KI Media: “A Language in Crisis” plus 24 more |
- A Language in Crisis
- "Building a regime" - Poem by Peauladd Huy
- With the World Bank threat on his head, Hun Xen is forced to give back 12 hectares of land to Boeung Kak Lake residents for in-place development
- Im Chaem Denies Prosecution's Charges - VOA News
- Lake Residents Welcome World Bank Fund Freeze
- Appeal for Funds to Help Complete the Building of a historic Kampuchea Krom community center
- Video: The 62nd Annual Kampuchea Krom Loss Commemoration
- A committee member of Kiriboptaram was threatened by the chief of Dorng Kambet commune
- Coastal road block for Kith Meng [... More evictions to come from Mr. Rough Stuff?]
- SRP and CPP youth debate at Stung Sangker Hotel in Battambang province on 16 August 2011
- "The right thought & The right way" - Op-Ed by Maha Phirum
- Thieves will remain thieves - Opinion by Chhaya Khemarak
- "After the boss, that's me" - Poster by Anonymous
- Monkey see, monkey do in the Banana Kingdoom: The boss gets congratulations ... so does the crony
- Hun Xen trov oss leakh doy roeung Boeung Kak - Poem in KHmer by Spean Tep
- CIVICUS Cambodia - RFK Center Events at Meta House German-Cambodian Cultural Center during September 2011
- Politiktoons No. 172 - The Friendship
- Volunteers needed to help COMFREL
- Reaching the American Dream - An announcement by the Cambodian Reconciliation Committee, Inc.
- Devlopments that bring hardship to the people need rethinking?
- "Who Killed Chea Vichea?" is now available on DVD
- Child malnutrition in the spotlight
- NGO ‘incitement’
- Bart Simpson to the King
- A Request Letter to TVK to Share Dance Videos with the World
| Posted: 15 Aug 2011 05:30 PM PDT  http://www.box.net/shared/te6o4f45xi67i0dulz7k COMMENTARY A Language in Crisis
The Cambodian language is dying: the spoken language is either crude and earthy (to the point of offensiveness) or highly stylized (to the point of incomprehension); the written language is in crisis from carelessness and undevelopment, mummified from antiquity, rattled by modernity. And no one is doing anything about it. Here, I am not speaking as a linguist, which I am not; nor am I speaking as a lawyer, which I am. (Both professions parse language for clarity.) I am not even speaking as someone who is fluent, but only proficient, in speaking her native tongue. However, I am speaking as someone who has been acutely observing communication in the Khmer language for at least the last 7 years, both spoken and written, and who is aghast at the state of affairs. Here are some general observations which should cause great concern for Cambodian educators and leaders: 1. 1. SPOKEN: The prevailing use (by both adults and children alike) of crude, offensive language—"aign" for I/me, "haign" for you, "veer" for him/her/them (when its correct use is for "it"), "phoeum" for pregnancy (when the word is reserved for animals), and the myriad cuss words, many of sexual crassness which I cannot even write, etc.—needs to stop. More than impolite, it's dehumanizing. The matter careens to the opposite extreme in formal setting where the spoken Khmer is so stylized and antiquated that comprehension is lost on the listeners. The speaker takes more pleasure in using big words than communicating his/her message; sometimes, I wonder if the speaker him/herself understands what s/he is saying. 2. 2. WRITTEN GENERALLY: The current written Khmer language is a nightmare with great limitations for communicating complex ideas and for understanding. The written Khmer lacks clarity. First, there lacks a modern, comprehensive Khmer dictionary incorporating new words and uniform spelling, e.g. "Sida, "Aids", "Hiv", "Untac" are used as words without understanding their background as deriving from foreign acronyms and their full meaning. Second, there lacks a modern, comprehensive Khmer-English (vice-versa) dictionary to accommodate the barrage of materials being produced from translation, as many new thoughts and documents are first written in English and not originally created in Khmer. Much of the translated works have not been reviewed for accuracy nor for comprehension; thus, much gibberish are entering the public square for consumption, which oftentimes creates more confusion than learning. If I am to guestimate, on average only 50% of the published translated materials are accurate; I have worked with the best translators (meticulous, conscientious, deeply experienced) in the country, and on average their works are only 85% correct. Fifth, all the above difficulties are contextualized by a Cambodia which has been mummified by 90 years of French colonialism and broken by years of Cold War instability: civil war, followed by genocide, occupation, and now autocracy. The current political leadership believes theoretically in education but lacks understanding of what education requires in practical terms; it is a leadership which keeps the population thinking only of survival, leaving little room for any other thoughts, e.g. clear communication, quality education, civility, human flourishing, social and national development. Related, we are currently a society which values form over substance. 3. 3. WRITTEN STRUCTURE: The Khmer written structure makes already for difficulty in communicating, without the added technical issue of typing and layout. Written Khmer (i) has words running into each other; the spacing of words and phrases are at the discretion of the writer/typist, with little standard guidelines; (ii) has no proper nouns; (iii) has very limited punctuations, effectively only the period (khan), question mark (often times used with the khan), the double quotation marks ("s", but not 's') vacillating between the French and English versions, and the colons (again, vacillating between the French and English versions, sometimes creating confusion as the English colon is exactly like a Khmer vowel). If used at all, the comma is inserted with great reluctance or inconfidence because its function is not widely understood. 4. 4. TYPING KHMER: Currently, two competing systems exist for typing Khmer – the pictorial system (best exemplified by Limon) and the Unicode system. As a way of illustration, the act of typing "A" in the old (but still in prevalent use) pictorial system requires three strokes on a keyboard, as one is effectively drawing a picture of the "A". Consequently, the pictorial system is not conducive to searches and the internet. The Unicode (universal) system allows for searches and internet usage, but presents more problems in doing layout for publication with all the "hair" and "feet" of the vowels and words jumping all over the page. One almost needs another pair of hands with another set of fingers to type Khmer in any of the two systems. Additionally, there is little harmonization of the fonts within each system, as well as little harmonization between the systems to each other. And on some computer, saving a word document to transfer from one computer to another can lead to words and phrases mixing into gibberish nonsense, a phenomenon we, at CIVICUS Cambodia, encountered recently in saving, transferring, printing a draft Khmer curriculum we have been working on for a workshop in Siem Reap!). Why am I listing these language woes, which are really only the top of the iceberg? Because language is the foundation of education, which is the foundation of ideas and deep thoughts and clear thinking. Because language is the foundation of communication, which is the foundation of relationship, which is the foundation of human flourishing, which is the foundation of societal well-being, which is the foundation of national development. I see a lot of frustrated Cambodians due to their inability to communicate clearly and precisely. I see a society lacking a vehicle to communicate ideas and to build on ideas for deeper thought and clearer thinking. The key is missing for all the woes we are experiencing in current-day Cambodia – from educational failing to human rights abuses. Or, if not missing, than that key is broken. And that key is a living language. ________________ Theary C. SENG Founding President CIVICUS: Center for Cambodian Civic Education  | ||
| "Building a regime" - Poem by Peauladd Huy Posted: 15 Aug 2011 05:26 PM PDT Building a regime Poem by Peauladd Huy Rebels are marching in and citizens are like vestal virgins when the temple is raided. The hearth's neglected and offerings are found crushed down like white lilies had since browned fading shadows under the throng of combat boots. Nothing's without its bruises on this stomping ground: the stone structure and the frayed drapery weightless in the wind undressing the door, like a limp hand waving away a quivered mouth wearing her corner-pains the morning after. Before the one glass-eyed tyrant, life means next to nothing, especially when he's caressing his pet dog. Now the moon with its soft light is setting up like a hundred years of moss strangling the oak tree.  | ||
| Posted: 15 Aug 2011 05:22 PM PDT  Cambodia Express News Translated from Khmer by Soy Phnom Penh – In the end, Hun Xen had to sign an agreement to provide 12 hectares of land to Boeung Kak Lake residents for in-place development, a human rights activist reported. The same human rights activist indicated that Hun Xen's written authorization, based on the request made by Boeung Kak Lake residents for in-place developments, was handed personally to a group of residents in the evening of 15 August 2011. This is a major victory for the more than 1000-family residents who struggled and seek interventions from all sources, including national and international organizations, embassies, and from Hun Xen and his wife as their last resort. Recently, the World Bank, one of the largest aid institution for development in Cambodia, threatened to stop all aids to Cambodia due to the dragging dispute in Boeung Kak Lake and due to Cambodian government's unwillingness to resolve this issue for the past several years. Boeung Kak Lake extends over 133 hectares and it was leased in 2007 for development for 99-year to the Shukaku, Inc. Co. belonging to Lao Meng Khin, a CPP senator. The development led to the forced evictions of more than 4,000 families. Lately, the remaining more than 1,000-family of residents had resisted the forced evictions and the sand pumping on their housings, and they demanded for in-place development of their own housings on individual plot of lands measuring 4-by-16-meter. The demand by the residents were met by police raids, arrest and jailing of their representatives. --------- អ្នកភូមិបឹងកក់ ទទួលបានដីជាង ១២ ហិកតា ដើម្បីអភិវឌ្ឍន៍នៅនឹងកន្លែង ថ្ងៃទី 15 សីហា 2011 CEN ភ្នំពេញ: ទីបំផុតទៅ ក្រុមអ្នកភូមិបឹងកក់ ត្រូវបានសម្តេចនាយករដ្ឋមន្ត្រី ហ៊ុន សែន ស៊ីញ៉េ យល់ព្រម ផ្តល់ដីទំហំជាង ១២ ហិកតា ដើម្បីអភិវឌ្ឍន៍នៅនឹងកន្លែង។ នេះបើតាមការបញ្ជាក់របស់សកម្មជនសិទ្ធិមនុស្ស។ សកម្មជនសិទ្ធិមនុស្សដដែល បានបញ្ជាក់ថា ការសម្រេចជាលាយលក្ខណ៍អក្សររបស់សម្តេចនាយករដ្ឋមន្ត្រី ហ៊ុន សែន តាមការស្នើសុំរបស់ក្រុមអ្នកភូមិបឹងកក់ សម្រាប់ការអភិវឌ្ឍន៍នៅនឹងកន្លែងនោះ ត្រូវបានបញ្ជូនទៅដល់ដៃក្រុមអ្នកភូមិ កាលពីព្រលប់ថ្ងៃទី១៥សីហា ឆ្នាំ២០១១។ នេះគឺជាជោគជ័យដ៏ធំធេងរបស់ក្រុមអ្នកភូមិបឹងកក់ជាង ១.០០០ គ្រួសារ ដែលបានព្យាយាមតស៊ូមតិ និងស្វែងរកអន្តរាគមន៍គ្រប់មជ្ឈដ្ឋាន អង្គការជាតិ-អន្តរជាតិ អង្គទូត និងជាពិសេសអ្នកភូមិបឹងកក់ បានសុំអន្តរាគមន៍ពីសម្តេចនាយរដ្ឋមន្ត្រី ហ៊ុន សែន និងលោកជំទាវ ក្នុងរយៈពេលចុងក្រោយនេះ។ កាលពីពេលថ្មីៗនេះ ធនាគារពិភពលោក ដែលជាស្ថាប័នផ្តល់ជំនួយដ៏ធំក្នុងការអភិវឌ្ឍន៍ប្រទេសកម្ពុជា ក៏បានប្រកាសព្រមាន ឈប់ផ្តល់ជំនួយដល់កម្ពុជា ដោយសារតែរឿងជម្លោះដីបឹងកក់ដ៏រ៉ាំរ៉ៃ ដែលរដ្ឋាភិបាលកម្ពុជា មិនបានដោះស្រាយអស់ពេលជាយូរឆ្នាំមកហើយ។ ដីបឹងកក់ទំហំ ១៣៣ ហិកតា ត្រូវបានសាលារាជធានីភ្នំពេញ ចុះហត្ថលេខាជួលក្នុងរយៈពេល ៩៩ ឆ្នាំ ឲ្យក្រុមហ៊ុន ស៊ូកាគូ អ៊ីន របស់លោកឧកញ៉ា ឡៅ ម៉េងឃិន សមាជិកព្រឹទ្ធសភា មកពីគណបក្សប្រជាជនកម្ពុជា កាលពីឆ្នាំ២០០៧ ដើម្បីអភិវឌ្ឍន៍ជាទីក្រុងទំនើប។ ក៏ប៉ុន្តែគម្រោងអភិវឌ្ឍន៍នោះ បានតម្រូវឲ្យប្រជាជនជាង ៤.០០០ គ្រួសារ ត្រូវរុះរើលំនៅដ្ឋាន ចេញពីតំបន់បឹងកក់។ ចុងក្រោយនេះ អ្នកភូមិបឹងកក់ជាង ១.០០០ គ្រួសារ ដែលសេសសល់ពីការរុះរើចេញពីលំនៅដ្ឋាន ដោយសារតែក្រុមហ៊ុន បូមខ្សាច់លុបបឹង បានខំប្រឹងតស៊ូ ទាមទារឲ្យមានការអភិវឌ្ឍន៍នៅនឹងកន្លែង តាមរយៈផ្ទះល្វែងជាន់ផ្ទាល់ដីទំហំ ៤ គុណ ១៦ ម៉ែត្រ ក្នុងមួយគ្រួសារ។ ការតវ៉ារបស់អ្នកភូមិបឹងកក់កន្លងមក ត្រូវបានបង្ក្រាបជាញឹកញាប់ រហូតដល់មានការចាប់តំណាងអ្នកភូមិ ឃុំឃាំងមួយរយៈផងដែរ៕  | ||
| Im Chaem Denies Prosecution's Charges - VOA News Posted: 15 Aug 2011 04:49 PM PDT http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSB9Wv9XpRM  | ||
| Lake Residents Welcome World Bank Fund Freeze Posted: 15 Aug 2011 04:40 PM PDT
Monday, 15 August 2011 Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer | Washington
Representatives of residents at the contentious Boeung Kak lake development site say the World Bank's announcement it was freezing funding to Cambodia marks a major push for a resolution to the impasse. The World Bank has said it will not release any more funding to Cambodia until government authorities find a way to reconcile a dispute between thousands of families and a development company headed by a ruling-party senator. Residents say they want parcels of land on the 133-hectare development instead of buyout or resettlement offers they say are inadequate. "People are so happy, and they hope that they will get houses," said Non Sokheng, a representative of the villagers who was a guest on "Hello VOA" last week. "I also hope that assistance will continue to flow into Cambodia again after the issue over land conflict at Boeung Kak is completed." Tep Vanny, another representative who spoke on "Hello VOA," said he hoped the government will work with the World Bank to resolve the problem. "I believe the Cambodian government will show its spectacular ability, as a model for Cambodia's development," he said. Some 4,000 families are expected to be pushed from the Phnom Penh area of the lake, which has been filled in almost to completion by Shukaku, Inc. The municipality has refused multiple requests from residents who want 4-meter-by-16-meter plots of land on the commercial and residential development site. Residents have protested on multiple occasions in the neighborhood or in front of City Hall. Many of those protests have been met with violent force from police and other authorities. Government spokesman Phay Siphan said the government is seeking an explanation from the World Bank for the frozen funds, which he called a "violation" of agreements between the government and the bank. "We will solve it in a legal way," he said.  | ||
| Appeal for Funds to Help Complete the Building of a historic Kampuchea Krom community center Posted: 15 Aug 2011 04:04 PM PDT Saturday the 14th Waxing Moon of Sāvana, BE2555, August 13, AD2011 Year of the Rabbit     For U.S. residents and other countries, please kindly make payable personal check or traveler's check and send it to: Ra Thach, P.O. Box 37502, Philadelphia, PA 19148 USA --------------------------------------------------- For Canadian residents, please kindly make payable personal check or traveler's check and send it to: Suvong Kim 25 Galsworthy Avenue, Scarborough, Ontario M1R 2N5 Canada --------------------------------------------------- For residents of Cambodia and Kampuchea Krom, please kindly contact us at an address below: The Khmer Kampuchea Krom Community (KKC) House No. 10B, Street 234, Tuk Laak 3 commune, Tuol Kork district Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia Phones: 011 855 12 908 882 or 011 855 090 477 007 --------------------------------------------------- For inquiries, please email us at this address: KKCpressoffice@yahoo.com. Contact Info.: 267.242.3608 864.494.1991 647 783 1551 978.328.4435 401.699.5320 206.734.7366 Thank you for your charity.  | ||
| Video: The 62nd Annual Kampuchea Krom Loss Commemoration Posted: 15 Aug 2011 03:44 PM PDT  Video: The 62nd Annual Kampuchea Krom Loss Commemoration and the Buddhist Offering Ceremony to 1,949 Buddhist Monks to honor Khmer heroic Budhdist monks, Buddhist monks, heroic emperors, heroic kings, heroes, and servicemen and women, on Friday the 9th Waxing Moon of Jeṭṭha BE2555, June 10, AD2011, held at Wat Siri Sophea Ang Ta Minh, Joam Jao commune, Dangko district, Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia  France gives Khmer land, Kampuchea Krom, on June 4, 1949 to Vietnam to continue colonizing her until today. Or watch it via this link: http://khmerkromngo.org/multimedia/kk62Loss.htm. Thank you and your family for your fervent patriotism to defend, protect, safeguard, uphold and promote the Nation, Khmer identity, Buddhism, history, language, literature, civilization, culture, custom, tradition, environment, arts, dedication, commitment, volunteerism, and contribution. Thank you for watching.  | ||
| A committee member of Kiriboptaram was threatened by the chief of Dorng Kambet commune Posted: 15 Aug 2011 03:35 PM PDT Aug 11, 2011 Dear all, A committee member of Kiriboptaram called Sre Veal pagoda was threatened by the Chief of Dorng Kambet commune, Sandan district, Kampung Thom after that member gave permission to the Cambodian Center for Human Rights and Natural Resource Protection Group to conduct training in the premise of the pagoda. Currently he is hiding for security reason. Concerning this issue, the Cambodian Center of Human Rights is investigating the case. For further information, please contact: Mr. Chhim Savuth, Project Coordinator of Training and Public Forum Project, CCHR by +855 12 899858, +855 9969241 or savuth@cchrcambodia.org Best Regards, -- Suon Bunthoeun, Attorney–at-Law Project Officer, CCHR Email: bunthoeun@cchrcambodia.org Tel: +855 (0)12 48 35 46 Fax: +855 23 72 69 02 Nº798, Street 99, Beoung Trabek, Khan Chamkar Mon, Phnom Penh, Cambodia  | ||
| Coastal road block for Kith Meng [... More evictions to come from Mr. Rough Stuff?] Posted: 15 Aug 2011 03:16 PM PDT
Friday, 12 August 2011 Mom Kunthear The Phnom Penh Post We protested by blocking the road because we don't want to leave our land ... because we have lived here since 1979 More than 100 villagers living near Sihanoukville blocked a national road leading to the coastal town yesterday to protest against tycoon Kith Meng's proposed lakeside ecotourism development, which they fear will rob them of land they have farmed for decades. In a letter sent to the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy in March, obtained by The Post yesterday, Kith Meng, president of the Cambodian Chamber of Commerce, requested a 99-year, 82-hectare concession for an ecotourism development on land around the Boeung Prek Tup lake. "I want to tell you, Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy, that the Boeung Prek Tup area is the biggest freshwater lake in the province and [the lakeside] covers about 82 hectares," the letter stated. Kith Meng, who is also chairman and chief executive officer of the Royal Group, said in the letter that the Boeung Prek Tup lakeside had not been protected and that his company had the skills and budget to invest in the area. Sak Sophal, a representative of villagers from around the Boeung Prek Tup lake in Mittapheap district's Commune 3, said residents had blocked National Road 4 yesterday for about three hours in order to appeal to Prime Minister Hun Sen for intervention. "We protested by blocking the road because we don't want to leave our land … because we have lived here since 1979," he said, adding that villagers would continue to protest until a resolution was reached. Residents blocked the road until police and military police officials moved them to the side in order to reduce traffic jams, Sak Sophal said. Commune 3 chief Kan Loeng said yesterday that he did not plan to intervene on behalf of the villagers because they had refused to listen to the authorities. "They didn't listen to us when we told them we will intervene with their problem," he said. "They need help from Prime Minister Hun Sen." Kith Meng could not be reached for comment yesterday.  | ||
| SRP and CPP youth debate at Stung Sangker Hotel in Battambang province on 16 August 2011 Posted: 15 Aug 2011 03:09 PM PDT Aug 12 លី សុជាតិ Posted on Facebook នៅថ្ងៃទី ១៦ ខែ សីហា នៅសណ្ឋាគារស្ទឹងសង្កែ ខេត្តបាត់ដំបង នឹងរៀបចំកម្មវិធី: ការដេញដោលមតិយុវជនពហុបក្ស រវាងវាគ្មិន ជា យុវជន គណបក្ស ប្រជាជនកម្ពុជា ចំនួន ០៣រូប ជាមួយ វាគ្មិន ជា យុវជន របស់ គណបក្ស សមរង្ស៊ី ចំនួន ០៣ រូប ។  | ||
| "The right thought & The right way" - Op-Ed by Maha Phirum Posted: 15 Aug 2011 03:05 PM PDT | ||
| Thieves will remain thieves - Opinion by Chhaya Khemarak Posted: 15 Aug 2011 02:58 PM PDT   | ||
| "After the boss, that's me" - Poster by Anonymous Posted: 15 Aug 2011 02:38 PM PDT   | ||
| Monkey see, monkey do in the Banana Kingdoom: The boss gets congratulations ... so does the crony Posted: 15 Aug 2011 02:35 PM PDT   | ||
| Hun Xen trov oss leakh doy roeung Boeung Kak - Poem in KHmer by Spean Tep Posted: 15 Aug 2011 02:15 PM PDT   | ||
| Posted: 15 Aug 2011 10:47 AM PDT   | ||
| Politiktoons No. 172 - The Friendship Posted: 15 Aug 2011 09:47 AM PDT
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| Volunteers needed to help COMFREL Posted: 15 Aug 2011 09:42 AM PDT   | ||
| Reaching the American Dream - An announcement by the Cambodian Reconciliation Committee, Inc. Posted: 15 Aug 2011 09:37 AM PDT
Reaching the American Dream Mr. Sopheaktra Nou (CRC) nominated Mr. Alex Yang to be Reaching The American Dream Award's Candidate 2011. On August 13th, 2011 Mr. Alex Yang was The First Cambodian-American selected by Fresno Center For New Americans to receive the award from :
Mr. Alex Yang's Speech: I am stand before you, I can validly tell you my nightmare and horrified story of my childhood. I was separated from my parents as orphans with my brother at the age of 9 but he never made it thru. I am a refugee from Southeast Asia, I am Cambodian. By the end of Pol Pot regime I was able to reunite with my mom and we escaping from Pol Pot in 1979 during the current government come to power. By 1980 we arrived to United States, which has given me a chance and chance of a new life. I was happy, confused, and scared the same time. The new world was so much different, so much to offers, and so much choices. We are here today to celebrate "Reaching the American dreams". Have I reach the American dreams? Maybe, then again maybe not, depend our definition of American dreams. To reach this point of our life, we come from different roads and different path. But the road that lead us to this point comes from two commitment "choice and determination". Why do I say this because we were refugee, poor, and culture shock- compare to fish out of water. With our determination and making the right choice, we push ourselves so we can here today. It is been said that "the choice we make, will define who we are". So Reaching the American dreams is my saying "Being the person you dream to Be." So keep in mind to make the right choice.  | ||
| Devlopments that bring hardship to the people need rethinking? Posted: 15 Aug 2011 09:19 AM PDT | ||
| "Who Killed Chea Vichea?" is now available on DVD Posted: 15 Aug 2011 09:02 AM PDT | ||
| Child malnutrition in the spotlight Posted: 15 Aug 2011 08:58 AM PDT
Monday, 15 August 2011 Cheang Sokha The Phnom Penh Post "One out of three children of less than five years of age is malnourished"Colombo, Sri Lanka Experts believe child malnutrition is one of the biggest health problems facing Cambodia, which is one of 15 countries identified by the World Health Organisation as having the highest global malnutrition rates. In a conference attended by some 160 health experts and journalists from 18 countries, held in Sri Lanka from August 10 to 12, the WHO warned that the failure to address the issue would have an impact beyond health concerns and could have dire social and economic consequences. Malnutrition is a factor in 11 percent of global diseases and can lead to long-term poor health and disability problems, as well as poor educational and development outcomes, the organisation warned. Joel Conkle, nutrition specialist for the child survival programme at the United Nations Children's Fund in Cambodia, said that malnutrition was implicated in more than 6,400 child deaths annually in the Kingdom. "The issue of malnutrition should be taken quite seriously. One out of three children of less than five years of age is malnourished," said Conkle. La-Ong Tokmoh, technical officer on nutrition at the WHO's Phnom Penh office, added that child malnutrition was more prevalent in Cambodia than many neighbouring countries in South-east Asia, but was on par with Laos. "I think the malnutrition issue in Cambodia remains serious," she said. The government is set to act and plans to conduct a nationwide campaign this year to help tackle the problem. Dr Ou Kevanna, manager of National Nutrition Programme at Cambodia's Ministry of Health, attended the Colombo workshop. He acknowledged that malnutrition – which experts say can be caused by poverty, poor living conditions and a lack of government-level concern – remained high in Cambodia and caused a variety of child health problems. However, he highlighted a number of measures being put in place to increase awareness. At the end of this year, the government will conduct a nationwide campaign on the importance of providing extra nutrition to children aged between six months and 24 months. The government strategy is to emphasise the importance of breastfeeding for infants and better educate mothers on what to feed their children. "We have done lots of work on the nutrition issue with children in the villages, communities or so on … rural people, in particular women, better understand how to provide nutrition to their children," he said. But Dr Francesco Branca, Director of Nutrition for Health and Development at the WHO's regional office for the Western Pacific, said that while progress has been made throughout the region, there was "still a lot to do because we have not reached the most vulnerable groups".  | ||
| Posted: 15 Aug 2011 08:50 AM PDT  Monday, 15 August 2011 Vong Sokheng and Mary Kozlovski The Phnom Penh Post The Ministry of Interior has accused a local NGO it suspended earlier this month of "inciting villagers" set to be displaced by a railway reconstruction project, citing it in a statement obtained by The Post yesterday as a reason for halting the organisation's operations. The statement, signed by the spokesman for the Ministry of Inter-ior, says Sahmakum Teang Tnaut (STT), which works with poor urban communities, has been suspended until December 31 for failing to report some of its activities and actions regarding development projects. "The STT has acted [by] inciting villagers in Kampot province and in Phnom Penh to protest [against] the government development plan, aiming to do whatever [it can] to make the development partners of the government suspend or stop the national development plan for restoring the railway," the statement says. The document also states that STT was suspended because the organis-ation had changed its director three times without informing the Interior Ministry and had opened an office in Kampot province without notifying local authorities. In July, STT released a report stating that compensation for villagers in four communities affected by the railway reconstruction project, which runs from Phnom Penh to Sihan-oukville and Battambang, might be insufficient due to a "systematic downgrade" of the value of their homes by the government. On August 2, STT received a letter from the Interior Ministry ordering the organisation to "suspend [its] activities" until the end of this year because STT "has not modified its leadership structure and made revis-ions to its statute according to the instruction of a specialised department". Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak said yesterday: "All NGOs in Cambodia must conduct all their activities according to the Ministry of Interior's regulations." STT programme co-ordinator Ee Sarom said via email yesterday that STT was looking into the letter and that the organisation looked forward "to returning to our operations as soon as possible". A joint statement released by civil- society groups on Thursday condemned STT's suspension as "arbitrary" and a glimpse of future government treatment of civil society if a controversial draft law on NGOs and associations is passed. "Even before the restrictive law has been enacted, Cambodian society has been offered a preview into the future of government control over civil- society organisations and associations," the joint statement says. Meanwhile, at a meeting in the US on Friday, development and rights organisations expressed concern that the delivery of foreign aid and overseas investment in the Kingdom, including from the US, could be compromised if the draft NGO law were passed in its present form. Rights groups have been vocal in their criticism of the draft law, which would compel NGOs and associations to register with the government and adhere to numerous reporting requirements. "One doesn't need a crystal ball to envisage that if this law passes in its current form, it will make aid delivery extremely inefficient, ineffective and cumbersome," Sue Gunawardena-Vaughn, senior program manager for Southeast Asia at Freedom House, said via email on Saturday. Gunawardena-Vaughn said that although an appeals process had been reintroduced in the third draft of the law, released last month, it still provided the government with a "carte blanche" in the registrat-ion or termination of civil society groups. "In this environment of economic belt-tightening … it will certainly give Western donors pause with regard to whether Cambodia will be the country in which they will see the best bang for their buck," she said. Gregory Adams, director of aid effectiveness at Oxfam America, said Cambodians who relied on the support of civil-society groups for their livelihoods would be hurt the most if the draft law was passed in its present form. He added that although Oxfam could not speak on behalf of the US government, the organisation was "gravely" concerned about the impact the draft law could have on US investment in Cambodia. "In these economic times, the US wants reassurance that its investments will be maximised and sustained by a vibrant civil society," Adams said via email. Rights groups have said it will be difficult for civil-society organisations to have further input into the draft law, which was sent to the Council of Ministers last month. Government officials have previously said the law on NGOs and associations would not infringe on the rights of civil society groups and would strengthen democracy in Cambodia.  | ||
| Posted: 15 Aug 2011 05:41 AM PDT  Bart Simpson, 'Eat My Shorts'. 'I'm Bart Simpson, who the Hell are you?' 10 year old son of Homer and Marge. Mischievous.  God-king, 'I'm Sihamoni. I'm only a god-king, what can I do? Can you talk to my mama?' 50-something year old son of Samdech Oeuv and Samdech Me. Gay, as in happy, full of merriment.  | ||
| A Request Letter to TVK to Share Dance Videos with the World Posted: 15 Aug 2011 04:13 AM PDT Dear KI-Media, Thank you so much for posting the dance performances of Royal Ballet Performance of the Cambodian Royal Ballet in Paris in 2010. They are so beautiful. I wish more Cambodians can see and experience of their culture, rather than try to imitate the imitation. I remember that in 1995 or 1995, there was a regional dance performance staged at Angkor Wat of the Ramayana epic. Among the Southeast Asian nations which competed, of course, the Cambodian dance troupe won. Can you find YouTube videos of these performances and post on KI-Media for all to enjoy? Please, to you who have the videos, make into YouTube for all the world to see the Ramayana Dance Performances at Angkor Wat in 1995 (or maybe 1996). Maybe TVK? To beauty and excellence, A friend of Cambodia  |
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