The Phnom Penh Post - ENGLISH: “Peaceful rights day turns ugly” plus 9 more

After restraint on all sides a turn for the worse

Khouth Sophak Chakrya and Sean Teehan

A DAY of peaceful demonstrations gave way to an evening of unrest last night as a handful of protesters were removed from a small patch of land across from the United States embassy and a group of uninvolved people threw Molotov cocktails toward riot police at Wat Phnom.

Shortly after a Cambodia National Rescue Party rally commemorating International Human Rights Day ended at noon, some 300 people gathered in front of the US embassy, waving opposition party flags.

"I asked them what they want, and they said they wanted to demonstrate every day," said CNRP public affairs head Mu Sochua, who asked the crowd to disperse before someone shut off her microphone.

"I said... this is not a CNRP demonstration, you are free to do what you want, but it's not a CNRP demonstration."

By 7pm, a group of about 15 people remained there, sitting down and lighting candles on carpet laid out on grass, while demanding justice and freedom. "They want to get freedom, they want to get rights," said Kam Marin, a 23-year-old at the scene, who said he supported their effort. "I hope we and the police can fight together."

Sbay Veng, who declared himself the leader of the group, called for Prime Minister Hun Sen to resign, adding the protest was modelled on antigovernment protests in Bangkok.

About 20 Daun Penh district security guards stood in formation directly next to the protestors, with one using a loud speaker on top of his car to cajole the sitting demonstrators into dispersing. If they left now, there would be no violence, the guard said. They could come back during the next day.

As Ouk Pichsamnang, a barber and former soldier, stood up among his sitting counterparts, telling police they would stay regardless of the consequences, more than 200 armed riot police gathered at Wat Phnom.

The busy roundabout circling Wat Phnom became the riot police's focal point, when individuals began verbally taunting police before throwing rocks and lit Molotov cocktails toward them. Turning to the flaming projectiles, several groups of police then marched in formation, unable to find any culprits among the hordes of bystanders.

During the minor melee, at about 8:30, authorities moved in and removed the final 11 people camped in front of the US embassy. Two of them resisted and were carried away.

Negotiations had mostly been peaceful, though authorities had made it clear the protesters were not welcome to stay.

Daun Penh district security guards took the 11 to nearby Moha Leap Guesthouse to stay the night, said Moeun Tola of the Community Legal Education Center, who spoke with Veng, one of those removed from the scene. The group later opted to spend the night at Wat Keang Klang, Tola said.

With the demonstrators removed and agitators dispersed, riot police left Wat Phnom at about 9pm.

Earlier in the day, Sochua chalked the embassy demonstrators' actions up to resentment of human rights limitations in Cambodia.

"I think people are frustrated," Sochua said. "People have freedom of expression."

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY KOAM CHANRASMEY

Although International Human Rights Day ended in the forceful eviction of protesters from outside the US embassy last night, monks and their supporters who spent days marching to the capital met with no opposition in the morning as they defied a ban on marching to the National Assembly.

The 1,000-strong group was among tens of thousands who marked the day in the streets and parks of Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. Included were 5,000 opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party supporters who rallied at the capital's Freedom Park and more than 15,000 people who greeted CNRP leader Sam Rainsy in Siem Reap later in the day.

Although the day ended with tension, the authorities' willingness to stand back and let the monks march to the parliament building typified the calm mood across the capital during the morning.

"We could walk very freely. No authorities blocked us," said But Buntenh, founder of the Independent Monk Network for Social Justice. "The government is opening its mind . . . and starting to give people the right to express themselves."

The five groups of monks, who marched a combined 1,000 kilometres from different parts of the country beginning on December 1, blocked the road outside the assembly, calling for an end to rights abuses.

The restrained response from police amounted to a compromise on the government's part, Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan said.

"The public respects the monks," Siphan said. "[But these] monks are involved in irregular activity, they diminish [other monks'] credibility."

In a text message to a Post reporter, National Military Police spokesman Kheng Tito said the demonstrators had been cooperative with police, and the non-violent result pleased him.

"No clashes at all happened between us," he said.

Across the city at Freedom Park, about 5,000 CNRP supporters gathered as party leaders Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha took to the stage to call for rights to be respected and to remind the crowd why the opposition party continues to boycott the National Assembly.

To raucous applause, Rainsy told the crowd he wished to imitate Nelson Mandela's struggle against apartheid, as the world tuned in to watch a memorial service for the late former South African leader being held in Johannesburg.

"Mr Nelson Mandela made real democracy take root in South Africa . . . South Africa has peace in actions and mor-ality that we want [in Cambodia]," Rainsy said.

The two leaders made less-than-subtle digs at Prime Minister Hun Sen throughout their speeches, not mentioning him by name while insinuating his government considered some Cambodians the enemy.

Sokha said that from the second mandate on, people had not been afforded full rights to choose their leaders.

"So today, the political message that [the CNRP] would like to send . . . on International Human Rights Day . . . is that we are all Cambodians, we need to get the present leaders out," he said.

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The CNRP would join in a program of reforms with the CPP, he added, only if the CPP agreed to call a snap election.

Kem Sokha was flanked on stage by several bodyguards, possibly a precautionary measure following a death threat allegedly made by a Facebook user against him.

Briefly interrupting the speeches, a cameraman reporting for state-run television station TVK was accused by a monk of being a government lackey and set upon by the crowd. The reporter, Seng Chan, was led to the nearby Wat Phnom police station by CNRP security under a hail of plastic bottles.

"The monk said I didn't shoot [video] for national television and [told me] to leave," Chan said. "I told him he just hasn't seen [my work]," Chan said, adding that the monk beat him and several others joined in before he was rescued by party security.

A small crowd gathered outside the police station, many believing Chan to be an undercover policeman.

"He had a gun. He's police," one demonstrator claimed.

Chan was released, with minor injuries, shortly after.

TVK general director Kem Gunawadh said the incident was an act of discrimination.

"It's the journalist's right to participate [in the protest]," he said.

CNRP spokesman Yem Ponharith said he was not aware of the incident. "We welcome all journalists without discrimination," he said.

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Ahead of the authorities' 12pm deadline for the CNRP supporters to disperse from Freedom Park, Rainsy and lawmaker-elect Mu Sochua led about 2,000 supporters the short distance from the park to Wat Phnom, where they joined about 5,000 members of Friends of December 10.

From signs condemning corruption and the violation of women's rights to vociferous speeches calling for the protection of natural resources and ethnic minorities, the message from the several thousand strong crowd and civil society groups at Wat Phnom was clear: poor rights protections are undermining social justice in Cambodia.

In a joint statement, the 33 NGOs that organised the event praised a few recent developments from the government, including an increase in factory workers' minimum wage in May and the provisional release of land activist Yorm Bopha from prison last month.

But the groups targeted old bugbears such as the continued lack of an independent judiciary, land grabbing and forced evictions, basic labour rights and threats against human rights defenders. The lack of a freedom of information law and poor government transparency – areas of reform that the prime minister has asked to be expedited in the post-election period – were also singled out.

A suite of recommendations largely related to either drafting new laws or enforcing and strengthening existing laws in order to bolster human rights protections were put to the government – though the ruling party, which was invited to speak, did not attend.

The CNRP, on the other hand, did not pass up the chance to draw a symbolic link between their Freedom Park protest and the civil society celebration.

At about 11am, an indigenous dance group was performing at the front of the stage when CNRP leader Sam Rainsy appeared, flanked by a couple of thousand of his supporters. Despite the MC's valiant attempts to keep the crowd focused on the dancing, they were soon on their feet for his arrival.

As the numbers in the park and the surrounding streets swelled, Rainsy took to the stage, taking pains in his speech to link human rights progress with leadership change, though he did not name himself or the premier.

"Adequate living standards needed for our workers to achieve their goals depend on the leadership and management of the country and depends on a leader who defends the common interest," he told the crowd. "In order to change leaders, we need a proper, free and fair election. We need the right to select a leader of the country who can change livelihoods."

Although the ruling party failed to send an official representative to Wat Phnom, Phnom Penh Deputy Governor Seng Rathanak spoke briefly at the event, representing Governor Pa Socheatvong.

After Rainsy's departure, Wan-Hea Lee, country representative for the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, spoke to an audience that had thinned considerably.

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Cambodia would be hard-pressed to achieve true social justice and respect for human rights without a responsive government, she said, hinting that the ruling party needs to do more to integrate the ideas of the people into its policies.

"A system that is capable of achieving social justice would be an inclusive structure . . . [But] a human rights approach demands more. A human rights approach demands a structure that is capable of changing with the demands of society.

"And that depends on its openness to receiving public feedback," she said, also urging the political parties to return to the negotiating table.

After flying to Siem Reap, Rainsy was greeted by more than 15,000 CNRP supporters gathered in the Angkor Gyeongju area, who heard him demand Hun Sen call an election like Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has in the face of protests in Bangkok.

"He should look at neighbouring countries," Rainsy said.

The CNRP's rally passed important landmarks in Siem Reap, but avoided the Angkor Wat temples.

In a statement released yesterday, Prime Minister Hun Sen pledged his government's support for human rights.

"We are all for human rights and human rights are also for all of us," he said.

The CNRP, meanwhile, released its own statement yesterday, saying mass demonstrations will continue by way of weekly protests beginning in Phnom Penh and other provinces on Sunday.

"We would like to appeal to all those who want to make a decision about their new leader to join," the statement says.

REPORTING BY SEAN TEEHAN, MAY TITTHARA, KEVIN PONNIAH, KHOUTH SOPHAK CHAKRYA, DANIEL PYE, MEAS SOKCHEA AND THIK KALIYANN

A day of peaceful demonstrations gave way to an evening of unrest last night as a handful of protesters were removed from a small patch of land across from the United States embassy and a grup of uninvolved people threw Molotov cocktails towards riot police at Wat Phnom.

Shortly after a Cambodia National Rescue Party rally marking International Human Rights Day ended at noon, some 300 people gathered in front of the US embassy, waving opposition party flags.

"I asked them what they want, and they said they wanted to demonstrate every day," said CNRP lawmaker-elect Mu Sochua, who asked the crowd to disperse before someone shut off her microphone.

"I said . . . this is not a CNRP demonstration. You are free to do what you want, but it's not a CNRP demonstration."

By 7pm, a group of about 15 people remained there, sitting down and lighting candles on carpet laid out on grass, while demanding justice and freedom.

"They want to get freedom, they want to get rights," said Kam Marin, a 23-year-old at the scene who said he supported their effort. "I hope we and the police can fight together."

Sbay Veng, who declared himself the leader of the group, called for Prime Minister Hun Sen to resign, adding that the protest was modelled on anti-government rallies in Bangkok.

About 20 Daun Penh district security guards stood in formation directly next to the protesters, with one using a loud speaker on top of his car to cajole the sitting demonstrators into dispersing. If they left now, there would be no violence, the guard said. They could come back the next day.

As Ouk Pichsamnang, a barber and former soldier, stood up among his sitting counterparts, telling police they would stay regardless of the consequences, more than 200 armed riot police gathered at Wat Phnom.

The busy roundabout circling Wat Phnom became the riot police's focal point when individuals began taunting police before throwing rocks and lit Molotov cocktails toward them. Turning to the flaming projectiles, several groups of police marched in formation but were unable to find any culprits among the hordes of bystanders.

During the minor melee, at about 8:30pm, authorities moved in and removed the final 11 people camped in front of the US embassy. Two of them resisted and were carried away.

Negotiations had mostly been peaceful, though authorities had made it clear that the protesters were not welcome to stay.

Daun Penh district security guards took the 11 to nearby Moha Leap guesthouse to stay the night, said Moeun Tola of the Community Legal Education Center, who spoke with Veng, one of those removed from the scene. The group later opted to spend the night at Wat Keang Klang, Tola said.

With the demonstrators removed and agitators dispersed, riot police left Wat Phnom at about 9pm.

Earlier in the day, Sochua chalked the embassy demonstrators' actions up to resentment of human rights limitations in Cambodia.

"I think people are frustrated," Sochua said. "People have freedom of expression."

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY KOAM CHANRASMEY

An American national arrested in Phnom Penh on Monday on rape charges filed in the US will face new charges in Cambodian courts related to his alleged sexual assault of three underage girls at an orphanage he ran, local authorities said yesterday.

Major General Pol Pithey, chief of the Anti-Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection Department of the Ministry of Interior, said suspect Daniel Stephen Johnson, 35, director of the Hope Transitions organisation, would not be extradited to the US until he had been tried in a Cambodian court and served any resulting sentence.

"Now we have found [via confession] that this American man was involved in sexually abusing children, and raped three underage Cambodian girls in Cambodia," Pithey said. "He was also involved in establishing his Hope Transitions organisation without authorisation from the government or Ministry of Interior.

"We are still questioning him about these four cases, and we will also invite the three victims, who now are staying in his centre, to assist us with our inquiries," he said.

The alleged victims were 13 to 15 years old.

"According to Cambodian laws, this American man now will not be sent to the United States as planned," Pithey continued. "He must face his charges, must be convicted by a Cambodian court and serve his sentences in Cambodia first … before he is extradited to face his criminal cases in his own country."

Johnson is slated to be sent to court for official charges by the end of the week, Pithey added.

According to a senior police official at the Ministry of Interior, who asked not to be named, a US Federal Bureau of Investigation report given to the National Police said Johnson is wanted in the US in connection with five different cases of underage rape, and was laying low in Cambodia.

The US embassy declined to comment on the case yesterday, saying it is generally the policy of the FBI office in Cambodia not to comment on ongoing investigations.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STUART WHITE

As children in the late '90s, three friends Rith, Sovan and Dara promised one another that they'd grow old together, working at a restaurant on the beach. But circumstances have separated them, and 15 years later, Dara's death brings Rith (played by Cheky Athiporn), now a police officer, and Sovan (Vandy Piseth), a gangster, together again. They are travelling through southern Cambodia, and Sovan is carrying $3 million worth of diamonds – without Rith's knowledge.

That's the premise of Kroab Pich, or Gems on the Run in English – a new Cambodian feature film co-directed by Sok Visal and Quentin Clausin that will premiere at the Cambodia International Film Festival (CIFF) this evening.

In an interview last week, the director said the film, a comedy, was also concerned with social and class relationships.

Visal said: "It's a film about friendship, and about how everybody is born into different social situations. We have these three friends: One is a rich kid with a powerful father; another kid whose father is an abusive alcoholic so he's a bit of a rascal – and the other kid, the one who dies, was like the mediator between them, trying to make peace."

The film was shot in Cambodia, and its cast and crew are all Cambodian.

Visal said: "I wanted to make something for the local Cambodian market – something entertaining with a little bit of a moral about friendship. Also it's about people who were born into different social classes but who managed to live together and understand one another."

While Visal has directed music videos and TV commercials before, this is his first feature film. After his role as first assistant director on Clausin's film Comfortably Lost two years ago, the two decided to co-direct a film together.

Visal, who is also a music producer, praised the recent revival of Cambodia's film industry, explaining how before movie theatres such as Cineplex and Legend came to Phnom Penh, few films were made because demand was so low. But now they've arrived, the industry has been given a new lease of life.

He continued: "Local kids and young people are eager to watch Khmer movies – not all of them understand English, not all of them want to read subtitles. They want to watch movies they can relate to: Khmer actors, Khmer production, stories and so on."

CIFF, which runs until tomorrow at various venues in Phnom Penh, aims to promote Cambodian cinema. Visal said: "I think the festival is beneficial for the film industry and for the community in general, and it will attract more and more people every year if it's done right."

Gems on the Run (Kroab Pich) will premiere tonight at 6:30pm at Legend Cinema. The film will also be shown on Thursday at 4:30pm at Platinum Cineplex.

Dr Yuem Sobotra, director of Sunrise Mental Clinic, says spending all your time on Facebook could be bad for your mental health.

Is too much Facebook bad for mental health?
If we spend too much time on Facebook without going outside we risk mental health problems. We could become addicted to Facebook and stop communicating with people around us.

Why do people like to communicate through Facebook rather than face-to-face?
Many people benefit from modern technology and nowadays Facebook is very popular for making friend and communicating.

We have noted that most people are willing to share problems on Facebook that they would never share in the real world.

Are Facebook friends real friends?
In general, an average person likely has between 100 and 1,000 friends. I think many of these are not "real" friends because they do not know each other well – not like real friends do.

And, furthermore, not only can one person have more than one account, but they can add friends who they have never even met in real life before. Then again, some of our Facebook friends are indeed our real friends.

Is it a problem if we spend a lot of time on Facebook without going out to meet friends in the real world?
Spending too much time chatting with friends through Facebook can harm our health because we sit for a long time without food and just stay alone in a room. If we continue to act like this more and more we will not want to communicate with people around us in real society.

Is it wrong to chat and share with friends on Facebook?
Sharing things like pictures and messages with each other can help reduce stress, possibly even easing mental health problems.

This is a good way of sharing and expressing our emotions.

Some people dare not share directly with their friends but are happy to do so through social networking, so it is good - but people need to remember to do in only in moderation.

Why do so many people choose Facebook to express their emotions? Is this linked with mental illness?
Actually, most people using Facebook are not in danger of mental health problems. Some people can kick their addiction by themselves; however, some are not able to. These are the people who need help, be it medicine, a doctor or simply a change of lifestyle.

We can cure mental problems with a healthy daily routine and by surrounding ourselves with real people who really care about us.

When we get stressed, we want to share how we feel with others because instead of just bottling it up inside. We looked at why people like to share on Facebook and found that it is a healthy means of venting and keeping emotions in equilibrium.

When people have a status update or picture "liked" by a friend their stress will be reduced. In fact, even if people don't get very many "likes", sharing on Facebook can still be beneficial, because it still releases stress.

Did you ever think about the possibility of getting in trouble for accusing authorities of corruption or fraud on Facebook? Fact is that your comments are more or less visible by everyone who wants to see them. LIFT looks into whether you could be held legally responsible for your comments and likes on Facebook. We sat down and discussed law and legal practice with H.E. Kheiu Kanharith, minister of information; Moeun Chhan Nariddh, from the Cambodia Institute for Media Studies; and Sok Sam Oeun, president of the Cambodian Defenders Project.

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1. Is saying something on Facebook like saying it in public?
Facebook allows a single individual to have up to 5,000 friends. Does this make Facebook a public place?

To this question, H.E. Khieu Kanharith, minister of information, said: "We can consider Facebook semi-public and semi-non-public, depending on the users per se because of the fact that if we don't allow others to know us by adding or accepting friends, then they can't know what we post and we can't know about them, in return."

Sok Sam Oeun, president of the Cambodian Defenders Project and legal expert, said that "so far there hasn't yet been any legal discussion [in Cambodia] which regards Facebook as public". He continued that because the country doesn't yet have laws covering the web, we can't really determine whether Facebook is a public place.

Oeun also emphasised that, "even if one particular Facebook user spreads false information or curses, there is no law to punish this as if it were done publicly".

2. Should the government regulate Facebook with a cyber law?
Kanharith conceded that there is a lot of false information on Facebook and that the site is like other news websites on which anything can be discussed.

A cyber law is going to take lots of effort and time, the minister said. A long discussion and much debate is needed before any such law could be written. For the time being, the urge to protect one's own personal reputations is all the regulation there is, the minister said.

Moeun Chhean Nariddh, Cambodia Institute for Media Studies director, said that freedom of expression is a part of a free press and a democracy in general, so there should not be any constraints on the expression of opinion.

"I think laws invariably lead to punishment, so for this [social networking websites] I do not want to see punishments [that would limit] freedom of expression." He suggested that people should self-regulate and not use social media to attack someone with libelous messages or disinformation.

3. Can I end up in prison for insulting the PM on Facebook?
In this regard, Oeun said that "when talking about legal charges, things must be clear. At this point, there are no particular laws on the book to punish Facebook users [for libeling or insulting someone on Facebook]". He added that expressing ideas on Facebook is just like chatting at a coffee table.

Nariddh, however, said that if there was a "serious case" of libel, a judge could look at the facts of the case with regard to existing laws like the criminal code and the press law. However, he said, finding facts that show how libel on Facebook had an effect in reality could be difficult to do.

Nariddh said that users should not take Facebook and other social media for granted and use them to maliciously attack other people.

He said that if an insult is unintentional, then apologising and removing the post are enough.

4. How are people punished for libel or disinformation on Facebook in practice?
Nariddh said that in Cambodia it is next to impossible to hold people legally responsible for things they post on Facebook as there are no specific laws against such behaviour.

The professor of journalism added, however, that someone who shares information or commented on posts becomes a so-called "citizen journalist".

"It is hard to differentiate between a citizen journalist and a conventional journalist," he said.

The minister of information and Oeun believe that people who act against social norms, such as by lying and making offensive posts, are subsequently disliked and isolated by others.

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5. Regardless of legal consequences, how should I behave on Facebook?
Alluding to his earlier comments, Nariddh said "actually Facebook users can be regarded as citizen journalists, so they should respect the principles and ethics of journalism, meaning they mustn't lie or provide false information".

Oeun said that "everything, including Facebook, has pros and cons; users should avoid giving false information or cursing even though there isn't any punishment for doing so. Except," he pointed out, "for social punishment, such as being unfriended".

Kanharith said that some Cambodian Facebook users are not sceptical enough of what they read.

He suggested that when seeing any information on Facebook, users be critical of what it says and find other sources to verify whether it is true. If Facebook is the only available source they should judge how accurate the news is based on their own knowledge.

In theory, Facebook can already be considered a public place. According to Nariddh, the means of sharing information on Facebook is mostly from one source to a mass of audience. A post by one person can be seen by hundreds or thousands of others.

This makes Facebook a means of mass communication. However, this fact is not enough to guide people and the justice system. As a result, a real law is needed.

Late in 2011, the Institute of Technology of Cambodia (ITC) created a five-year bachelor's degree in georesources and geotechnical engineering. It involves the study of minerals, oil and other underground resources. Most people who graduate after studying in these areas work in the mining sector.

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Twenty-two-year-old ITC student Ngeom Ratha said he enjoys the classes that make up the course because they have never been taught in Cambodia before.

Ratha said the field gives young Cambodians the opportunity to work with foreigners. "Working with foreigners allows me to learn and have new experiences."

Ratha is doing his best to compete in the job market through his education, but he is wondering a key and further experience to achieve success in professional geography and geology.

Cambodia's mining and oil are expanding and are sure to greatly benefit the country's economy.

A career in underground mining is waiting for any hard-working young Cambodian – not just those already with special connections.

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Having foresaw an increase in demand for natural resources, Kong Sokhorn is currently working as a mining engineer and geological researcher, dealing with metals such as copper, iron and bronze.

The 27-year-old, who graduated from ITC in 2013, said that working in the field requires great commitment, especially in learning about what the observable physical characteristics of a landscape indicate about the possible resources below it.

The work also has the plus of giving nature-lovers the chance to explore the great outdoors. "Lots of the young people in the sector like nature and have a desire to learn from it," he said.

"Knowledge of mathematics, chemistry and geology are key for success and growth."

These days, with digital technology improving day by day and the influence of social media platforms such as Facebook continuing to grow, some people operate honest internet-based businesses. A handful of people, however, ditch their ethics and try to lure people to websites by using exaggerations, fraud and​ pornography.

But there are the good people with specialised skills who use their abilities to start a business – these folk are a shining example of internet entrepreneurs. Twenty-five-year-old Sok Sopheakmonkol, a co-founder and the chief executive officer of Cooingate, used his knowledge of information technology to start his business. He did so after graduating with a major in information technology and management from the University of Hradec Králové in Czech Republic.

Cooingate was created by a young energetic team seeking to capitalise on their skills. In this way, the capital for their business was actually their own skills. Cooingate helps both foreign and domestic clients outsource work such as web design, graphic design and web applications.

"Everyone needs to have a skill and be specialised in it," Sopheakmonkol told LIFT. He always believed that he could start his own company by making the most of his initiative and focusing it on his area of expertise – information technology. At first, however, this proved difficult, especially as he and his team did not have money to get the project off the ground. But, by using his hard and soft skills, he was eventually able to bring Cooingate to life.

Right from the beginning of trying to found the startup there were problems that had to be overcome, Sopheakmonkol said. To deal with these problems he needed to use his interpersonal skills. "To make this project a reality required excellent communication abilities, as I had to prove that my team had a strong commitment and clear goals."

Building a good rapport with someone is the best way to demonstrate that you have the capacity to work for them, Sopheakmonkol said. But that isn't the only thing you need to do. "Besides good communication skills, I have to continually learn more about my field, do my utmost to fulfil the requirements of my business partners, try to understand my customers, help them with consultations and listen to feedback."

The most influential thing in Sopheakmonkol's journey could actually be the inspiration that he takes from his parents. "When I was young I learnt that my parents couldn't finish their high school degrees. Therefore, my parents had to work very hard to support me, and now I tell myself that I have to study hard and have expert skills to support them."