asleep and forgotten about hunger." Meanwhile, you are careful never to forget your readers, warning them "Reader discretion is advised." Which writers encourage your voice? From where else does your voice come? I don't get to read much with a two-and-a-half-year-old who keeps saying, Quick, I need a hug, Momma. I'm just a baby. When I do read, I mainly stick to English. I tried a while back to write in Khmer, but it was just too hard. I had to look up too many words. My formal education in Cambodia is of first and part of second grade. During the Khmer Rouge, all schools were closed. I cannot read Khmer poems: the language is very different from the everyday Khmer. Khmer poetry is very rigid in meters and rhymes and rhythms. It is presented as a song. My intention for these poems was to say, among these bone piles, there're families: there's a mother, a father, and a child, who were never given a chance to see light. Families are still ruined. "I am here" was written after the first verdict of the tribunal court. I don't want to discredit the effort to finding justice, but the reality is one cannot hope for a full-service satisfaction in a tainted system. I think that voice comes from being a mother. Why do you choose to tell your story of loss and extreme injustice through poetry and not another genre? In part two of "I am here" you write, "Don't be alarmed, Reader. / I am here to speak / because they are too afraid / to remember, still too stunned to speak out...." Can you elaborate on this sentiment? Who do you hope will read these poems? Who is your Reader? What do you hope these poems will accomplish within that audience? I chose poetry because I didn't have to use too many words. Not so smart a move. I want people to understand that she, the speaker, is here not to draw blood, just to tell the story because the survivors are still too hurt to speak out. She has forgiven, but she does not forget. My hope is to be read.  | ||||
| Sinatoon: Nguyen Nhel (aka Nguon Nhel) Posted: 16 Jul 2011 12:00 PM PDT
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| CambodiaWatch- Australia Update Posted: 16 Jul 2011 11:51 AM PDT Good Evening, Below are some of the latest posts from CambodiaWatch- Australia. Please take time to read them. CambodiaWatch- Australia Team http://camwatchblogs.blogspot.com/  | ||||
| Posted: 16 Jul 2011 09:18 AM PDT In preparation for the start of trial hearings beginning on 27 June 2011 of Case 002 against the surviving Khmer Rouge senior leaders Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary and Ieng Thirith, KI Media is starting a new series in posting installations of the public document of the Closing Order of Case 002. The Closing Order of the Co-Investigating Judges forms the basic document from which all the parties (Co-Prosecutors, Co-Lead Lawyers for all civil parties, Defense Lawyers) will be making their arguments before the Trial Chamber judges (one Cambodian President, 2 Cambodian Judges, 2 UN judges). Up until now, the hearings involving these four surviving senior Khmer Rouge leaders have been in the Pre-Trial Chamber over issues of pre-trial detention and jurisdictional issues. Beginning in June 2011, the Trial Chamber will hear the substantive arguments over the criminal charges (e.g. genocide, crimes against humanity, penal code of 1956). Available in Khmer and French. Contact the ECCC for a free copy.CLOSING ORDER of Co-Investigating Judges You Bunleng and Marcel Lemonde, 15 September 2010 Trapeang Thma Dam Worksite1331 Functioning Structure and Personnel 324. The construction of Trapeang Thma was organised and controlled by CPK cadres who divided and supervised the workers into working units, assigned unit tasks and individual tasks, issued working plans, appointed unit leaders,1347 and collected biographies of people working at the site.1348 There were unit chairmen, company chairmen and platoon chairmen within the reporting structure.1349 325. The unit chiefs had to report on progress of construction on a regular basis to receive their orders from their superiors and to set the working plans for the coming days.1350 Val, Pheng, Thoang and Hang were those responsible to develop the work plans.1351 Reports would be sent to "Angkar 870"1352 to report on progress, such as one copied to "Uncle [sic], Uncle Nuon, Brother Van, Brother Vorn, Office, Documentation" reporting on a visit of Yugoslavian journalists to the dam.1353 326. Overall responsibility for construction of Trapeang Thma was that of Val alias Aok Haun,1354 a Sector 5 CPK cadre of the Northwest Zone1355 who would frequently visit the worksite to inspect progress. Val was the Chief of the Sector 5 Mobile Work Unit1357 and as stated by witness testimony, it was him "who adopted the plan to choose the forces from the district to go to build the Trapeang Thma Dam".1358 327. Assisting Val in the supervision was Hat, Phnom Srok District Committee,1359 with whom Val would liaise and communicate. Val was arrested and transferred to S-21 in June 19771360 as well as Hat in September 1977 after accusations of being traitors,1361 prior to the completion of the dam. 328. The Secretary of Sector 5 of the Northwest Zone was Man Chun alias Hoeng.1362 He was arrested in September 19771363 and replaced by Heng Rin alias Mei alias Noeov Rin until his arrest on 16 November 197 8,1364 which was followed by his execution on 15 December 1978.1365 329. Others supervising the construction of the dam were Muol Sambat alias Ta Nhim alias Ruos Nheum alias Moul Un, Secretary of the Northwest Zone Committee who visited the dam construction site several times before its completion1366 and Cheal, a member of the Sector 5 Committee,1367 both of whom would later be arrested in 1978 and 1977 respectively.1368 330. The construction site was visited several times by CPK leaders.1369 There is evidence that Pol Pot and Khieu Samphan visited Trapeang Thma at various points during its construction.1370 One witness refers to Ieng Sary visiting Trapeang Thma with Pol Pot. However, the witness' knowledge of this is only by way of hearsay and he did not personally see the Charged Person at the worksite.1371  | ||||
| A dedication of Ms. So Savoeun's Golden Voice Posted: 16 Jul 2011 02:40 AM PDT Dear Readers and Listeners, After I asked KI-Media to post my dedication to Ms. Chhun Vanna last week, a reader suggested that I should also post songs and information of other Khmer singers who survived the KR regime. That reader suggested Ms. So Savoeun and Ms. Chhuon Malay. Over the years, I heard that Ms. Chhuon Malay now lives in the US, but, unlike Ms. Chhun Vanna, there is not much information about her at all. As for Ms. So Savoeun, she currently lives in France and she still performs there. Therefore, this week, I would like to share with you some of her songs. I collected the first two songs below when somebody posted them online sometime back. Every time I listen to "Sranos M'lob Dong", I always have goose bumps reminiscing about my childhood. It was a sunny and hot afternoon before the war in 1970 when, one day, my oldest brother came home with a brand new record of Ms. So Savoeun (see jacket below). He managed to set the old record player to work and all of us gathered around it. The first song he played was "Sranos M'lob Dong" and I can still picture in my mind, even after all these years, where each of my siblings was sitting around that record player. Of course, not all of us survived the KR regime, but this song always bring back to my mind a time when we were all living harmoniously together in peace.   Ms. So Savoeun's repertoire included a vast range of music genres, from classic Khmer song, such as "Kaun Meas M'day" to Saravan song, such as "Oh Popech Chieb", and everything else in between as you will discover some of them below. There are a few Youtube videos available about Ms. So Savoeun also. I have enclosed below, a song she performed in France in the late 70s or early 80s and a song she performed at the Olympic Stadium in 1986, right during the occupation of Cambodia by the Vietnamese forces. Finally I have included a more recent interview of her in France where she provided a glimpse of her life and the tragic fate of her four children who all perished during the KR regime. I was able to coax Mr. Luc Sâr (or Luxor?) of the KI-Media team to provide an English transcript of the interview. I hope you will enjoy the talent of Ms. So Savoeun as much as I do. Until next time ... Yours truly, P from LB and elsewhere… So Savoeun - Sranos Mlob Dong So Savoeun - Oh Popech Chieb So Savoeun - Ké Leng Phleng Hoeuy So Savoeung - Kaun Meas M'day So Savoeun - Prey L'bas Khiev Kchey So Savoeun singing "Oddam Duong Chet" in France circa 1980: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHVdYMG6uNU&feature=related So Savoeun sang at the Olympic Stadium in 1986, during the Vietnamese occupation of Cambodia: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7WnoP6hlYE Recent interview with So Savoeun in France: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8pF3cGsc0o Transcript of the 4 min. of the interview, translated from French by Luc Sâr: Following the 1975 events in Phnom Penh, numerous artists and intellectuals fled Cambodia. Biv Chhay Lieng, born in 1930 in Kampong Cham, Cambodia, is part of the Cambodian artists living in exile in France. Before the Khmer Rouge took over power, Biv Chhay Lieng was a well known author for his dramas and movie scripts. He wrote 30 novels and produced 16 movies. So Savoeun was a very popular singer in Cambodia. She fled to Thailand when the Khmer Rouge arrived. Nowadays, she lives in France and she sings every weekend in a Chinese restaurant. So Savoeun (SS): For me, when there was the Phnom Penh government [Lon Nol regime] … when the KR arrived, I left. Biv Chhay Lieng (BCL): When the KR arrived, I was busy producing a movie. BCL: Following the fall of Cambodia to the KR, I left Cambodia with all my family to Vietnam. Interviewer (I): Your first husband… SS: That was my music composer, he was my teacher since I was young, I was 16 back then. I: How many children did you have at the time? SS: At that time, I had four. I: They all passed away during the KR regime? … All together? Was it? SS: Nodding, sobbing BCL: When we arrived in France, we were lodged at a refugee camp in Colmar (Northeastern France). SS: I started to work in Sino-Cambodian restaurants in Paris XIII. I: As a singer? SS: As a singer, I was always a singer. SS performing BCL: When I was able to leave Cambodia, I tried to write novels in Cambodian and French. For the remainder that was left in Cambodia, everything was lost, I couldn't find them anymore. SS: I am very happy with the youths nowadays, they are taking over my songs. But, sometimes, maybe it was not the fault of the young singers, but it was the fault of the organizers, they got mistaken with my songs, when they sang them, instead of giving me credit, they credit them to somebody else. I believe they don't know them. BCL: Lately, there are people who published my novels – there are many novels, 10 or 20 of them – but they did not ask for my authorization. SS: I sing every day because I love it. I love my job. I love to sing … for my pleasure and I love it, I love my job, I love it to death. Remainder of the interview with movie producer Rithy Panh.  | ||||
| Cambodia's nascent and talented "Sibling Band" [-They have a good jam of "Oye Como Va"] Posted: 15 Jul 2011 11:56 PM PDT http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPwBXV7Gpik&feature=player_embedded For additional information and to listen to their CD album:  | ||||
| Foundation raises money for Cambodian boy's heart Posted: 15 Jul 2011 11:47 PM PDT
07/15/2011 By Greg Mellen, Staff Writer Long Beach Press-Telegram (California, USA) LONG BEACH — Peter Chhun hadn't shaken off the jet lag from his trip back from Cambodia when he received a message that made him wonder if he was still dreaming. Dr. Shaun Grady, whom Chhun had met only recently at a fundraiser, sent an email to say that more than $40,000 would be on its way to Children's Hospital Los Angeles to pay for open-heart surgery for an impoverished boy Chhun has sponsored. Although negotiations are ongoing and some issues remain to be worked out, it is good news for a young boy who was fast running out of options. "This is fantastic news," said Chhun, whose nonprofit Hearts Without Boundaries helps impoverished Cambodian children receive heart treatment unavailable in their home country. "This is beyond belief." Bunlak Song is a 3-year- old who was orphaned at birth and is in desperate need of surgery to repair a hole in his heart and several other complications before his condition becomes irreversible. Chhun brought the child to the United States with hopes he could be operated on at Miller Children's Hospital in Long Beach. However, doctors there became alarmed by the level of damage already done to the boy's lungs and other complications and decided not to operate. Negotiations with several other hospitals also fell through, and the last hope appeared to be having the operation performed in Honduras by doctors from the International Children's Heart Fund, who saved another of Chhun's clients. While Chhun was working on that, Grady was quietly brokering a deal of his own. An obstetrician from Pasadena, Grady met Chhun at a fundraiser for Bunlak in Long Beach. "I was impressed by his story and his commitment," Grady said of Chhun. "And Bunlak was running around." The doctor was smitten. Grady said he realizes there are millions of children worldwide in similar circumstances. But here was one right in front of him. Grady said he felt he was in a position to help, andso he did. First a private fundraiser was scheduled at Grady's Pasadena home. Through his brother, a pediatric cardiologist, Grady was able to get in touch with Dr. Vaughn Starnes, a renowned surgeon at Children's Hospital who operated on Davik Teng, the first child Hearts Without Boundaries brought to the United States in 2008. Grady invited Starnes to his event. The doctors began talking, and in pretty quick order Grady was able to get Starnes and others to donate their services and brokered a special rate with the hospital of about $41,000. Although details still need to be remain to beworked out, the signs finally seem positive for Bunlak, who has run into nothing but impediments thus far. "You just need to have patience," said Chhun, who is keeping the Honduras option open just in case. The private fundraiser is scheduled for Sunday, and Grady said he will cover any shortfall to Children's Hospital. Chhun is still somewhat in disbelief at the way things seem to be coming together, when a few months ago they appeared to be unraveling. "We just met not long ago," Chhun said of Grady, "and he commits to help Bunlak. This is wonderful generosity. "I can't describe in words. This is the greatest news for our organization." Of course, Chhun isn't getting a complete free ride. Grady reminded Chhun to bring a check to the fundraiser to pay for the staff that would be serving food. greg.mellen@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1291  | ||||
| UN’s highest court to rule on Thai troop withdrawal Posted: 15 Jul 2011 10:21 PM PDT
Saturday, July 16, 2011 AFP THE HAGUE: The UN's highest court is to rule Monday on a request by Cambodia for an immediate Thai troop withdrawal from a disputed border area around an ancient Khmer temple, where clashes have taken place. International Court of Justice president, Judge Hisashi Owada, is expected to read the court's order at 10:00 am (0800 GMT) at the Hague-based Peace Palace, where the ICJ is seated. [KI-Media Note: 0800 GMT is 2PM Phnom Penh time] "The court will deliver an order Monday on Cambodia's request for Thailand to stop military activity" in the area, an observer close to the ICJ told AFP, adding Owada would be accompanied by a 14-judge bench and two ad hoc judges. Cambodia in late April launched a bitter legal battle before the ICJ in which it asked for an interpretation of a 1962 ICJ ruling around the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple. At the same time, while the court pondered its decision, Cambodia also asked judges to approve provisional measures including an immediate Thai troop withdrawal and a ban on all Thai military activity there. Although Thailand did not dispute Cambodia's ownership of the temple, secured by the 1962 ruling, both Phnom Penh and Bangkok claimed the 4.6-square-kilometre (1.8-square-mile) area surrounding the Khmer complex. The two countries orally argued their cases before judges at the end of May with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong asking for "an immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all Thai forces from those parts of Cambodian territory situated in the area of the temple of Preah Vihear." Phnom Penh also asked that "Thailand refrained from any act or action which could interfere with the rights of Cambodia or aggravate the dispute in the principal proceedings." Thailand's ambassador to the Netherlands, Virachai Plasai, responded by saying his country requested the ICJ to scrap Cambodia's case from the court's general list. Bangkok however did say in June that it would respect the ICJ's order. In February the United Nations appealed for a permanent ceasefire after 10 people were killed in fighting near the Preah Vihear temple. However fresh clashes broke out in April further west, leaving 18 dead and prompting 85,000 civilians to flee. Cambodia said although there had been clashes in the past, Thai aggression substantially increased after July 2008, when the UN's cultural body UNESCO listed the temple as a World Heritage site. But the 11th-century complex has been at the centre of a long legal wrangle between Thailand and Cambodia — which first took its southeastern Asian neighbour to the ICJ in 1959 over the issue. Established in 1945, the ICJ is the UN's highest judicial organ and it settles disputes between states. It is the only one of six principal UN organs not located in New York.  | ||||
| Sacrava's Political Cartoon: Cable 2002 Posted: 15 Jul 2011 09:58 PM PDT
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| The Billion Dollar Question: Op-Ed by Khmer Guardian Posted: 15 Jul 2011 09:51 PM PDT | ||||
| PM Hun Sen's sons on $420,000 American tax-payers' funded scholarships Posted: 15 Jul 2011 08:32 PM PDT  Mr. Hun Sen and his wife Bun Rany haded a diploma to a student.By Khmerization Source: Kampuchea Thmey Two of Prime Minister Hun Sen's sons have been provided with the American tax-payers' funded scholarships to study at two prestigious American military academies, costing American tax-payers to the tune of $420,000. Mr. Hun Sen's eldest son, Hun Manet, had graduated from the prestigious West Point Military Academy in 1999 at a cost of $245,00o to the American tax-payers. His younger brother, Hun Many, is now graduating from American University of National Defense at the cost of $175,000 to the American tax-payers. Mr. Hun sen, speaking during a graduation ceremony to students at Asia-Europe University in Phnom Penh, thanked the U.S government for its generosity toward his children with this free education. Please read the article in Khmer below: ------------------ សម្តេចតេជោអរគុណសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិកដែលបានផ្តល់អាហារូបករណ៍សម្រាប់បុត្រាទាំងពីរ 07-11-jភ្នំពេញ ៖ សម្តេចអគ្គមហាសេនាបតីតេជោ ហ៊ុន សែន នាយករដ្ឋមន្រ្តី នៃព្រះរាជាណាចក្រកម្ពុជា បានថ្លែងអំណរគុណចំពោះសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិក ដែលបានផ្តល់អាហារូបករណ៍ សម្រាប់ការបណ្តុះបណ្តាលបុត្រារបស់លោកទាំងពីរ គឺលោក ហ៊ុន ម៉ាណែត សិក្សានៅសាលាបណ្ឌិតសភាយោធាសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិក និងលោក ហ៊ុន ម៉ានី សិក្សានៅសាកលវិទ្យាល័យការពារជាតិសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិកនោះ។ ថ្លែងនៅ ក្នុងពិធីប្រគល់សញ្ញាបត្រដល់និស្សិតនៃសាកលវិទ្យាល័យអាស៊ី អឺរ៉ុប នាព្រឹកថ្ងៃទី១៤ កក្កដា ២០១១ នៅវិទ្យាស្ថានជាតិអប់រំ សម្តេចនាយករដ្ឋមន្រ្តីមានប្រសាសន៍ថា ខ្ញុំសូមថ្លែងអំណរគុណចំពោះ រដ្ឋាភិបាលសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិកដែលបានផ្តល់អាហារូបករណ៍ដល់កូនរបស់ខ្ញុំ ទាំងពីរនាក់ បើទោះជាសម្តេចតេជោបានគូសបញ្ជាក់ថា ប៉ុន្តែមិនមែនខ្ញុំសុំឲ្យទៅទេគឺអាមេរិកចង់ឲ្យកូនរបស់ខ្ញុំទៅ ខ្ញុំសុំបញ្ជាក់អញ្ចឹង ព្រោះថាទម្លាប់ធម្មតារបស់ខ្ញុំ គឺខ្ញុំមិនសុំទេឲ្យក៏ឲ្យមិនឲ្យក៏ហីទៅ ខ្ញុំមិនទៅសុំទេ ប៉ុន្តែយ៉ាងណាយើងអរគុណគេ ដោយសារគេឲ្យទៅរៀន។ កាសែត ខាំបូឌាដេលីកាលពីថ្ងៃទី ៥ កក្កដាបានរាយការណ៍ថា សកលវិទ្យាល័យសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិកបានបញ្ជាក់ថា កូនប្រុសម្នាក់ក្នុងចំណោមកូនប្រុសរបស់សម្តេចនាយករដ្ឋមន្រ្តី ហ៊ុន សែន បានចូលរៀនកម្មវិធី រយៈពេលមួយឆ្នាំនៅទីក្រុងវ៉ាស៊ីនតោនឌីស៊ី កាលពីឆ្នាំទៅម៉ិញ ដោយធ្វើឲ្យរូបគាត់ជាកូនប្រុសទី ២នៃគ្រួសារ នាយករដ្ឋមន្ដ្រី ដែលបានចូលរៀនសាលាបណ្ឌិតសភាយោធាសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិកតាមរយៈអាហារូបករណ៍។ កាសែត ខាំបូឌាដេលី បានដកស្រង់សម្តីរបស់លោកដេវីត ថូម៉ាស់ ជាអ្នកនាំពាក្យសកលវិទ្យាល័យ ដែលបានលើកឡើងតាមអ៊ីមែលថា លោក ហ៊ុន ម៉ានី ជានិស្សិតមួយរូបនៅក្នុងមហាវិទ្យាល័យសន្តិសុខអន្តរជាតិសម្រាប់ ឆ្នាំសិក្សា ២០០៩-២០១០។ លោកបានបញ្ចប់វគ្គសិក្សារបស់លោកដោយជោគជ័យ ហើយបាន ទទួលសញ្ញាបត្រជាន់ខ្ពស់ផ្នែកសិក្សាសន្តិសុខយុទ្ធសាស្រ្ត។ ដេវីត ថូម៉ាស់ ថ្លែងថា ប្រទេសទាំងឡាយណា ដែលត្រូវបានអញ្ជីញឲ្យបញ្ជូននិស្សិតមកសិក្សានៅសកលវិទ្យាល័យនេះ អាចធ្វើការ ជ្រើសរើសបេក្ខជន ដែល ប្រទេសទាំងនោះចង់បញ្ជូនឲ្យមករៀន ហើយថាក្រសួងការពារប្រទេសសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិកជាអ្នកផ្តល់ថវិកា។ យោង តាមសម្តេចតេជោនាយករដ្ឋមន្រ្តីឲ្យដឹងថា លោក ហ៊ុន ម៉ានី ទទួលអាហារូបករណ៍នៅសាលាយោធា អាមេរិក ដែលការសិក្សាមានតម្លៃ ១៧៥ ០០០ ដុល្លារសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិក សម្រាប់បរិញ្ញាបត្រនៅសាកលវិទ្យាល័យការពារជាតិរបស់ សហរដ្ឋអាមេរិក។ចំណែកកូនប្រុងច្បងរបស់លោកគឺលោក ហ៊ុន ម៉ាណែត បានទទួលអាហារូបករណ៍នៅសាលាបណ្ឌិតសភាយោធារបស់សហរដ្ឋអាមេរិក ដែលការសិក្សាក្នុងតម្លៃ ២៤៥ ០០០ ដុល្លារអាមេរិក៕ស្នាយពល  | ||||
| "សល់ឈើខ្លះទេ?" a Poem in Khmer by NhiekKiri Posted: 15 Jul 2011 08:30 PM PDT   |
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