KI Media: “Please donate the American Red Cross for the Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami” plus 23 more |
- Please donate the American Red Cross for the Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami
- Vietnam activist Nguyen Dan Que held for uprising call
- The Khmer Rouge's 3K System (Khlean, Khlach, Khlao - Hunger, Fear, Ignorance)
- Turf Wars: Have officials in Cambodia been profiting from illegal land seizures?
- Cambodia expresses deep sympathy to Japan over massive quake
- Cambodia to use local currency on stock exchange
- Cambodia to use local currency for stock market
- What Is Your Ten Minutes Worth?
- Quake moved Japan coast 8 feet; shifted Earth's axis
- Japanese Government Urges Calm Following Explosion at Nuclear Plant
- Major disaster in Japan: Explosion of Fukushima Nuclear Power Station
- Opposition Leader Meets German Officials
- Lake Talks Fail Between Residents, City Officials
- Australia Hands Seized Artifacts Over to Cambodia
- Lacking Education, Women Face Limited Opportunity [-It's a real SHAME!]
- An Unblinking Look at Cambodia’s Past
- Tapping S'pore ideas to help Cambodians; Insead project put water filters in rural homes
- Thai Villagers Sue Cambodia [-It's time for Cambodia to bring this case the International Court of Justice!]
- How to produce ACTIVE BYSTANDERS in Cambodia to destroy CONTINUUM OF DESTRUCTION: Conversations with Dr. Ervin Staub
- A response to government mouthpiece Mr. Phay Siphan
- Celebrating Dignity, Rights, Contribution of Women
- Wael Ghonim: Inside the Egyptian revolution
- "Haam Hae Kbuon Tivea Sith Strei" a Poem by Hin Sithan
- Celebrating Dignity, Rights, Contribution of Women
| Please donate the American Red Cross for the Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami Posted: 12 Mar 2011 03:42 PM PST | ||
| Vietnam activist Nguyen Dan Que held for uprising call Posted: 12 Mar 2011 03:35 PM PST Following the fall of the presidents of Egypt and Tunisia, unrest has spread in the Middle East 28 February 2011 BBC News A veteran Vietnamese activist has been arrested after calling for a Middle East-style uprising in the country. Nguyen Dan Que, 69, was later released but faces further questioning after an alleged internet appeal for the overthrow of the communist government. Mr Que was detained in Ho Chi Minh City on Saturday. The democracy advocate has spent a total of 20 years in jail. Following the fall of the presidents of Egypt and Tunisia, unrest has been spreading throughout the Middle East. Analysts say the popular uprisings have also unnerved authoritarian governments further afield. Mr Que urged young Vietnamese to follow the lead of the Arab world, reports said. During a raid on his home, police allegedly seized thousands of anti-government documents, including an "appeal to all people" which called on the public to rise up against the government, the Tuoi Tre newspaper said. The family of Mr Que confirmed he had been released but told the BBC he had been asked to attend daily "interrogation sessions". Mr Que has been in and out of jail since 1978, after calling for a multi-party political system. He was last detained in 2003, after writing a series of internet articles criticising government curbs on journalists. He was sentenced to 30 months in jail for "abusing democratic rights to infringe upon the interests of the state", and was released in 2005 under an amnesty. In 1990 he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his involvement in a political reform movement - but was granted amnesty in 1998 on the understanding he would resettle in the US - but he stayed in Vietnam.  | ||
| The Khmer Rouge's 3K System (Khlean, Khlach, Khlao - Hunger, Fear, Ignorance) Posted: 12 Mar 2011 03:28 PM PST | ||
| Turf Wars: Have officials in Cambodia been profiting from illegal land seizures? Posted: 12 Mar 2011 03:02 PM PST This episode of People & Power aired from 15 April 2007 Watch Part One here: Watch Part Two here: Al Jazeera TV Last Modified: 28 Jun 2007 This week's People & Power examines allegations that officials in Cambodia have been profiting from illegal land seizures in the country. Following the abolition of property rights by the Khmer Rouge, a law passed in 1992 stipulated that anyone who has occupied land legally for five years is the rightful owner. Unfortunately it seems that Cambodia's prime minister, Hun Sen, is ignoring the law with huge parcels of land being seized and sold to developers. Squalid camps are developing as more people are evicted from their homes, disease is rampant and in a country where 70 per cent of the population relies on land for subsistence farming, ordinary Cambodians now face an uncertain future. Filmmaker Eric Campbell reveals the extent of the land grabs, the far-reaching nature of corruption and the impact it is having on a country that is still trying to recover from the damage inflicted by decades of conflict.  | ||
| Cambodia expresses deep sympathy to Japan over massive quake Posted: 12 Mar 2011 08:18 AM PST March 12, 2011 Xinhua Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Saturday expressed a deep sympathy to Japan over the massive earthquake that struck Friday and donate 100,000 U.S. dollars as relief to the victims. In a message to Prime Minister of Japan Naoto Kan on Saturday, Hun Sen wrote: "I feel extremely saddened to hear about the loss of hundreds of lives, many injuries and colossal damages in the most powerful earthquakes and Tsunami that struck your country in the afternoon of March 11." Hun Sen further said, "On behalf of the government of Cambodia and Cambodian people, may I convey to Your Excellency and the people of Japan, particularly the victims and members of the bereaved families my deepest sympathy and profound condolences on the tragic losses and great suffering brought about by this natural disasters." The government of Cambodia would also like to make a very modest contribution of 100,000 U.S. dollars for the relief of the victims, he said. Meanwhile, Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong also sent a message to his Japanese counterpart Takeaki Matsumoto to express his deepest sympathy and condolences to the people of Japan on their losses and suffering due to this natural disaster. Hundreds of deaths and extensive devastation have been reported since the earthquake, measuring 8.8 magnitudes on the Richter scale, hit northeastern Japan on Friday afternoon and triggered a massive tsunami in the Pacific Ocean.  | ||
| Cambodia to use local currency on stock exchange Posted: 12 Mar 2011 08:13 AM PST
AFP PHNOM PENH - CAMBODIA will use the local currency for trading on its soon-to-be-launched stock exchange, officials said on Saturday, in a bid to boost the use of the riel in the heavily dollarised country. Stock quotations must be in riel only, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Cambodia (SECC) said in a statement on its website, ending a debate about whether listings on the bourse, set to open in July, should be in riel, US dollars or a combination of both. But for the first three years, 'if buyers and sellers both agree, then they can arrange to settle payments in US dollars", Chan Narith, director of the SECC's securities market supervision department, told AFP. Cambodia has a long-term goal to reduce reliance on the greenback, which according to the Asian Development Bank makes up more than 90 per cent of all currency in circulation in Cambodia. The country signed an agreement in 2008 with representatives from South Korea's stock exchange, the Korea Exchange (KRX), Asia's fourth-largest bourse operator, to establish a stock market in 2009 but the launch date has been pushed back twice. While still among one of the world's poorest countries, Cambodia has emerged from decades of conflict as one of the region's rising economies.  | ||
| Cambodia to use local currency for stock market Posted: 12 Mar 2011 08:09 AM PST PHNOM PENH, March 12 (Reuters) - Cambodia's new stock exchange will quote share prices in the local riel currency , despite pleas from foreign investors who want the dollar used on the long-delayed bourse. The Securities and Exchange Commission of Cambodia (SECC) said all stock quotations on the Cambodia Securities Exchange (CSX) must be in riel only. It is due to commence trading in July, but investors are braced for more bureaucratic delays. The bulk of Cambodia's financial transactions are in dollars, which make up 90 percent of deposits and credits in the banking system in what is one of Asia's poorest countries. The SECC says the government and central bank want Cambodia to be more independent in terms of its currency and is seeking to increase its use. Foreign investors have urged the SECC to use dollars, at least in the beginning, because use of the riel would make risk harder to assess. The commission said, however, that although riel would be quoted in the primary and secondary markets, dollar transactions would be permitted initially to settle payments, with the consent of the parties involved. "The resettlement in dollar is permitted for use for the first three years when the securities market is formed," the SECC said in a statement, adding that the decision to use the riel followed a two-year study in which private companies, international financial institutions, academics and the public were consulted. At least 10 private sector companies want to list on Cambodia's long-awaited bourse. Three state-owned companies, the Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority, Telecom Cambodia and Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, are also expected to list. The SECC has granted licences to 15 securities firms to operate on the CSX -- seven underwriters, four brokers, two investment advisers and two dealers -- most of which are either partly or wholly owned by Malaysian, Vietnamese, Japanese, South Korean or U.S. companies. Finance Minister Keat Chhon last week urged more private companies to seek a listing so they could raise funds to expand. The government is also considering tax incentives for firms that issue public shares. (Reporting by Prak Chan Thul; Editing by Martin Petty)  | ||
| What Is Your Ten Minutes Worth? Posted: 12 Mar 2011 08:05 AM PST  Author's Information  About the Author Gaffar Peang-Meth, of Russey-keo, Kandal, Cambodia, holds a BA degree in Political Science from Hiram College, an MA from Georgetown University, and a PhD from the University of Michigan. He was press attaché at the Embassy of the Khmer Republic in Washington, DC, 1973–1975; initiated resettlement of Khmer refugees; helped institute resistance support committees; and joined the Khmer People's National Liberation Front in the field from 1980 to 1989. He taught at Johns Hopkins University in 1990; at the University of Guam from 1991 to 2004. He writes columns for the Pacific Daily News and the Asian Human Rights Commission. E-mail: peangmeth@yahoo.com About the Editor  Sovathana Sokhom, of Kompong Charm, Cambodia, holds BA degrees in Political Science and Economics from St. Olaf College, MBA International Trade from Texas A&M International University, MA International Political Economy from Claremont Graduate University, and is a PhD candidate in Politics and Economics at Claremont Graduate University. She taught at the Faculty of Business in Phnom Penh, 1994–1996, and was funded by international organizations as an advisor to the secretary-general of the National Assembly of the Kingdom of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, 1996–2000. She taught at Marymount College in 2007–2008; currently, she is an adjunct professor in economics department at Loyola Marymount University.E-mail: sokhomsv@gmail.com Book available for purchase at the publisher website at: or at Amazon  | ||
| Quake moved Japan coast 8 feet; shifted Earth's axis Posted: 12 Mar 2011 03:00 AM PST March 12, 2011 By Kevin Voigt CNN (CNN) -- The powerful earthquake that unleashed a devastating tsunami Friday appears to have moved the main island of Japan by 8 feet (2.4 meters) and shifted the Earth on its axis. "At this point, we know that one GPS station moved (8 feet), and we have seen a map from GSI (Geospatial Information Authority) in Japan showing the pattern of shift over a large area is consistent with about that much shift of the land mass," said Kenneth Hudnut, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Reports from the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology in Italy estimated the 8.9-magnitude quake shifted the planet on its axis by nearly 4 inches (10 centimeters). The temblor, which struck Friday afternoon near the east coast of Japan, killed hundreds of people, caused the formation of 30-foot walls of water that swept across rice fields, engulfed entire towns, dragged houses onto highways, and tossed cars and boats like toys. Some waves reached six miles (10 kilometers) inland in Miyagi Prefecture on Japan's east coast. The quake was the most powerful to hit the island nation in recorded history and the tsunami it unleashed traveled across the Pacific Ocean, triggering tsunami warnings and alerts for 50 countries and territories as far away as the western coasts of Canada, the U.S. and Chile. The quake triggered more than 160 aftershocks in the first 24 hours -- 141 measuring 5.0-magnitude or more. The quake occurred as the Earth's crust ruptured along an area about 250 miles (400 kilometers) long by 100 miles (160 kilometers) wide, as tectonic plates slipped more than 18 meters, said Shengzao Chen, a USGS geophysicist. Japan is located along the Pacific "ring of fire," an area of high seismic and volcanic activity stretching from New Zealand in the South Pacific up through Japan, across to Alaska and down the west coasts of North and South America. The quake was "hundreds of times larger" than the 2010 quake that ravaged Haiti, said Jim Gaherty of the LaMont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University. The Japanese quake was of similar strength to the 2004 earthquake in Indonesia that triggered a tsunami that killed over 200,000 people in more than a dozen countries around the Indian Ocean. "The tsunami that it sent out was roughly comparable in terms of size," Gaherty said. "[The 2004 tsunami] happened to hit some regions that were not very prepared for tsunamis ... we didn't really have a very sophisticated tsunami warning system in the Indian Ocean basin at the time so the damage was significantly worse." The Japanese quake comes just weeks after a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck Christchurch on February 22, toppling historic buildings and killing more than 150 people. The timeframe of the two quakes have raised questions whether the two incidents are related, but experts say the distance between the two incidents makes that unlikely. "I would think the connection is very slim," said Prof. Stephan Grilli, ocean engineering professor at the University of Rhode Island.  | ||
| Japanese Government Urges Calm Following Explosion at Nuclear Plant Posted: 12 Mar 2011 02:57 AM PST
VOA News March 12, 2011 A Japanese government spokesman has urged for calm following an explosion at one of two nuclear plants damaged in Friday's massive earthquake. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano says authorities are monitoring radiation levels at Fukushima, where smoke could be seen billowing out of the nuclear plant complex. Japanese media say radiation levels are more than eight times normal outside the plant. He urged people to follow earlier orders to evacuate the area 10 kilometers around the plant. Before the explosion occurred, authorities said radioactive material had been found outside one of the plant's reactors, which had lost power and cooling abilities following the magnitude 8.9 quake and tsunami. Prime Minister Naoto Kan said 50,000 troops would join rescue and recovery efforts across the country. Japanese media report more than 1,200 people are dead or missing. Entire villages were washed away Friday by waves as high as 10 meters that carried vehicles, buildings and debris several kilometers inland. The earthquake and tsunami damaged highways and other infrastructure, further hampering rescuers' efforts to reach people stranded on their roofs and trapped in affected areas. Japan's Tepco electric company is warning of massive power outages in the coming days across large areas of the country. Japanese authorities said 200 to 300 bodies have been found in Sendai, the city closest to the quake, which was the most powerful on record to hit Japan and the world's fifth largest in more than a century. They say 700 people are missing and 1,000 people have been injured. Northeast of Sendai, fires raged through the night Friday in Kesennuma, a town of 70,000 people. A large fire also erupted at an oil refinery in Ichihara, near Tokyo. In Tokyo, the quake forced a suspension of all train and subway services, leaving millions of people stranded. Several airports were also closed, but some, including Tokyo's Narita have reopened. Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.  | ||
| Major disaster in Japan: Explosion of Fukushima Nuclear Power Station Posted: 12 Mar 2011 02:45 AM PST http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IFho5OjRnc&hd=1  | ||
| Opposition Leader Meets German Officials Posted: 12 Mar 2011 01:18 AM PST
Washington, DC Friday, 11 March 2011 "Once people are frustrated, the only way out for them is through popular uprisings." Opposition leader Sam Rainsy made a two-day visit to Germany this week in search of support for a return to Cambodia. Sam Rainsy is facing 12 years in prison if he returns to Cambodia, on a series of charges stemming from his contention that Cambodia is losing land to Vietnamese encroachment. Observers say it is increasingly unlikely a legal resolution will allow him to return ahead of elections in 2012 and 2013 and that a political solution must be found instead. Sam Rainsy met with several senior officials, including the president of German's parliament, Norbert Lammert. Sam Rainsy told VOA Khmer he had raised the issues of land grabbing and fraudulent elections as areas of concern for Germany. "Once an election is filled with fraud and voters cannot change their leaders because their dictatorial leaders have stolen the election results…this leads to a loss of trust in the elections," he said in a phone interview. "Once people are frustrated, the only way out for them is through popular uprisings. This is what [German officials] don't want to see." Sam Rainsy, who visited the US on a similar trip last month, has warned that social injustice like poverty, corruption, land grabs and the restriction of freedoms has the potential to cause unrest similar to that which Arab states are currently facing. However, Cambodia's ambassador to the US, Hem Heng, told VOA Khmer this was a "bad intention." "Right now Cambodia has achieved national unity, peace and security for economic development," he said. "If we wants Cambodia to be like some countries in the Middle East, it means he wants Cambodia to plunge into Hell again." Hem Heng said Cambodians are tired of war, and he characterized popular uprisings as "undemocratic."  | ||
| Lake Talks Fail Between Residents, City Officials Posted: 12 Mar 2011 12:52 AM PST
Phnom Penh Friday, 11 March 2011 "The development of the area requires them to remove their houses so that new ones can be built, after which they can return." City officials and residents fearful of eviction failed to reach an agreement on Friday over the Boeung Kak lake development, living families in continued doubt over whether they will eventually be evicted. Seven Phnom Penh officials led by Deputy Governor Noun Someth sat with 35 lake residents to discuss options, following multiple demonstrations in recent weeks and the findings of a World Bank investigation that faulted a land-titling program for failing the residents. Lake residents say they want to stay on 15 hectares of land in the 133-hectare commercial development by Shukaku Erdos Hongjun rather than take buyouts or move to an inferior location—or to leave the area at all while it is developed. City officials say the development of the area requires them to remove their houses so that new ones can be built, after which they can return. However, residents say they will not leave their current homes in the area until new ones are built they can move into. The core disagreement left both sides at loggerheads on Friday, despite increased calls from city officials that residents settle with the developer or face penalty of law and the destruction of their homes without compensation. The meeting follows the release of investigation results from the World Bank on Wednesday that found the Bank's Phnom Penh office had failed to follow a land-titling plan that could have prevented many evictions from the lake area. In a statement Friday, the Ministry of Land Management reiterated the government's position that the lakeside residents were not among those who should have received titles under the World Bank program.  | ||
| Australia Hands Seized Artifacts Over to Cambodia Posted: 12 Mar 2011 12:43 AM PST Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer Phnom Penh Friday, 11 March 2011 "Illegally removing human remains and cultural property deprives countries of their ancestry and history." The Australian government has returned a collection of stolen prehistoric artifacts to Cambodia that were smuggled out of the country and seized by Australian authorities last year. The collection of 30 artifacts included earrings and ornamental leg and wrist bangles, along with human remains. They were handed over to the Cambodian government at its embassy in Canberra on Thursday. The jewelry had been brought into Australia and were being sold on the website E-Bay through an Australian art gallery, Australian Art Minister Simon Crean said in a statement. "Illegally removing human remains and cultural property deprives countries of their ancestry and history," he said. Dougald O'Reilly, director of the Cambodian conservation NGO Heritage Watch, said in an e-mail the jewelry was likely looted from northwest Cambodia, where in recent years villagers have begun to raid ancient burial sites. The jewelry could date back to 100 AD to 300 AD, he said. "The return of these artifacts demonstrates the cooperation and understanding between Cambodia and Australia in protecting cultural heritage and combating the illegal trade of cultural property," Cambodian Ambassador to Australia Chum Sounry said. Hat Touch, director general of the Ministry of Culture's heritage department, in Phnom Penh, said he was in contact with the Cambodian Embassy and was working to bring the artifacts back "as quickly as possible."  | ||
| Lacking Education, Women Face Limited Opportunity [-It's a real SHAME!] Posted: 12 Mar 2011 12:32 AM PST
Washington, DC Friday, 11 March 2011 "We do not want women to take over the roles of men, but to be equal or very much the same." Women face few prospects in the economy or politics, highlighting a need for better education and opportunities, a leading rights advocate said Thursday. Pung Chhiv Kek, founder of the rights group Licadho, told "Hello VOA" that women here are limited in what they can do, with many finding their way to labor in the garment sector. "We do not want women to just be garment factory workers," she said. "If women have work to do, it's better than nothing. But we want to see women becoming the presidents of companies, leaders of large or medium-sized companies. We want women to obtain very high levels of education in order for women to be incorporated in all sectors of societal leadership." "We do not want women to take over the roles of men, but to be equal or very much the same," she said. She noted that Tuesday marked the centennial of International Women's Day, which began 100 years ago when women worldwide began standing up for their rights. Cambodian women face a wide range of obstacles in their educational development. Most drop out before university, and only one about 1 percent of key leadership roles in the government are held by women, Pung Chhiv Kek said. That includes 27 parliamentarians, one deputy prime minister, two ministers, 19 secretaries of state and 28 undersecretaries of state. Government spokesman Phay Siphan acknowledged the shortage, saying women face an educational problem and poverty in post-conflict Cambodia. "That does not mean the men of Cambodia, or the government, do not value women," he said. Within the Cambodian People's Party there are many women, he said. The government has in its five-year development plan goals to develop women through better training and education, but despite such plans, women face an uphill struggle. Pung Chhiv Kek said she has watched the government's agenda for women since 1993, from the first election, and noticed more women in government positions. But she also noted that women face domestic violence, rape, trafficking, poverty, poor education and a culture of impunity that does little to bring justice for violence acted against them. A country with greater development priorities for women will remain more stable, she said.  | ||
| An Unblinking Look at Cambodia’s Past Posted: 12 Mar 2011 12:19 AM PST
March 11, 2011 By Patrick Barta The Wall Street Journal Blog It may be one of the most important films about Cambodia ever made. But very few people there have had the chance to see it — much less know it exists. "Enemies of the People" tells the story of Thet Sambath, a Phnom Penh journalist who spent more than a decade trying to find and understand the Khmer Rouge cadres who helped oversee the murder or death of more than a million Cambodians when their radical Communist regime governed the country in the late 1970s. For the most part, Khmer Rouge rank-and-file have denied crimes or played down their involvement, blaming superiors for forcing them to act. But in the film, which is scheduled to air on Channel NewsAsia Friday evening in Singapore, Hong Kong, India and Jakarta, followed by other screenings in Bangkok, Melbourne and elsewhere, Mr. Thet Sambath succeeds where other journalists and investigators have failed by convincing Khmer Rouge members to come clean about their crimes, providing a vital record for history — and a riveting and chilling film. In one scene, a former Khmer Rouge cadre matter-of-factly describes how he and others personally butchered scores of people, often at night, and then cast their bodies into shallow graves. Some were killed by a nearby banyan tree, the man says; others were disposed of at nearby ditch by a dead palm tree. A genial neighbor describes how ponds bubbled afterwards as the water mixed with decomposing bodies. In another scene, Mr. Thet Sambath asks one of the men to demonstrate how he murdered his victims. The man begs off a bit but then obliges, grasping a bystander by his face and running a blunt-edged knife across his throat, as the victim laughs awkwardly. "Enemies of the People" follows in the footsteps of many acclaimed studies of Southeast Asia's dark days of the 1970s, from Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 film "Apocalypse Now" to the most famous movie about Cambodia, 1984′s "The Killing Fields," which starred Sam Waterston as a New York Times journalist covering the rise of the Khmer Rouge regime. It's also in the tradition of soul-searching documentaries such as Errol Morris's "Fog of War," a 2003 release that relied on extended, candid interviews with the former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara to prize out insights into the nature of guilt and remorse. With beautifully shot footage of the Cambodian countryside and tightly-edited portraits of the killers themselves, "Enemies of the People" works not only as a historical document, but also as a work of art in its own right. The film isn't known to most people in Cambodia, though. Mr. Thet Sambath and his filmmaking partner, Rob Lemkin, screened the film several times at a small German-Cambodian cultural center in Phnom Penh. But they say the government has declined to give a license for wide release in public cinemas or in more remote provinces where much of the violence occurred, and where many of the killers, never held accountable for their crimes, continue to live quiet lives. A number of former Khmer Rouge officials retain posts in the current government, headed by one-time Khmer Rouge member Hun Sen, who later defected — and isn't accused of any crimes related to the group's years in power from the mid-1970s to 1979. Critics of the government say it just doesn't want to dig up too much about the past. "We want to go to a major cinema, that way more people would know about" what happened, Mr. Thet Sambath says. But he doubts there will be a wide release anytime soon. Sin Chan Saya, director of the cinema department under the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts in Cambodia, says the government has received a request from Mr. Thet Sambath but needs a more formal letter "for inspection." "The film is good and I am fond of it," he said, but since it involves issues now under investigation by a United Nations-backed tribunal, it isn't his position to decide whether it can be shown widely. "I will put it to my minister when there is formal permission request," Mr. Sin Chan Saya said, adding that it remains unclear whether the filmmakers had full permission to make the film. "Who gave permission before shooting? What is the purpose of the film?" "Enemies of the People" has drawn considerable notice outside of Cambodia, however. It won a special jury prize at Sundance last year and has opened to positive reviews across the U.S. and Europe. Mr. Thet Sambath's technique involves unwavering, some would say obsessive, persistence in pursuing his quarry across Cambodia's backroads, in some cases spending years to develop personal relationships with the killers and earn their trust. He makes clear he won't judge them, or at least not openly—an approach that's all more the surprising given that Mr. Thet Sambath's parents both died at the hands of the Khmer Rouge. His aim, he says, is only to learn the truth — and understand why they did what they did. "I am not on the side of the victims. I am not on the side of the Khmer Rouge. If I go to one side, of the victims, for my family, it is not the truth," he said. He compares his quest to the work of historians who still can't fully explain the rise and fall of Cambodia's famous ancient city, Angkor Wat. "The Khmer Rouge will be the same if we don't get them to tell the truth." Mr. Thet Sambath says he believes many former Khmer Rouge officials who are still alive want to open up, because they want the truth to be told, too. How deeply they feel remorse is less clear—they say they are remorseful in the film, and in some cases appear profoundly troubled by their past, but they also are quick to blame higher-ups who they say ordered them to kill. That leads Mr. Thet Sambath to one of the highest-ranking Khmer Rouge figures remaining: The man commonly known as Brother No. 2, Nuon Chea, who was the right-hand man of the main Khmer Rouge leader, the late Pol Pot. Now in his mid-80s, he is facing trial at the U.N.-backed tribunal but it's unclear whether he'll tell everything he knows, or live long enough to do so. He tells plenty in "Enemies of the People," though, and some of the film's most powerful and emotionally complex scenes depict the deepening relationship between Mr. Thet Sambath and the man accused of mass murder, as the journalist works to wear down his defenses. Like Mr. Thet Sambath, the film avoids making snap judgements, showing Mr. Nuon Chea in apparently tender moments with children and living in modest conditions in a wooden rural house before his arrest in 2007. The two men develop what almost seems like a father-son relationship. In the end, Mr. Sambath gets his truth: The victims, Mr. Nuon Chea says, were enemies of the people that needed to be "solved" and killed, a horrifying admission but one that also offers some measure of satisfaction, since at least the truth is being told. The documentary continues to make its way around the film circuit world-wide and is scheduled to run on Channel NewsAsia Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Singapore and Hong Kong (at 5 p.m. in India; 6:30 p.m. in Jakarta). It is slated to open in Bangkok and Melbourne in May and screenings are also scheduled in Wellington, New Zealand, this month. Additional reporting by Sun Narin.  | ||
| Tapping S'pore ideas to help Cambodians; Insead project put water filters in rural homes Posted: 11 Mar 2011 11:46 PM PST March 12, 2011 Judith Tan The Straits Times (Singapore) INSPIRED by Singapore's innovative efforts towards achieving self-sufficiency in water, an Insead student here set about helping rural Cambodian households obtain clean drinking water. Not only that, Mr Victor Ferre Pellicer, a Spaniard with a degree in industrial engineering but who is working towards an MBA at Insead, also rallied 13 other foreigners here to the cause. Barely three months later, the Water For Life initiative had installed 61 biosand filters (BSFs) and built another 40 in homes in Siem Reap. As some homes house more than one family, the lives of 115 rural Cambodian families have been raised a notch as they now have access to water that is 98 per cent free of faecal bacteria, reducing their exposure to diseases like diarrhoea by half, he said. Mr Pellicer, 31, said pulling off the project was 'dead easy': 'By sending an e-mail to the 500-strong Insead student community, I was pretty sure of generating a wave of interest in minutes.' The first one on board was Ms Patricia Colard, a French lawyer who organised the trip for the group to Siem Reap; the Singapore International Foundation (SIF) helped identify the villagers in need of clean water. Mr Pellicer told The Straits Times that he felt providing drinking water to villages was a worthy cause, and running the project fit into the group's 'intense' MBA programme. 'At the same time, discovering the real faces of Cambodia beyond Angkor Wat's ruins appealed to us,' he said. He said that last November, he and about 20 other MBA students from Insead had attended the first instalment of Singapore Insights, a series of thematic study visits and dialogues to clue foreigners in to Singapore's strategies, innovations and way of life. The half-day programme included visits to the Marina Barrage and the Bedok NEWater Visitor Centre. 'The visits showcased Singapore's amazing capability to transform the living environment for the better, using state-of-the-art technology and a good deal of education,' he said. After the group was assembled, it raised funds for the project by baking and selling cookies and coffee on the Insead campus; with contributions from the dean and the rest of the faculty, they put together more than $5,000, which covered the cost of building the BSFs. Each simple but effective water-treatment device, which can run without electricity for 15 years, comprises a column of sand and layers of gravel. Water to be treated is put through the filter, which is kept permanently wet to develop a biological layer on top of the sand. The biofilm degrades the pollutants and keeps the filter clean. The filters' blueprints were developed and donated by Rotary International and Deutsche Bank to the Water for Cambodia project. Mr Pellicer said the toughest part of the project was raising awareness of the need of filters among the rural folk, and convincing them to pay for the maintenance of the filters. Now that the work is done, he said: 'We're hopeful that Cambodia will keep growing and that the Insead community will stay involved in helping it to.' juditht@sph.com.sg  | ||
| Posted: 11 Mar 2011 11:19 PM PST
March 12, 2011 Pattaya Daily News (Thailand) Following the Thailand-Cambodia dispute, villagers from Thailand border, petitioned to sue Cambodian government for the damages caused by the cannon and Missile-BM21 fires from Cambodia, requesting over 2 Billion Baht in compensation. Srisaket, 10th March 2011 [PDN]: Mr. Weerayut Duangkaew, Sub-district Chief of Saothongchai, Kantaralak, Srisaket stated that villagers from 7 sub-districts, including Poomsaron village, have united together to sign a petition for the damages caused by the Thailand-Cambodia dispute. The village people planned to sue Cambodia reaching various levels of authority – first to the World Court or ICJ, proceeding through to the District Chief Officer of Kantaralak, forwarding to the Governor of Srisaket, then to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and to the Prime Minister respectively. About 50,000 villagers joined together and calculated the requested compensation amount. The costs were the multiple of the people by their daily income (100 Baht/day) by 30 days. The estimated reimbursement was a grand total of 150 million Baht. Furthermore, farming total damage costs for 600 Rai were around 9,000,000 Baht at 15,000 Baht per Rai. Personal compensation was also evaluated. 1 million Baht compensation was requested for each of the 7 houses burnt. Partial house damages was priced at 300,000 Baht per house. One dead person was worth around 1,500,000 Baht. The compensation amount was a grand total of approximately 2,239,905,000 Baht.  | ||
| Posted: 11 Mar 2011 11:05 PM PST | ||
| A response to government mouthpiece Mr. Phay Siphan Posted: 11 Mar 2011 10:33 PM PST By Khmer Democrat, Phnom Penh Oh, really??!! Series Anonymous said: "REVOLUTION CANNOT HAPPEN IN CAMBODIA" SAID PHAY SIPHAN DURING RADIO FREE ASIA CONVERSATION. BUT PHAY SIPHAN'S ATTITUDE MAY CAUSE THE REVOLUTION TO TAKE PLACE. It will happen, Mr. Phay Siphan. And you are on the wrong side of history. Technology will throw back at you every word you utter on behalf of the murderers of this CPP regime. Social revolution will happen. It will happen faster with the increasing repression of this current CPP, a reflection of their fear. But it will have unintended consequences of ushering in their end. It will happen because the growing repression will create the boomerang effect. Mr. Phay Siphan, you can claim that if "I didn't go along, my and my family's security is at risk". Boo-hoo-hoo. This is the same refrain sung by every murderer of small and mass killings, during the Khmer Rouge era, under the Vietnamese occupation and now under the reincarnated Vietnamese occupation of your CPP. We have heard this chorus in countless different languages, sung by every coward turned perpetrator. You will, Mr. Phay Siphan, will be judged more harshly, because you have real choices, but you choose to luxuriate in these hay-days of CPP rule at the expense of your countrymen and your future legacy. Wael Ghonim: Inside the Egyptian revolution | ||
| Celebrating Dignity, Rights, Contribution of Women Posted: 11 Mar 2011 08:06 PM PST Under his forming hands a creature grew, Man-like, but different sex; so lovely fair That what seemed fair in all the world, seemed now Mean, or in her summed up, in her contained, And in her looks; which from that time infus'd Sweetness into my heart, unfelt before, And into all things from her air inspir'd The spirit of love and amorous delight. She disappear'd, and left me dark; I wak'd To find her, or for her ever to deplore Her loss, and other pleasures abjure: When out of hope, behold her, not far off, Such as I saw her in my dream, adorn'd With what all Earth or Heaven could bestow To make her amiable: On she came, Led by her Heavenly Maker, though unseen, And guided by his voice; nor uninform'd Of nuptial sanctity, and marriage rites: Grace was in her steps, heaven in her eye, In every gesture dignity and love.
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| Wael Ghonim: Inside the Egyptian revolution Posted: 11 Mar 2011 07:46 PM PST By Khmer Democrat, Phnom Penh Power to the Khmer People Series Pay close attention, all you who love decency and respect your dignity and the dignity of others, who believe in democracy and human rights, who yearn for a better Cambodia joining the world community of 21st century, than a Cambodia still compared to the Khmer Rouge years. "... the power of the people is stronger than the people in power." Young people, let's start a social revolution in Cambodia! Express yourself through your blog, your Facebook, KI Media... not meaningless rants, but develop and raise the quality of your voice. Wael Ghonim is the Google executive who helped jumpstart Egypt's democratic revolution ... with a Facebook page memorializing a victim of the regime's violence. Speaking at TEDxCairo, he tells the inside story of the past two months, when everyday Egyptians showed that "the power of the people is stronger than the people in power." Why you should listen to him:
Warl Ghonim on 60 Minutes  | ||
| "Haam Hae Kbuon Tivea Sith Strei" a Poem by Hin Sithan Posted: 11 Mar 2011 07:45 PM PST   | ||
| Celebrating Dignity, Rights, Contribution of Women Posted: 11 Mar 2011 07:42 PM PST CEDAW signed by Cambodia in 17 Oct. 1980, acceded to on 15 Oct. 1992 The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly, is often described as an international bill of rights for women. Consisting of a preamble and 30 articles, it defines what constitutes discrimination against women and sets up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination. PART I Article 4 1. Adoption by States Parties of temporary special measures aimed at accelerating de facto equality between men and women shall not be considered discrimination as defined in the present Convention, but shall in no way entail as a consequence the maintenance of unequal or separate standards; these measures shall be discontinued when the objectives of equality of opportunity and treatment have been achieved. 2. Adoption by States Parties of special measures, including those measures contained in the present Convention, aimed at protecting maternity shall not be considered discriminatory.  |
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